35th Annual National PAL Amateur Boxing Tournament

The Circle of Discipline team is doing pretty good in the tournament this year. Celso (12 yrs old) competed in the 90 lbs junior weight division against Anthony Gonzales from TX. Celso and Anthony exchanged punches after punches. The first and second round were both tied. We didn't see what the score was for the third round but Anthony was able to pull the win. Celso representing the Minneapolis Police Athletic League Circle of Discipline Amateur Boxing team is bringing home a bronze medal.

Jonathon (18 yrs old) competed in the 114 lbs senior division. On Wednesday, October 21st Jonathon competed against the 3rd rank USA Amateur Boxer in the nation and the 2009 National Golden Gloves Champion. Jonathon was down in points in the first and second round but in the third round he turned the heat up and won the bout to advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday, Oct. 22nd. Thursday evening Jonathon competed against Diego Hurtado. This was a difficult bout for Jonathon. Diego was much stronger than Jonathon landing strong punches all three rounds. Jonathon lost in the quarterfinals on points.

Jamal James (21 yrs old) competing at the 141 lbs open senior division has been competing everyday since Monday, Oct. 19th. On Monday Jamal competed against Kirk Bills and won the bout on points. Tuesday, Oct. 20th Jamal competed against Donte Strayhorn stopping Donte in the third round. Wednesday, Oct. 21st Jamal competed against Edward Brown. This was a tough bout for Jamal. Edward is a counter puncher and was catching Jamal with some good punches. Jamal was down the first and second round. In the third round Jamal turned the heat up to win the bout 9-8 and advance to Thursday night competition. Thursday, Oct. 22nd Jamal competed against Gregory Gutierrez from TX. Jamal looked much better on Thursday. His punches were sharp, strong and clear, which makes it easier for the judges to score your punches. Jamal was ahead in the first and second round winning the quarterfinals to advance to the semi-finals Friday evening.

Tonight Jamal will be competing against Pedro Sosa from NY to win the semi-finals and advance to Saturday nights finals. Jamal has the upper hand because he is taller than Pedro giving him the advantage of reach. Jamal is also a veteran in the Amateur Boxing scene giving him more experience and skills. Pedro is a counter puncher and Jamal is ready to counter his counter. It should be an exciting bout tonight.

Circle of Discipline also has a Facebook page. You can get to our Facebook page from our website homepage. The link is at the bottom of the page on the right hand side. Pictures are posted from the tournament, so be sure to become a fan of the Circle of Discipline Facebook page and stay constantly updated on everything happening at the Circle of Discipline.

2009 National PAL Tournament First Day Preliminaries

Jamal James started the Circle of Discipline PAL Amateur team off tonight competing in the First Day of the Preliminaries. Jamal competed against Kirk Bills from Chicago, IL. Jamal controlled the entire three rounds landed combinations left and right. Kirk received two 8 counts in the second and third round. The bout lasted until the end of the third round and Jamal won the bout by decision.

Celso and Jonathon still have not started their tournament. We will know by tomorrow morning if they will begin their competition Tuesday.

Be sure to become a fan of the Circle of Discipline on Facebook if you have an account. You can get all kinds of great information on our Facebook page.

2009 National PAL Tournament

Circle of Discipline PAL Amateur Boxing team will be travelling to San Antonio, TX Oct. 17th - 25th to compete in the 2009 National PAL Tournament. This will be Jamal James third time competing in the tournament. In 2007 Jamal brought home the gold medal and belt for the open 141 lbs division. He traveled to Colorado Springs, CO to represent the National PAL team in the 2008 USA National Tournament. In 2008 Jamal brought home the Silver Medal in a controversial decision. This year Jamal is looking to bring home the gold medal again and represent the National PAL team at the 2010 USA National Tournament. Jonathon Perez will be competing in the tournament for the second time however this will be his first time competing as an open boxer. In 2007 Jonathon brought home the championship belt and he is looking to bring home the gold medal as an open boxer. This is Celso's first year competing in the National PAL tournament. Celso has been training extremely hard at the Circle of Discipline and he believes for his first major national tournament.

The team is currently trying to raise funds to cover tournament expenses. If you would like to support the team please send a check made out to the Circle of Discipline to PO Box 7313 Minneapolis, MN 55407.

Be sure to become a fan of the Circle of Discipline Facebook page. It's a great way to stay connected to all upcoming events and get daily status updates.

2009 National Golden Gloves Finals

The finals of the 2009 National Golden Gloves were Saturday, May 9th held at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Jamal James finished the tournament competing in the Light Welterweight division (141 lbs) competing against Jose Benavidez from Nevada. Jamal felt good and started the round popping his jab constantly. The bout was a really good bout because both boxers acutally boxed and didn't slug it out, so they showed their technical boxing abilities. Jamal's punches were the stronger punches. Jose's punches didn't have much power behind them. Jamal lost the bout by decision and brought home the 2009 National Golden Gloves Silver Medal.

Javontae Starks finished his tournament in the Welterweight (152 lbs) division in a re-match against Errol Spence from Texas. Javontae was prepared for Errol and made sure he stayed busy all three rounds. Errol is a southpaw boxer so he would utilize this by trying to step on Javontae's foot or tripping him throughout the bout, which many southpaw boxers will do to try and win the bout. It was a great match and action packed throughout the entire bout. Javontae lost to Errol by decision and brought home the 2009 National Golden Gloves Silver Medal.

Both boxers were upset with the decision as well as their coach. They both boxed extremely great in the finals and they felt they did enough to win the bout. They also felt that the National Golden Gloves may of had it rigged for certain boxers to win throughout the night because there were 12 bouts and every boxer in the blue corner won with the exception of one bout and that boxer (who was in the blue corner) lost because the referee gave him a warning, which gave his opponent two extra points. What are the odds that all 11 bouts from the blue corner would win? It makes you wonder.

Javontae Starks has the Regional USA tournament coming up May 30 - 31 in Milwaukee, WI. He will be competing against Daniel Denny again, which he beat in the Golden Gloves tournament. Javontae is the favorite to win the Regionals and advance to the National USA tournament in Denver, CO June 7 - 14 where he will be looking to keep his Gold Medal in the Welterweight division. Jamal James is hoping to compete in the 2009 USA National tournament as well on the at-large team or representing the National PAL team.

Semifinals 2009 National Golden Gloves

The Circle of Discipline team is on FIRE!!!!!! Jamal started the night of semi-finals competition in the Light Welterweight division (141 lbs) against Johnny Garcia from Michigan. Jamal boxed Johnny before at the 2008 Ringside World Tournament and won, so Jamal already knew what Johnny's game plan was going to be. In the first round Jamal caught Johnny with a beautiful left hook to the body twice, which made the referee give an 8-count to Johnny. In the second round Johnny decided to do as much as possible to smother Jamal's reach, which worked to some degree. In fact Johnny caught Jamal with his hands down in the second round and stunned Jamal and the referee had to give Jamal an 8-count. The third round Johnny continued to smother Jamal's punches but Jamal showed a little more power by wrestling his way out and landing points whenever possible. Jamal won the bout and will be competing in the Finals tonight.

Javontae competed in the Welterweight division (152 lbs) against Juan Rodriguez from New Jersey. The first round Javontae kept his distance by popping the jab, moving and landing combinations whenever possible. In the second round Javontae used strategy and let Juan come in close, so they were shoulder to shoulder. Javontae would throw a body punch or uppercut when possible. Juan was using a lot of energy during the second round, which worked in Javontae's favor for the third round. In the third round Javontae picked up the pace and boxed Juan in close throwing uppercut after uppercut and nice short sharp body punches. When the bout was over Juan was exhausted and Javontae was full of energy. Javontae won the bout and will also be competing in the Finals tonight.

Check out the article from today's Salt Lake City newspaper. Jamal was mentioned in the article: http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_12331441.

Jamal will be competing against a boxer from the Nevada area and Javontae will have a re-match with Errol Spence from Texas. Javontae lost to Errol in the 2008 finals at the National Police Athletic League tournament.

Stay tuned for the final outcome of the 2009 National Golden Gloves tournament.

Quarterfinals 2009 National Golden Gloves

Jamal did his thing tonight. He got in his zone and competed against Jonathon Garcia from California in the Light Welterweight division (141 lbs). Jamal went out there with his jab constantly busy. He felt good and his energy was up. Jamal boxed all three rounds catching Jonathon with crisp, strong punches, which was enough for him to win the bout and advance to the Semifinals of the Golden Gloves.

Javontae did his thing as well tonight. He competed against Miroslav Lokes from Nevada in the Welterweight division (152 lbs). Miroslav was much shorter than Javontae and Adonis (Jamal and Javontae's coach) knew that Miroslav was going to try and walk Javontae down swinging hard wild punches in an effort to stop Javontae. However, Miroslav's strategy did not work. Javontae utilized his speed, jab and body shots to wear Miroslav down. By the third round Javontae was backing Miroslav up to the ropes and landing combinations after combinations. Javontae won the bout and advances to the Semifinals with Jamal.

Tomorrow both boxers will be competing three rounds for three minutes. Throughout the preliminaries and quarterfinals all boxers in the tournament competed for three rounds / two minutes. This will be an advantage for both boxers because they train in the gym in three minute intervals so they should do well in the Semifinals and advance to the finals, but we will take it one day at a time and focus on the Semifinals. Keep sending all the positive energy and prayers there way. Stay tuned for the Semifinals update.

Third Night Preliminaries 2009 National Golden Gloves

Wow!!! What a night the Circle of Discipline Amateur Boxing team had. Jonathon Perez started the team off competing in the Flyweight division (112 lbs) against Michael Ruiz from California. Jonathon had to adjust his style a little because Michael is a southpaw boxer. Jonathon stayed busy all three rounds as well as Michael. Unfortunately the referee gave Jonathon a warning for holding, which added two points to Michael in the second round. In the third round the referee gave Jonathon another warning for holding, so Michael received a total of 4 extra points, which was the deciding factor in the bout. Jonathon lost the bout on points. His performance was great for his first Senior national tournament.

Jamal James competed in the Light Welterweight division (141 lbs) against George Rincon from Texas. Jamal looked awesome. He was focused and ready to go. Jamal's punches were more precise and stronger from Monday night. He stayed busy all three rounds catching George with some great combinations. Jamal won the bout on decision and advances to the Quarterfinals.

Javontae Starks finished the Circle of Discipline team off competing in the Welterweight division (152 lbs) against Steven Martinez from New York Metro. Steven was the 2008 National Golden Gloves champion. All three rounds were action packed. Javontae finished the third round strong landing strong sharp combinations, which would freeze Steven in his tracks. Javontae won the bout by decision and advances to the Quarterfinals.

Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow night to find out how Jamal and Javontae did in the Quarterfinals.