Winning a competitive boxing match not only takes strength and technique, but also grit, determination, stamina and a whole lot of focus, too.
Gloucester’s Jason McLaughlin — who has been heavily involved with the sport for eight years now — displayed all those attributes at last Thursday’s Golden Gloves finals at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
In what was his third trip to the event, the 24-year-old lined up against a worthy opponent, Timothy Higgins, in the 156-pound class. For three straight 3-minute rounds McLaughlin went toe-to-toe with the defending champion and won, ultimately earning the victory by unanimous decision.
Now McLaughlin will now turn his attention to the All-New England Golden Gloves next Thursday back in Lowell.
”The kid I fought was very tough; he had won the Golden Gloves the year before, so he’s no slouch,” said McLaughlin, a carpenter by day who previously fought at 152 pounds. That weight class went up four pounds for this year.
”I think I was just the better man that night,” he continued. “I came out and did what had to be done to secure the win. It took everything I had to do it. It wasn’t easy, but we had a good game plan going in.”
McLaughlin, who attended Gloucester High and trains out of Gloucester Boxing Club, said he was extra motivated to secure the win for his growing family.
”I did it for my family and my sons; I didn’t want to disappoint,” said McLaughlin, who has a 2-year old boy with his girlfriend and another one on the way. “It honestly felt amazing.
”When we were waiting for the decision I knew I had done enough to win, but I also knew that this was just one step towards my goal — because my goal is Nationals.”
In order to qualify for Nationals, McLaughlin will first have to get through next week’s New England bout. Fortunately he boasts a great team around him and a dedicated training regimen that allows him to go into every fight well prepared and confident in his abilities.
Working with experienced head coaches Carlo DaSilva and Kevin Tobin — both of whom were in his corner last Thursday — as well as trainers such as Anna Orduna, McLaughlin doesn’t pull his punches. He maintains a ‘no days off’ mentality and is completely bought in to his rugged regimen.
”Year-round I’m usually in the gym, but when it comes time for fight camp we definitely turn it up a bit and have to run multiple times a week,” McLaughlin said. “We spar twice a week against the best people we can find, we do a ton of conditioning and a lot of bag work. and you also have to maintain a decent diet to make weight, so that’s where the discipline really comes in.”
With little time to recover and physically prepare for New Englands next week, McLaughlin will limit his sparring sessions and focus more on his conditioning and stamina in the coming days. He did spar earlier this week, which will likely be his last session before next Thursday’s bout.
Doors will open for the New England Golden Gloves at 7:30 p.m. If McLaughlin is going to carry out another championship performance, he knows exactly what it will take to get the job done.
”I’ve just learned to always stay active, focused and disciplined,” he said. “Every time you step in the ring just leave it all our there, give it all you got, and believe in yourself. If I can do that, the rest will take care of itself.”
