FORT WORTH – Among those boxers at the 83rd Golden Gloves State Tournament at Will Rogers Memorial Center are twins, who see far beyond the dimensions of the roped-off boxing ring.
Joshua and Jordan Jenkins have become leaders in their Forest Audelia Boxing Gym in Dallas, where many of the young people of the surrounding neighborhood face the long odds and additional stressors that come with growing up in a lower socioeconomic community.
Sadly, low socioeconomic status is a reliable predictor of a number of outcomes in a life span, including physical and psychological health.
The Jenkins brothers are trying to do their part to change that for the kids who come to the gym where they work out at the corner of Forest and Audelia in Dallas, located in the city’s fifth-most dangerous neighborhood, according to 2015 crime data.
The brothers box out of the Dallas Police Athletic League, and they do more than merely chase championships.
They tutor and mentor to kids who don’t come from families as good as their own.
“It means the world to me,” said Joshua. “I think my calling is to help other people who need it, someone who needs a little push and for someone to believe in them.”
Both brothers won on Wednesday night in their respective Golden Gloves divisions.
Joshua defeated Marcus Garcia of Corpus Christi in a 141-pound quarterfinal, and, a few bouts earlier, Jordan outpointed Fort Worth’s Brandon Rivas in a first-round bout in the 132s.
Jordan’s next task is a quarterfinals matchup Thursday night against Austin’s Daniel Duenez.
Joshua gets Fort Worth’s Bandon DeSpain in Friday’s semifinals. That promises to be quite the tussle.
All the matches take place at Will Rogers’ Watt Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. each night through Saturday’s championship bouts.
The 18-year-old brothers have dreams, too. The most immediate to be a Golden Gloves state champion, each of which will advance to the national tournament May 6-11 at Chattanooga, Tenn.
The foremost is to be the first twins to make a U.S. Olympic boxing team.
Their lives are built around objectives and goals.
When they were 12, it was making it to this place in Fort Worth.
“I told my godfather, me and my brother are going to be here at this point, one day we are going to box here,” said Jordan, who described himself as more of a puncher and his brother as more of a boxer. “He pushes me, I push him. He’s my best friend. I love him.”
Said Joshua: “We’re very, very close. We could be one person.”
The boys discovered boxing as 8-year-olds while spending summers with their grandfather, the late Clifford Childress, who was, the brothers and their father said, the “catalyst” for pursuing a life in the sweet science.
“They got kind of bored with Grandpa,” said Sam Hutchins, their father. “And Grandpa wanted them to do something other than just look at Grandpa. They happened to walk across the street … the boxing gym was actually, maybe, half a block from the house. He took them over there and they saw the boxing. They decided they wanted to try.”
They fell in love with it and have flourished.
Not only did they grow into nationally ranked fighters, but also mentors to those youngsters who come to the after-school and other programs offered by the Dallas Police Athletic League. Like all the other PALs in urban centers, the program is designed to ensure police have fewer interactions with at-risk youth as adults.
Recently, the brothers gave away championship belts they had won to a young boy and girl as reward and reinforcement for all the hard work they had put in.
“They were kids at our gym who didn’t get to fight in a tournament,” Jordan said. “They’re still at the gym working hard.”
The belts were merely symbolic of what they really give the others, namely sharing all the advantages that come with coming from a good family that puts “God first,” demands humility and hard work.
In addition to school and boxing, the brothers also both work.
“We’re very involved with it,” Jordan said. “It makes you feel good. We’re like big brothers to them. Keep them out of trouble and focused. It’s a rough neighborhood, but you can see the difference. Their grades are better, they’re nicer kids.”
The brothers are seniors at Lakeview Centennial High School. Joshua, already a personal trainer, is planning to go to school to study kinesiology. Jordan will be going to Richland College to be a medical assistant.
Boxing is in their future, too.
But these consummate gentlemen have got the love your neighbor thing down.
“I thank God for everything He has given my brother and me,” Jordan said.
Wednesday’s results
123-pounds first round: Christopher Martinez, Fort Worth, defeated Miguel Lule, Twin Cities, decision.
Women’s 125 pounds semifinal: Carmen Vargas, Houston, d. Ashley Bazan, Austin, dec. (Destiny Jackson, Dallas, bye to the finals.)
Men’s 132 quarterfinals: Daniel Duenez, Austin, d. Johnny Moreno, San Antonio, dec.; Jordan Jenkins, Dallas, d. Brandon Rivas, Fort Worth, dec. (Jose Bernal, Corpus Christi, and Narcizo Cerrato, Houston, bye to the semifinals.)
Women’s 141 quarterfinals: Annalicia Sustaita, Dallas, d. Irma Soto, Twin Cities, dec. (Crystal Aceves, El Paso; Destiny Jones, Austin, and Ravven Brown, San Antonio, byes to the semifinals.)
141 pounds quarterfinals: Joshua Jenkins, Dallas, d. Marcus Garcia, dec.; Marquese Steward, d. Enrique Vevalenquela, Houston, dec.; Sebastian Rodriguez, San Antonio, d. Ashton Royal, East Texas, dec. (Brandon DeSpain, Fort Worth, bye to the semifinals.)
152 pounds quarterfinals: Emmanuel Rojas, Dallas, d. Devin Anderson, Austin, dec.; Joshua Moreno, San Antonio, d. Ramon Acosta, dec. (Mauricio Quintanilla, Houston, and Michael Andrew Davis, East Texas, by to the semifinals.)
165 pounds quarterfinals: Eugene Hill, Houston, d. Curtis Hightower, Austin, dec.; Noah Jones d. Quran Barton, Fort Worth, dec.; Jesus Ventura, Corpus Christi, d. Christopher Sanchez, San Antonio, dec. (Frankie Puron, East Texas, bye to the semifinals.)
178 pounds quarterfinals: Christopher Thornton, Dallas, d. Jaylon Stanley, Houston, referee stopped contest, second round.
Thursday’s bouts
123 pounds quarterfinals: Alejandro Martinez, San Antonio, vs. Jaycob Ramos, Dallas; Xavier Solis, Corpus Christi, vs. Sean Brewer, Austin; Angel Garcia, Rio Grande Valley, vs. Abraham Garcia, Houston; Demetrius Baylor, East Texas, vs. Christopher Martinez, Fort Worth.
132 pounds semifinals: Jose Bernal, Corpus Christi, vs. Narcizo Cerrato, Houston; Daniel Duenez, Austin, vs. Jordan Jenkins, Dallas.
152 pounds semifinals: Mauricio Quintanilla, Houston, vs. Michael Andrew, East Texas; Emmanuel Rojas, Dallas, vs. Joshua Moreno, San Antonio.
165 pounds semifinals: Frankie Puron, East Texas, vs. Eugene Hill, Houston; Noah Jones vs. Jesus Ventura, Corpus Christi.
201 pounds quarterfinals: Ignacio Apolinar, Dallas, vs. Jkhory Gibson, Houston; Den Tati-Mackaya, Austin, vs. Ricardo Medina, San Antonio.
201-plus quarterfinals: Christopher Carrillo, Corpus Christi, vs. Mohammed Alrashid, Fort Worth; Habeed Saibu, East Texas, vs. Scott Kujak, Austin.