By William Green
On Thursday January 17, 2019, veteran boxing coach Jose Madera took his team to the Lowell Golden Gloves. He had to reschedule a phone interview because the cheering from his celebrating team made it impossible for him to hear any questions. They had reason to celebrate as all three fighters from Intenze 978 Boxing, a Lawrence boxing club where Madera trains champions, won their bouts.
Representing Lawrence were Carlos Alonzo, Andrew Perez, and Dimas “Jimmy” Colon.
Colon fought Richard Theodore from Abington, MA, in a 141 lb. contest. The Lawrence resident won by unanimous decision and improved his record to 2-0. He is 18 and has been training for the last five years. When asked if he was going to win it all, Colon stated that he, “…came for the gold and [isn’t] leaving the Gloves without it.” Based on his performance so far, he is definitely one to watch to win his weight class.
At 201 lbs., Andrew Perez brought the win home for the 978 team. He bested Janvier Clauvens out of Nolan Bros Boxing. Perez was slipping punches and appeared to be on the offensive all three rounds of the fourteenth, and final, fight of the night.
Perez, who will be 27 in February, grew up in Lawrence and is of Dominican heritage. He has a record of 10-2, weighs in at 190 lbs., and the LHS graduate has set his sights on being ranked in the top ten of the nation.
Perez is confident and ambitious but remains humble. The day after his win in Lowell, was helping younger fighters train at Intenze 978 Boxing. This is part of his personal philosophy in action. When asked why he fights, he said, “I want to inspire those from where I came from that through dedication and hard work you can achieve anything in this life.”
Carlos Alonzo, the biggest of Madera’s fighters, stands an imposing 6’3” and weighs in at 235 lbs. He is 32 and a single-father with custody of one of his two sons. He originally brought his son to the gym and signed up with him. He says, his son didn’t want to continue [boxing] but that he fell in love with the sport and continued to train. That decision has placed him on the path to becoming a champion. His win over Medway, MA fighter, Brian Narcisse, advances his record to 2-0.
Madera is proud of his fighters. He started training boxers out of the Lawrence gym in 2010 and sent the first team to the Golden Gloves in 2011. He hasn’t looked back. He has trained over one thousand boxers in the nearly nine years he has been holding the pads.
The 73rd Annual Golden Gloves in Lowell opened on January 10, 2019 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Thursday, January 24, the team will have their undefeated position challenged. The fights start at 7:30 PM. For more information, visit lowellgoldengloves.com.
