Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania's State Athletic Commission (SAC) announced today that the Golden Gloves of America National Tournament of Champions will be held in Pennsylvania for the first time in its 100-year history.
The national-level finals of this prestigious amateur boxing tournament will be held May 8-13 at Harrah's Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Delaware County. The tournament will bring more than 500 of the best amateur boxers from across the United States to Pennsylvania.
"Pennsylvania is thrilled to be the host of this historic national championship for the first time in its history, especially as it celebrates 100 years of launching the careers of the next generation of great American athletes," Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. "We're thrilled to welcome this event to the Commonwealth and look forward to sharing all that Pennsylvania has to offer with athletes from across the country."
Local and regional Golden Gloves tournaments began in March, with more than 30 states holding qualifying tournaments across 20 weight classes for male and female boxers ages 18 through 40. All regional winners earn a spot at the Golden Gloves finals in May.
Pennsylvania's Golden Gloves tournament starts with local qualifiers in the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton regions. The winners of these events qualify for the district tournaments, with each weight class meeting this month for the state Golden Gloves titles in Lawrenceville, Allegheny County.
The state champions will represent Pennsylvania at the national tournament in Delaware County. Winning the national tournament qualifies fighters for the Olympic boxing trials, with a shot at representing the United States in the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, France.
The Pennsylvania Department of State oversees the SAC, which regulates and sanctions amateur and professional boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and professional wrestling events in the commonwealth. The SAC also registers all athlete agents doing business in Pennsylvania.
In 2022, the SAC remained one of the most active athletic commissions in the country, regulating 40 professional boxing events and 30 MMA events. The SAC also sanctioned 71 amateur boxing events, nine kickboxing/Muay Thai events, and 353 wrestling matches in 2022.
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