Owen Taule, 14, of Idaho Falls took home the top prize at the National Silver Gloves Tournament in Independence, Missouri earlier this month. Owen is pictured on the left next to his coach, Holly Gregson. | Courtesy Holly Gregson
IDAHO FALLS – An Idaho Falls teen is the proud recipient of a national boxing title.
Fourteen-year-old Owen Taule weighed in at 132 pounds and took home the top prize in his age bracket at the National Silver Gloves tournament in Independence, Missouri on Feb. 11.
His coach, Holly Gregson, tells EastIdahoNews.com his victory was surprising because he hasn’t been boxing very long.
“It definitely showed me that hard work pays off. He put in a lot of extra time leading up to this tournament. He has a lot of sparring partners that are right around his size, and some that are significantly better,” Gregson says.
He was the only participant from Idaho in the tournament.
Owen Taule is declared the winner at the National Silver Gloves Boxing Tournament. | Courtesy Holly Gregson
Owen is a member of Razor’s Edge Boxing Club in Idaho Falls, a nonprofit organization that provides an outlet for at-risk youth. It was formed in 2006 and there are dozens of active members at the club who are between the ages of 8 and 34. The club is affiliated with USA Boxing and club members train to compete at the regional, state and national level.
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Members of the club have participated in national tournaments over the last several years, but what makes Owen’s victory so surprising is that he’s only been a member since December 2021.
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He had seven fights heading into the national tournament and had an undefeated record.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without my coaches and teammates. They worked so hard to get me ready for nationals. Everyone at the gym is a big part of me winning in Missouri. I look at this as a team title and not an individual one,” Owen says.
Owen’s dad, Corey, also credits Gregson and his son’s teammates for helping him prepare.
“Holly and everyone he sparred with put in a ton of time and sacrificed a lot to help him get ready,” Corey says. “I’m at the gym a lot and see the incredible work Holly does with these kids. There are a lot of kids who find a home at that place and she’s great with them all, whether they ever have a fight or not.”
Owen is gearing up for another fight in Caldwell this weekend and he’s looking forward to competing in more tournaments going forward.
The post Local teen takes home national title at boxing tournament appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com
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