When all the corners had been cleared and the Texas state Golden Gloves semifinal disputes sorted out and settled Friday night there were but two left to defend the Fort.
Estevan Roman and Antonio Castillo are the only Fort Worth boxers remaining in the field after victories at the John Justin Arena, and the two will box for state titles in their respective weight classes.They’ll have home-ringfield advantage in championship bouts on a fight card that begins at 7 tonight p.m.at the arena on the grounds of the Will Rogers Memorial Center.“I always wanted one of these,” said the 178-pound Roman, a Diamond Hill High School senior while pointing to the “Fort Worth” team warmup pants and top he wore before the fight. “It’s a dream to be fighting in state representing Fort Worth.“Representing Fort Worth at nationals would be big.”Roman used his strength as a counter-puncher to make Kevin Conrad pay for his mistakes in a decision victory.Roman, 18, consistently scored on openings with stiff lefts and a number of hooks.He’ll take on Alex Gayton of the Rio Grande Valley for a berth in the national tournament in Salt Lake City in May.“He was a good boxer with a good style; he was a tough opponent,” said Roman, of Conrad, a 20-year-old from Austin. “My counter-punching worked. It got me the win.”Castillo, a decision-winner over Steve Belmontes of Corpus Christi, will be tackling the unthinkable tonight, vying to defeat defending national champion George Rincon in the 141-pound division and denying the Dallas boxer his place in history as the sixth boxer to win five state Golden Gloves championships.Tom Adams, James Busceme, Morris Carona, Bobby Scoggins and Fort Worth’s Jose Orozco have all won five titles over the course of the tournament’s 77-year history.“If it’s my day, it’s my day,” said Castillo, making his second appearance at the state tournament. “Whatever happens, happens. I feel like I have a chance, though.”San Antonio and Dallas are each sending a tournament-high five boxers into championship bouts.Three other Fort Worth region boxers lost in semifinals bouts on Friday.Jordan Najar fell short against Hector Tanajara of San Antonio in a 114-pound bout.Dallas’ Francisco Martinez got a favorable decision in a 123-pound fight with Joel Ambriz, and John Duplessis, a 152-pounder, lost to Steven Cardenas of San Antonio.
Four-time Gold Gloves state champion George Rincon proves he’s the one to beat
Dallas boxer bids for final Golden Gloves state title before going pro
Fort Worth boxers have a lot of history and pride on their side at state tournament
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