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Turlock boxer takes first at Golden Gloves
Tovar places second at Junior Olympics, Ringside Worlds
boxer
Turlock High sophomore Sandra Tovar shows off her championship belt, after taking first at 110 pounds in the 2017 Golden Gloves Junior Nationals in Mesquite, Nevada. - photo by Photo Contributed

There are no seasons when it comes to boxing, a fact Sandra Tovar is well aware of after completing a busy schedule of summer competition that took her across three state lines over a period of only two months.

The Turlock High sophomore began her tournament trek on June 25 as she entered the 2017 Junior Olympic Championships in Charleston, West Virginia for the third time in her amateur career. Competing in the Junior Female 110 pound division, Tovar received a first-round bye before facing Phoenix, Arizona’s Lily Keating in the finals where she lost via decision for a second-place finish.

Tovar was back in the ring for the 2017 Golden Gloves Junior Nationals in Mesquite, Nevada less than a month later where she again competed at 110 pounds. This time, however, Tovar found victory with a decisive decision over Kath Grant of Salt Lake City, Utah. The win earned the Turlocker the second national championship win of her amateur career.

Tovar followed her successful Golden Gloves bid with more competition less than a week later as she traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to take part in the 2017 Ringside World Championships. With only one fighter in her bracket, Tovar faced off against Oriana Sanchez of Argentina in the tournament finals. Sharing similar body types and measurables such as reach and height, the three-round bout was closely contested and saw Sanchez win via split-decision.

Tovar, who trains with Marquitos/Dethrone Boxing out of Fresno, is currently taking a break from competition as she maintains her regimen of practice and sparring ahead of a return trip to the 2017 Elite and Youth National Championships and Junior Open – a tournament she won last year — which will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on Dec. 3.