Paul Vallone Honored At Golden Gloves Tournament

(L. to r.): Former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., holding his nephew, Charles Vallone III, Paul Vallone, honored by the club before the Golden Gloves tournament, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens Executive Director Karen Johnson and Suzanne Robotti, president of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens board of directors. It was a night of triumphs all around when the Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament came to the Salah M. Hassanein Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens last Wednesday. The evening opened with honors showered upon Paul Vallone, brother of City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. and son of former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., and ended with a solid knockout 15 seconds into the final bout on the 11-contest fight card.

Judge Charles Vallone, father of Peter Vallone Sr., and grandfather of Peter Jr. and Paul, was a founder of the Boys Club of Queens in 1955. Membership was opened to girls in 1980. "It's nice to see the club founded by Charles J. Vallone honoring the father of Charles J. Vallone III," Peter Vallone Jr. commented as his younger brother, a candidate for City Council in the 19th Council District, walked into the boxing ring with his one-year-old son, Charles Vallone, named after Paul and Peter's grandfather, in his arms.

The referee declares a winner in one of the 11 bouts fought in the Golden Gloves boxing tournament at the Variety Boys and Girls club of Queens February 4. Paul Vallone was honored for his dedication to the children of the community and his continued work on behalf of the club. He was introduced and presented with a plaque by Peter Vallone Sr. "I can't tell you what this means to me and my family," Paul Vallone responded. "I am happy to say I am the third generation of my family who has come through these doors and [I am] holding in my arms the fourth generation of Vallones."

The Golden Gloves boxing bouts followed the presentation to Paul Vallone. Stephanie Cortez and Requasia Smith, 11-year-old members of the club, sang the National Anthem and the first boxers then came into the ring. The first four bouts were all between boxers weighing in the 178-pound range. Patrick Pierre took a 3-2 decision in a three-round novice bout over Donato Guardavaccaro. Bernard Day won with a technical knockout (TKO) over Beau Diaz. The next two bouts were both won in third-round decisions. Mitch McMahon and Eduard Samuylin went the full three rounds before McMahon was declared the winner, and Shawn Williams won over Anthony DeFeo. Williams' win was the first of his amateur boxing career; his effort and work rate earned him the P.C. Richard Boxer of the Night title.

(L. to r.): Thomas Nowierski, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens board of directors president emeritus, Suzanne Robotti, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens board of directors president, Anna Marie Vallone, wife of Paul Vallone, Queens County Clerk Gloria D'Amico, Caltena and Lea Bella Vallone, daughters of Paul Vallone, Paul Vallone, holding Charles Vallone III, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens Executive Director Karen Johnson and former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. Brian Adams of the Golden Gloves Organization. Photos Amy Fisher Three bouts between contenders weighing 201 pounds and over followed. Ronald Nicholson, weighing 205 pounds, won over 223-pound Randolph van Meter, who appeared to have sustained a dislocated shoulder under Nicholson's onslaught, garnering Nicholson a TKO in the second round. Jon Bolden, weighing 238, took the seventh bout in the third round in a decision over 230-pound Wieslaw Zagaya. The highlight of the super heavyweight novice bouts was 249-pound, 19-year-old Patrick Neumann's third-round decision win over 276-pound Jerome Packtor in the sixth bout, held immediately before intermission.

The last four bouts on the card were all between novice boxers weighing in the 178-pound range. Three ended in third-round decisions: Darnell Cummings over Brian Leslie, Thomas Kaliszuk over Kalib Walker and Hector Chavez over Adam Familia. The 11th and final bout of the evening, the fourth in the second series of 178-pound class match-ups, took 15 seconds to complete. Dushane Crooks delivered a left hook that sent Steve Celestin to the canvas for a full knockout that ended the bout and the evening.

"Golden Gloves", the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, are open to all non-professional pugilists age 16 and older, with the Daily News Golden Gloves ranking as the oldest and largest amateur boxing tournament in the world. A Silver Gloves amateur tournament is open for amateur pugilists age 8 to 15 years old.

Unlike amateur mismatches held before Golden Gloves came into being, Golden Gloves matches, first held in 1927, had beginner meeting beginner in a "sub-novice" class. The Gloves also required complete physical checkups, further ensuring that boxers of equal weight, ability and physical condition fought each other. To date, the Golden Gloves tournament has furthered the careers of 32 world champions.

The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens was founded to help eliminate an overwhelming gang problem in Western Queens. In its 54 years of existence, the club has successfully offered after school and summer youth programs in personal and educational development, citizenship and leadership development, cultural enrichment, health and physical education and social recreation to more than 1,500 boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 17 annually. The many activities offered at the club include swimming, basketball, performing arts, drama, dance, computers, homework assistance, arts and crafts and a game room.

Amy Fisher contributed to this story.