golden gloves @ 16?

[TimmySoCal]

Jose benividez won the golden gloves(2009) at 16... i thought you had to be 17 or older to do golden gloves?

[DCAmateurBoxing]

Jose benividez won the golden gloves(2009) at 16... i thought you had to be 17 or older to do golden gloves?

Age determination is August 1st. So, you can enter as a 16 year in the tournament, but I only think a few have actually won it as a 16 year old. Gary Russell was USA and GG before his 17th birthday (June). Can't remember the other. Jose's birthday was the week after he won, so just like Russell it was close, but they both were 16 years old.

[Dennis]

In the past, pre 2000 or so, boxers could compete in the senior class at age 16. For instance Floyd Mayweather, Jr won the 1993 National GG at 16. He turned 16 in February and won the NGG a few months later.

Today fewer 16 year olds will win the NGG or USA Nationals as they have to be 17 by August 1 and the NGG are held in May and the USA National are being held in July this year.

[boxmel]

Jose benividez won the golden gloves(2009) at 16... i thought you had to be 17 or older to do golden gloves?

16 year olds can, and do, compete in tournaments as long as they turn 17 by the tournament's age determination date.

[locoxelbox]

Oscar De La Hoya won the 1989 NGG when he was 16. Fernando Vargas was 16 when he won the US champs in 1994.
Juan McPherson won the US Challenge in 2001 when he was 16, thus qualified for the World Championships where he was disqualified because he was too young! At the time you had to be 17 to compete internationally at senior events.

[boxmel]

At the time you had to be 17 to compete internationally at senior events.

You still do.

[locoxelbox]

No, Mel . Nowadays you can be 16 years and box at elite/open level (if your 17:th birthday is that same calendar year). With the old rules you had to be 17 at the first day of the competition.

[boxmel]

But you can't compete in the Pan Ams, Worlds or Olympics unless you are 17 at the time of the tournament, correct? Or not? :??

[Dennis]

It depends on whether AIBA allows Elite boxers and Youth boxers in those events and it also depends on what birth years they use. As we have seen with the U-19 by using calendar years, you will get boxers who are either older or younger than the age category of U-19. For the 2010 events, AIBA left out some boxers who were still 18 and allowed some boxers who were not yet 17 because of using the birth years of 1992 and 1993.

[locoxelbox]

It depends on whether AIBA allows Elite boxers and Youth boxers in those events and it also depends on what birth years they use. As we have seen with the U-19 by using calendar years, you will get boxers who are either older or younger than the age category of U-19. For the 2010 events, AIBA left out some boxers who were still 18 and allowed some boxers who were not yet 17 because of using the birth years of 1992 and 1993.

??????

The new rules (which are similar to those used up to 2001) state "the age of a boxer is determined using his/her year of birth". Hence, youth boxers in 2010 are born in 1992 or 1993, junior boxers are born in 1994 or 1995. Elite boxers are born in 1991 or older but there is a rule that says "youth boxers are permitted to participate in elite competitions".
So the old rule that said a boxer must be 17 to compete in a senior event is gone. Also the rule that said a boxers age is determined by the first day of competition is not valid anymore.
So a boxer can still be 16 and compete in the Panams, Worlds, Olympics, etc if he turns 17 later that year.

[Dennis]

AIBA does not have to allow youth boxers in the tournaments. Some tournaments have already allowed only Elite boxers and not Youth boxers as was done with the World Cup of Oil Producing Countries in Russia in December 2009. The USA had several boxers who were too young to go and compete.

[locoxelbox]

An organizer can choose to leave out a certain weight category or age category if they want. But the AIBA rules are clear on this matter. And those apply to all AIBA official championships.