Golden Gloves champ Jacks endures, matures
Aden Jacks opened some eyes — including his own — when he won three amateur tournaments a year ago as a novice division boxer.
With fewer than 10 bouts under his belt, he wasn’t supposed to beat the more experienced opponents he was facing.
But the San Antonio heavyweight breezed to local and state Golden Gloves titles, then added another victory at a national qualifier in Cleveland — before reality brought him back to Earth and down for the count — in August in the form of COVID-19.
A week before leaving for Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the 2022 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, Jacks was bedridden for several days with symptoms associated with the coronavirus: fever, congestion and labored breathing. He stayed home.
“It got me pretty good,” Jacks said. “Suddenly, all that momentum I had built up was gone.”
Through it all, Jacks learned first-hand why boxing is often used as a metaphor for life. He learned what it means to get knocked down and face the challenge of getting back up again.
Now he’s back to try to top his accomplishments from the year before. His journey begins with the San Antonio Regional Golden Gloves tournament that runs Friday through Sunday at the Second Baptist Church Community Center on the East Side.
First bell is 6 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s bouts begin at 1 p.m., with Sunday’s finals set for 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $15 on Sunday.
Male and female boxers ages 17-40 are eligible to compete in novice and open (more than 10 bouts) divisions in youth and senior age groups.
Open champions earn a trip to the Texas State Golden Gloves Tournament, March 15-18, in Fort Worth.
“God has a plan that is the foundation of my purpose,” Jacks said of his bout with COVID that knocked him out of the national Golden Gloves tournament a year ago. “I just have to trust the plan and trust the process. But I learned some things along the way.”
Things like perseverance, humility and trust, he said.
There were other ups and downs in 2022. Before contracting COVID, Jacks was excited about an invitation to attend an elite high-performance camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the
summer as part of an effort to make the U.S. national team.
After sparring against international competition, Jacks was told he was too small and too inexperienced. He was sent home disappointed but determined to improve.
“I experienced a lot of highs and lows last year,” Jacks said. “I just have to do what I do and things will align in my favor.”
Part of his plan is to move up to super heavyweight for Golden Gloves and turn pro latter this year.
He tried out for San Antonio’s entry in the new Team Combat League that is scheduled to begin in April and made the cut. So he is hoping to add some more experience with Golden Gloves before making his pro debut.
Still with only nine bouts (9-0) as an amateur and fighting at super heavyweight, 203-plus, Jacks knows he could be competing against bigger foes. But he is hoping his speed makes up for any disadvantages in weight.
“All heavyweights have one thing in common,” Jacks, 21, said. “They all get tired. We’re just going to try and outbox them and put on a show.”
His coach at Box Beat gym on the North Side, Adrian Rodriguez, watched his fighter go through “growing pains” in 2022 and come out stronger.
Jacks won his age division at the Captex Triathlon in Austin as part of his cross training for boxing.
“Not many boxers his size can do that,” Rodriguez said. “That told me he’s special.”
Tournament director Ellis Johnson said more than 160 boxers are scheduled to compete in this year’s local Golden Gloves, including returning champions Amanda Sendejo, Alexandra Plichta, Ryan Feliciano and Solwazi Graves of Austin.