2000 Golden Gloves:
2000 marked the club's debut at the Golden Gloves tournament. Pitting Florida's best fighters, Golden Gloves is widely considered the most competitive and prestigious contest in the nation. Although with only one fighter competing, the club was determined to excel and establish itself as a force in the local amateur boxing scene.
Super Heavyweight Francisco "Sweepee" Palacios entered training without any formal fight experience, and severely overweight. With a strict and grueling workout regimen set up by head coach Francis Marquez, Palacios was able to lose forty pounds and enter the tournament in top shape.
The semi-finals saw Palacios matched up against Cedric Adegnika of South Florida Boxing. The first round was highlighted by strong combinations thrown by both fighters. In a jam-packed Jim Davidson auditorium, Palacios was set to leave his mark on the tournament. Spurred on by coach Marquez, Palacios wasted no time in attacking Adegnika. As soon as the second round bell sounded, "Sweepee" landed a devastating jab that threw Adegnika on the ropes. Palacios followed with two jab-cross combinations which marked the end of the bout. After only 15 seconds, five punches, and one standing eight count, the referee stopped the contest giving the club its first Golden Gloves victory and sending "Sweepee" to the state finals.
The state finals, held at the West Palm Beach Armory, again matched up F.I.U.'s Palacios with a boxer out of South Florida Boxing. This time it was 250 pound Oscar Delgado. The bout gave instant recognition to what had once been a relatively anonimous program. The contest, featured on Florida's Sunshine Network, proved to be the most important fight in F.I.U. Boxing's history. "Sweepee" wasted no time in establishing the pace of the fight, flooring Delgado near the end of the first round. Delgado recovered and used his weight as a weapon during the second round by throwing Palacios into the ropes at every possible moment. Delgado's tactics proved effective as Palacios was forced to dispense much of his energy trying to avoid his opponent. The third round started much in the same way, until Palacios seemingly caught his second wind. The round was highlighted by two devastating uppercuts that left Delgado bloodied, and led to a standing eight count.
Three exhausting rounds had gone by. Palacios and coach Francis Marquez anxiously waited for the judges decision. Three months of training and two bouts later Francisco "Sweepee" Palacios was announced as the 2000 Golden Gloves Super Heavyweight champion, becoming the first F.I.U.. boxer to attain such a status.
The 2000 Florida Golden Gloves were a defining moment in the history of the F.I.U.. Boxing Club. The club now looks forward too many more victories in the amateur boxing scene, having established itself as a true contender.
Head Coach Francis Marquez, Francisco "Sweepee" Palacios, and Palacios's father