San Antonio pair gain Golden Gloves crowns
For years, Joshua Moreno has heard stories from his father and uncle about the Golden Gloves Boxing Gym’s Wall of Champions in Fort Worth.
Specifically, what an honor it is to win a Texas State Golden Gloves title and have your picture mounted and hung with pride at the gym along with the dozens of other yearly group champions photographs dating to 1937.
The wall includes two photos of Joshua’s uncle Tony Moreno (1969-1970), one of his father, Johnny (1971). And now … one of him.
“It was a big thrill to finally get my picture up there,” Moreno, 24, said. “It was an accomplishment not just for me but my family as well.”
Johnny Moreno was in attendance Saturday when his son dominated Mauricio Quintanilla of Houston 5-0 to win the state title at 152 pounds.
“He was very happy,” Moreno said. “He was at a loss for words.”
San Antonio crowned three state champions Saturday. Ravven Brown won the 141-pound title in the female division, beating Destiny Jones of Austin 5-0 in the finals. Monica Alvarez won unopposed in the 165-pound female division.
All three will advance to the national Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on May 6-11 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Moreno’s older brother, Johnny Jr., also made it to state after winning the San Antonio Regional Golden Gloves title at 132 pounds, but was eliminated in the opening round after getting sick earlier in the day.
That gave him a ringside seat to his brother’s path to the championship.
“He was real nervous going into the finals,” Johnny said of his younger brother, who lost in the finals at state in 2015. “I pulled him aside and told him to don’t do this for dad or me, (win) this for yourself.”
Johnny Moreno said that night it was the best he’s seen his brother box.
Joshua Moreno had beaten Emmanuel Rojas of Dallas 4-1 in the semifinals and Roman Acosta of Corpus Christi 3-2 in the first round.
“That was my toughest fight of the Golden Gloves, including San Antonio,” he said. “(Acosta) applied a lot of pressure.”
Moreno celebrated by heading to Disney World in Orlando to meet up with his girlfriend and her parents.
“It was a long four years since my last trip to state,” said Moreno, 58-7 as an amateur. “I had to fight my way back to finally get my picture on that wall. It was pretty unbelievable.”
The title for Brown was merely a continuation of her dominance at 141 pounds, where she is ranked No. 1 in the nation among elite female boxers.
She defeated both of her opponents 5-0.
She’ll join Moreno in the photo on the Wall of Champions, where “some people come to the gym just to see the wall,” said Monica Basan, president of Texas Golden Gloves.
It was only the second year females were eligible to advance to the state Golden Gloves tournament.
“The first match was the best I’ve seen her look,” her coach, Jeff Mays, said. “And she was even better in the finals.”
She beat Annalisa Sustaita in her first match, an opponent she had beaten three previous times. Jones, her foe in the finals, had beaten Brown in both of their previous meetings.
“I had the mindset she wasn’t going to beat me a third time,” Brown, 27, said. “My goal in both fights was to not leave it in the judges’ hands.
“I don’t get overconfident because in boxing things can change dramatically with one punch. I never want to get complacent.”
Brown got back to San Antonio on Sunday and Monday was on a flight to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take part in a training camp for elite boxers.
She’s joining the Moreno brothers and a lengthy list of other San Antonians at the Western Elite Qualifier & Regional Open Championships — an Olympic Trials qualifying event — March 2530, in Reno, Nev.
Other elite Western qualifiers from San Antonio include Jesus Guitron, 114 pounds; Guillermo Gutierrez, 114; Alejandro Martinez, 125; Vincent Siordia, 125.
Junior females registered to compete at Reno (non-advancing) include Reina Tellez, 114, and Melissa Holguin, 125; intermediate females Yamila Tobias, 110, and Gabriella Tellez, 114; youth males Javier Fernandez, 123, Dionico Martinez, 123, and Jason Limon, 132; junior males David Cardenas, 90, Richard Fernandez, 106, Arturo Ramos, 119, and Emiliano Ortiz Uvalde, 176-plus; intermediate males Jeremiah Robledo, 75, Kevin Ayala, 80, and Jesus Martinez, 110; pee wee 8 male, David Holguin, 60.