Quinton Thomas Jr., 12, has competed in 18 bouts. At age 10, he competed in his first bout at the Houston Junior Golden Gloves and won it.
BEAUMONT, Texas — A 12-year-old boxer is making a name for himself in Southeast Texas and hoping to make a name for himself at the U.S. Junior Olympics.
Marshall Middle School student Quinton Thomas Jr. will compete in the 95-pound weight class at the USA Boxing National Junior Olympics.
Learn more | Support Quinton's Junior Olympic dream
Last year he placed third in his weight class at the Junior Olympics and this year he's hoping to win gold again.
Thomas said he loves boxing and has been training hard all year to compete in the Junior Olympics again.
“I’ve gotten good at it, so [going to] “Let's just keep going and see how far we can get,” he said, “and we've gotten pretty far.”
Long before he stepped into the ring, Thomas fell in love with boxing. He would shadow box around the house and look up to his father. At the age of nine, he decided to take boxing seriously and follow in his father's footsteps.
“My dad was a boxer and he shadow boxed and I was right there with him,” said Thomas Jr. “I started shadow boxing with him and he was like, 'Do you want to be a boxer?' And I was like, 'Yes, sir,' and he took me in.”
His father, Quinton Thomas Sr., became his boxing coach.
“you [going to] “Come to the gym, run more, get in the ring, shadow box and hit the heavy bag,” says Thomas Sr., a boxing coach at 409 Elite Boxing Club.
The following year, at age 10, he competed in his first Houston Junior Golden Gloves bout and won.
“It was like all the lights went out and there was one light shining in the ring and all eyes were on me,” said Thomas Jr. “And I knew I couldn't lose, so I went out there and did my job.”
Last year, at just 11 years old and with only 10 games played, he competed in the Junior Olympics and won a bronze medal.
“My second match I had to go against the No. 1 kid and I won so it was a proud moment,” said Thomas Jr. “He was the No. 1 kid so I was just proud. Then the next day I ended up losing to the kid who won it all but I got third place for bronze.”
This year, he is determined not to settle for anything less than a gold medal.
“I'm going to try to win a gold medal and a championship,” said Thomas Jr. “It's definitely a tough task, but I already have that mindset.”
Thomas Jr. has competed in only 18 matches and is ranked seventh in the country in the 85-pound weight class.
“It's really cool to see how long he's been boxing and how much he's improved in the way he fights. It's really fun to watch,” Thomas Sr. said.
He's been training hard at 409 Elite Boxing Club, skipping rope, spending hours on the heavy bag, shadow boxing and giving his all to sparring.
“I'm out there to win. I've been working hard, really hard, to get this win back,” said Thomas Jr. “And I feel like it's going to pay off when we go out there.”
Both father and son say they are excited to represent Beaumont at the national level.
“I felt it was very, very rare and unusual for him to be out there competing with those guys and come home with a bronze medal,” Thomas Sr. said.
“It was a proud moment, but I know I had to work hard for my city,” Thomas Jr. said.
This year, Thomas Jr. will compete in the 95-pound weight class, with his first bout tomorrow.
Thomas wants to encourage other kids to follow their dreams too.
To help support Thomas Jr.'s trip to the U.S. Junior Olympics in Wichita, visit the GoFundMe link here.
This is an evolving news story and we will update you as more information becomes available.
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