Golden Gloves nationals set for Mesquite in 2012

Southern Nevada has landed one of amateur boxing’s most prestigious events.

The 2012 Golden Gloves National Tournament of Champions will be in Mesquite at the CasaBlanca Resort’s Event Center, where the nation’s top senior amateur boxers will be crowned. Also, the Junior Golden Gloves national tournament, which features boxers ages 8 to 16, will be in Mesquite through 2013, beginning this July 22 to 24.

“We had a very good pitch and a lot of support from the CasaBlanca Hotel,” said Barry’s Boxing official Dawn Barry, who spearheaded the Southern Nevada bid for the event, which will be April 28 to May 5 in 2012. “But it was the closest vote in the history of the Golden Gloves. We were up against Cincinnati and Lafayette, La., and we won by just one vote (15-14) over Louisiana.

“We had to convince the delegates who voted that Mesquite could accommodate all their needs for the fighters plus have activities for the fans.”

Julian Dugas, director of sports marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the Golden Gloves, which is for boxers 17 and older, figures to draw a minimum of 3,000 fans each night and the Junior Golden Gloves should attract more than 1,000 each night.

Barry said the key to the 2012 event being a success will be getting the word out in Las Vegas that the Golden Gloves is nearby.

“If people know about it, I believe they’ll make the drive (to Mesquite),” she said. “If it were in Vegas, it would be a slam dunk. With it being in Mesquite, it’ll take a little more work, but we believe it will be a huge success when all is said and done.”

■ PACQUIAO’S SCHEDULE — Manny Pacquiao already is pretty good when it comes to time management. Now that he’s a congressman in the Philippines, those skills will be put to the test.

Pacquiao, who won his election May 10 to represent Sarangani and will be sworn in June 30, said his days will be devoted to politics and his evenings to boxing.

“I will attend sessions in the morning until afternoon, then I’ll go to the gym around 4 or 5 p.m.,” Pacquiao told the Manila Bulletin last week. “I will stay in the country during training camp, then with two weeks before I fight, I will fly to the U.S.

“Nothing’s going to change as far as my training is concerned, even though I am now a congressman, because I will carefully map out my schedule. I will still wake up early because I have to run in the morning.”

The plan is for Pacquiao to fight Nov. 13 in Las Vegas or Dallas, either against Floyd Mayweather Jr. or possibly Antonio Margarito if a deal can’t be made with Mayweather.

Pacquiao said he would consent to submitting to random blood testing up to 14 days before a fight with Mayweather. But Mayweather said after he beat Shane Mosley on May 1 there can be no time limits and that Pacquiao or whoever he fights must be willing to accept random testing at any time up to the night of the fight.

“If and when Floyd fights in the future, it’s going to be random blood and urine (testing), and there’s no cutoff date. Random means random,” said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s co-manager.

■ VARGAS SUSPENDED — The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended super flyweight Manuel Vargas for the remainder of 2010 and fined him $5,000 after he failed to respond to its complaint after he tested positive for a banned substance in February.

Vargas, who was knocked out in the third round by Nonito Donaire on Feb. 13 at the Las Vegas Hilton, tested positive for Hydrocodone, a painkiller that is on Nevada’s list of banned substances. Because he failed to respond to the complaint, which was issued twice, the commission fined him the 50 percent maximum of his $10,000 purse and essentially revoked his license for the rest of the year.

Because licenses have to be renewed annually, Vargas would have to apply for a new license in 2011 whether he was under suspension or not.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.