BUFFALO, N.Y. — Don Patterson is president of Buffalo Golden Gloves. He is the first to tell you that you may see an Olympic qualifier in his gym.
"You have some of the best fighters in the country right here. I love it. The community comes out and supports it," he said.
He recalls his father taking him to his first Golden Glove match when he was only 9 years old in the Bronx.
"I fell in love, then fell in love with Muhammad Ali and all those guys came through the Golden Gloves," Patterson said.
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Boxing may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Patterson will tell you "what it's really about is giving opportunities for children to be involved in activities. It is a safe space, although the activity, some people get the wrong idea, but if you've been in and you've watched these kids, they go at it and they give their all to win. Then after to see them hugging each other because it's the spirit of competition."
He is the custodian of the Golden Gloves in the Buffalo area.
2023 marks the 100th year of the Golden Gloves.
"I'm at a point in my life," he said where "I've been able to be involved with and see what the Golden Gloves can do for young people, build character, build self esteem, build courage, you know, build confidence so that they can go on to other things."
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