After losing at the same boxing tournament last year, Marques Tovar had retribution on his mind when he won gold at the 2021 Central California Silver Gloves boxing championship earlier this month. 

The Dutcher Middle School seventh grader traveled to Fresno on Nov. 6, where he won his boxing match in the 75-pound weight class to take home first place — and advance to the state championships next month. He first began boxing when he was just eight years old, inspired by boxing roots that run deep in his family. His older sister, Turlock High School grad Sandra Tovar, is a five-time national champion herself.

“It felt pretty good to win, especially since I wasn’t really experienced when I came to this tournament last year,” Tovar said. “I’ve been sparring more and this year I’m more experienced.”

Over the summer, Tovar went 2-0 at the National Junior Olympics in Lubbock, Texas, and took home first place in the 70-pound weight class. At the time, Tovar was the No.1 ranked boxer in the 70-pound weight class; now he’s ranked No. 3 in the 75-pound weight class. 

Tovar took down an opponent who had a similar fighting style to his during his most-recent win in Fresno, he said. 

“I put pressure on who I’m fighting and throw a lot of punches,” Tovar said. “He threw a lot of punches, just like me. I got more out of my punches than him and just had more in me than he did.”

Tovar will look to boost his ranking at the USA Boxing National Championships in Louisiana on Dec. 5, then hopes to continue his Silver Gloves success at the state tournament in Compton on Dec. 17. 

“My favorite part about boxing is going to all of the different places and different states,” Tovar said. 

Tovar and his family hosted a drive-thru fundraiser at Neto’s this week in order to help Tovar make the trek to his upcoming tournaments. For those who would like to donate, the Tovar family Venmo account is @Jeff-Tovar-3.