The path to the state Golden Gloves championships will once again travel through Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Promoter Doug Long has secured the rights to part of the state’s Golden Gloves Central District tournament scheduled for March 2027. Long last hosted portions of the tournament in 2022 and has done so off and on since 1998. The Central District will be broken up into two sites with Unite Boxing Club in Harrisburg kicking off the tournament with preliminary bouts on March 6. Long will host the quarterfinals on March 13 at the Holiday Inn Scranton East in Dunmore. Boxers will return to Unite for the semifinals on March 20 with the district finals set for March 27 back at the Holiday Inn in Dunmore.
“The reason that we brought it back here is the production at Holiday Inn has taken hold as one of the best locations for amateur boxing in the state,” Long said. “It’s a well-run production. They felt that we deserved to have it back and I feel like the time was right.”
The state tournament also features an Eastern District, which covers the Philadelphia area, and a Western District. Winners of the Central District and Eastern District will compete at the Regional Championships in Philadelphia in April and winners of those bouts will face the Western District champions in the state finals. Long said he has put a bid in to host the state finals in Dunmore and “feels positive about it”. The state champions then move on to the national championships, which will be in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The state Golden Gloves organization has gone through some turnover recently. Joe Hand, a promoter from Philadelphia, was named the interim franchise holder for the state tournament last month and could be named the full franchise holder next year. Also, the Central District portion of the tournament was removed for several years before returning in 2026 and was hosted by Claudie Kenion at the Unite Gym.
“When they removed the Central District, we had to travel to Philadelphia; we had nothing local,” Kenion said.
Both Harrisburg and Dunmore will host weigh-ins for the tournament, allowing boxers to choose a venue closer to home. Dunmore’s weigh-ins will be Feb. 6 and Harrisburg’s will be Feb. 7.
Long said having part of the tournament close to home has also led to more boxers training at Scranton’s Irish Boxing Club.
“I’ve noticed an increase in membership at the club and an increase in excitement since we told the boxers,” he said. “The tournament is great for our area, great for businesses and great for boxing. I’m thrilled to have it back.”