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SALT LAKE CITY — Diego Alvarez waited around after his Golden Gloves national championship bout to sign autographs, shake spectators’ hands and even said that he would let his younger brothers and sisters wear his championship belt.
For a guy who won Utah’s first Golden Gloves title in 25 years, his smile echoed the remarkable feat he had just accomplished.
On Monday? Back to high school.
The 17-year-old Ogden boxer capped off a five-bouts-in-five-days marathon with a 4-1 decision over Nevada’s Fernando Martinez in the 114 pound division to win the Golden Gloves national championship Saturday night at the Salt Palace Convention Center, becoming the first Utahn to hoist a title belt since heavyweight Sampson Pouha in 1991.
“It feels great. It feels good to be here,” Alvarez said without wiping the smile from his face following his match. “It’s what I’ve been working for.”
Several Utah luminaries have embraced Alvarez’s run to the national title. Local philanthropist Spence Eccles, a fellow Ogden native, was with Alvarez as he wrapped up his semifinal bout Friday, and Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes offered his congratulations Saturday night.
Hughes has been a longtime advocate of local boxing, and Alvarez’s win was a historic occasion for Utahns in the sport.
Not bad for someone who wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue his training until his father and coach pushed him along.
“When I first started, I didn’t really like it,” said Alvarez, who was named Most Oustanding Boxing of the tournament. “But after a while, it just became a part of my daily thing.
“I gave it a lot of heart just to do it. I’m really passionate for my training, so nothing is really that hard.”
Alvarez hasn’t been to school at Two Rivers High School in Ogden since the beginning of the tournament. He said he could see himself wearing his title belt to school, though he doesn’t know if his classmates recognize what he accomplished in five days at the Salt Palace.
“I guess I’ll probably be a little more popular now,” he said with a laugh.
But that’s the only thing likely to change. Alvarez won’t turn pro for at least another year, and he is already making plans to try to defend his title when the Golden Gloves tournament goes to Louisiana in 2017. The Olympics are in his goals — but that’s four years down the road.
108 — Pablo Ramirez, Texas, def. Joseph Ortiz, Florida.
114 — Diego Alvarez, Rocky Mountain, def. Fernando Martinez, Nevada.
123 — Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, def. Victor Morales, Nevada.
132 — Maliek Montgomery, Knoxville, def. Michael Dutchover.
141 — Frank Martin, Indiana, def. Vergil Ortiz, Texas.
152 — Brian Ceballos, N.Y., def. Rafael Medina, Texas.
165 — Isiah Jones, Detroit, def. Troy Isley, Washington, D.C.
178 — Atif Oberlton, Pennsylvania, def. Shavere Staton, New Jersey.
201 — Sardis Simmons, Michigan, def. Marquise Williams, N.Y. Metro.
HWT — Marcus Carter, Detroit, def. Gregory Dismukes, Texas.
For now, he’ll celebrate with his family and continue fighting — for his parents and sibling, for Utah, and for his seven-month-old niece. Alvarez wants to be able to spoil his brother’s daughter — because, after all, family comes first.
“I felt better,” he said of the hometown crowd Saturday night. “I had my whole family here, and that was good.”
