At long last, after about a year and a half of sweat and hard knocks under the training of former NY State boxing commissioner Randy Gordon of Evolution Fitness, Alex Stone had the opportunity to participate in this year's annual Golden Gloves Tournament. Each year, the Golden Gloves sports a diverse turnout of amateur boxers, competing for a chance to fight at Madison Square Garden. It was the first time competing for this 17-year-old Oyster Bay High School senior, son of Bill and Valerie Stone, a retired law enforcement agent and real estate agent in the community.

The fight took place on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m., at the Van Dyke Center in the tough Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville, where police circle housing projects and trash blows along the streets like tumbleweed.

The opponent, suddenly announced to fight Stone sometime after the break that evening, was 22-year-old Roberto Morban from Brownsville proper. With a looming, muscular build, and eight previous fights on his record, Morban was a hometown favorite. In last year's Golden Gloves Tournament, he fought in the same gym under the same referee, and lost to a questionable decision. This year, stepping up to the wash of cheers from the stands, he came back to redeem himself.

Gordon said that the "guidelines" for amateur boxing tournaments suggest pairing fighters with likeness of age, experience, and weight. Also, it is not uncommon for amateur boxing competitions to include an "under 19/junior mens championships," grouping 17-19, or even 17-18-year-olds in a separate competition altogether according to the AIBA, the International Amateur Boxing Association.

Concerned about the potentially tragic mis-match, trainer Gordon raced around during the #7 slot trying to attain more information about Stone's opponent, but to little avail.

In the first two minutes of the first round, both fighters exchanged explosive jabs. Morban then landed a left-right combination, fracturing Stone's nose. The referee stepped in and gave Stone a standing eight count. When the action resumed, Morban landed several shots to Stone's face including a devastating left hook to the eye. And as Stone staggered about with his right eye shut, the referee stopped the contest. The fight was over.

With the support of a dedicated community around him-his family, close friends, trainer Randy Gordon, Evolution Fitness owner Steve Gourlay, Jr.-Alex Stone is now recovering from a fractured nose and cheekbone, and severe eye damage possibly requiring surgery, according to specialists, if double vision persists. And like a champ, he's picked himself up and is already back at the gym, working as a trainer, and looking forward to working out again soon. Stone's courage, the unwavering will to step up to whatever fights he's dealt, combined with his hardworking demeanor, holds nothing but promise for his seasons of fights to come.