Fairhaven Boxer Becomes All New England Golden Gloves Champion

Fairhaven has a new Heavyweight champion.

After winning the Southern New England Golden Gloves Championship, Joshua Parker solidified his spot in the All New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Lowell, and came out victorious in the Novice Heavyweight division.

The 19-year-old is already thinking about what’s next, and he shares the emotional moment he became the All New England champion for the first time.

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Parker Represents the SouthCoast

The winners of each region in New England came together in Lowell for the Tournament of Champions. For his semi-final bout, Parker experienced a lot of “firsts”.

“Making my ring walk was really special,” he said. “Over 2500 people in the crowd, some cheering and some booing…it was really something amazing.”

After a unanimous decision victory, Parker moved on to the championships, where he faced his toughest opponent to date. He doesn’t typically battle nerves, but this time around, more was at stake.

Parker Makes It to the Finals

“I’m never really nervous going into my fights because I’m very confident in my abilities to go in and get the job done, but this one was different. I was the last fight of the night, and I was nervous,” he said.

Parker’s opponent was the Western New England champion. Standing at 6.5 feet tall and in great shape, Parker’s opponent was clearly the bigger fighter, but with the guidance of his coaches, Parker was able to execute the perfect game plan.

“While we were waiting in the locker room before the fight, my coach Mike Bryant from Loves Boxing told me, ‘Keep your shoulder in his chest and don’t give him any room to work.’ That’s exactly what I did,” said Parker.

Parker walked him down round after round and got his hand raised as the All New England champ.

Fairhaven’s New Heavyweight Golden Gloves Champ

Parker has trained with many fighters who have made it to the Lowell tournament, but they were never able to get the job done. When Parker got his hand raised, it was an unreal moment for his young career.

“This win really meant a lot to me,” he said. “It proved to me that even though I work 40-plus hours, I put all my work and time into boxing, and it paid off.”

Parker credits his coach, Mike Bryant, and his father, Derek Parker, and the rest of his family, for his biggest win to date.

Parker is already back in the gym, staying ready for the next opportunity and staying ready for whatever comes next.