Growing up as a member of Utah's first family of boxing, Larry Fullmer remembers going to the Utah State Fairgrounds in 1968 to watch the Golden Gloves Boxing National Tournament of Champions.

For the past 20 years, he has worked at the tournament first held in Chicago in 1923, either as a referee or a judge. A few years ago, the nephew of former middleweight world champion Gene Fullmer, members of his family, the Utah Sports Commission and the executive director of the Rocky Mountain Golden Gloves franchise, Chick Paris, started thinking: Why not bring it back?

Today, that dream will be realized, as the tournament returns for first time in 41 years. This time, it will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 S. West Temple.

"After they awarded it to us, we looked at each other and said, 'maybe we bit off more than we could chew,'" Fullmer said. "We knew it would be a monumental task."

Fullmer, the tournament director, says it will take between $80,000 and $100,000 to stage the weeklong event, which began Sunday evening with a dinner and opening ceremonies and runs through Saturday.

"It is really a big honor for us to have the Golden Gloves come here," said State Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, a former boxer and current manager of two professional fighters who threw his weight behind the bid. "It is a great opportunity for us to showcase what Salt Lake City has to offer as a sports destination city."

Almost 300 of the country's top amateur boxers between the ages of 16 and 34, representing 29 of Golden Gloves' 30 franchises nationwide, will compete in 11 weight classes, with the championship bouts set to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The all-volunteer committee that took around $30,000 in seed money from the Utah Sports Commission and beat out New Jersey for the bid a year ago during the tournament at Grand Rapids, Mich., will take over the Salt Palace for six nights of boxing.

Three rings will be utilized the first four nights (Monday through Thursday) beginning at 6 p.m., with about 20 bouts in each ring. Friday's semifinal bouts begin at 7 p.m. (in two rings), and Saturday's finals begin at 7 p.m. in one center ring.

"We knew there was a strong boxing contingent here, and Mr. Paris and his franchise are well thought of on a national level," said Golden Gloves national executive director Jim Beasley. "We figured it was time to get back to Salt Lake City again."

Every franchise except Hawaii will be represented; Utah, part of the Rocky Mountain franchise, will have three fighters in the tournament, all from Salt Lake City's Eastside Boxing Club: 112-pounder Isaac Aguilar, 125-pounder Jose Haro and 178-pounder Alex Canez.

Why have it here?

"I've been asking myself that question a lot these past few months," Fullmer joked. "Really, we wanted to put a spark in amateur boxing here in Utah, and show off our state a little bit."

Mike Deaver, vice president of development for the Utah Sports Commission and a member of the bid committee, said the government-operated commission got behind the movement because it fits in its strategy to continue to lure high-profile national sporting events to Utah.

"In my mind, when it comes to amateur boxing, this is the national championship," Deaver said.

The list of past Golden Gloves champions reads like a who's who of boxing greats: Cassius Clay, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard and others.

"Boxing has had a rich tradition in the state of Utah," Hughes said. "It's time we brought some back."

drew@sltrib.com