The road to the Silver Gloves national boxing tournament could pass through Pine Bluff this summer.
Gloves Not Guns, a youth boxing club in the city, is planning to host two qualifying tournaments, club operator Albert Brewer announced. The Arkansas Silver Gloves is scheduled for June 4-5 and the Region 6 Silver Gloves is planned for July 22-24.
Brewer said the tournaments will be held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Joseph McCorvey, the facility's director, said he's waiting for a signed contract to book the events.
Silver Gloves is a tournament for boxers ages 8-16 and is similar to the widely-known Golden Gloves, which is open to older amateurs. Region 6 includes Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas, Brewer said.
For Brewer, a former All-Army boxer, the Silver Gloves gives him and his club a chance to help Pine Bluff market itself as the boxing capital of the state. He has mentored young boxers in the city since 2000.
"One of the springboards to professional boxing is tournaments like these," Brewer said. "What makes us stand out is that we are the only team that competes in the Convention Center for regular boxing tournaments. Even though we're a small team, we've drawn teams from New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The facility and the awards we present draw these teams."
The national Silver Gloves is typically held in Kansas City, Mo. Equipment manufacturer Ringside, which sponsors the event, has not yet announced information for the 2021 edition.
"The significance of this is that North Little Rock has always held the Silver Gloves tournament. Pine Bluff has never held this," Brewer said. "We want to put on a show so magnificent, we want to be in the running to bring it back to Pine Bluff. Even though it's short notice, I still think we can pull it off."
Brewer said he and Silver Gloves officials would work to finalize ticket information in the coming week.
Gloves Not Guns got to showcase Pine Bluff as a boxing hub in Arkansas on April 26 with Boxing Back in the Bluff, a 17-fight amateur card held at the Convention Center. It was a Region 6 USA Boxing event.
"They were so impressed, they (USA Boxing officials) asked me that night, 'Do you think we could have the Silver Gloves come here?'" Brewer said. "If this city gets behind us, we can make this happen."
Pine Bluff has a history with Silver Gloves, thanks in large part to the accomplishments of boxers Quincy Means and Donald Griffin. Both Gloves Not Guns products qualified for the national tournament in past years.
Darrion White, another of Brewer's pupils, won the Silver Gloves title two years ago in the 55-pound, 8- to 9-year-old division.
"I have to give credit to all the kids," Brewer said. "Pine Bluff is so full of talent. Once I get that support, the sky's the limit for us."
