History
Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward in 1923 conceived the idea of a city-wide amateur boxing tournament, to be sponsored by the newspaper. Each champion was awarded a minature golden glove, which gave the tournament its name.
However, boxing became illegal in Illinois in 1924, so the tournament seemed to be a one-time event. In the meantime, the New York Daily News originated a similar championship tournament for amateur boxers on the East Coast in 1927.
The Illinois Legislature made boxing legal once more, primarily so the second Dempsey-Tunney fight could be staged in Chicago in September of 1927. The following year, the Golden Gloves tournament was revived, with the New York and Chicago newspapers holding their own area tournaments. Winners of those tournaments then fought for the national Golden Gloves championship.
Many other newspapers got involved during the 1930s, with each conducting a championship tournament leading up to regional and national championships.
The tournaments are now conducted by an independent organization, Golden Gloves of America, Inc. Profits are used to promote the development of amateur boxing.
