THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEBrUAry 13, 2026 Page 5 Saugus High graduate Sam LoRusso captures Central New England Golden Gloves championship By Dom Nicastro T he noise inside Lowell Memorial Auditorium doesn’t just come from the crowd. It comes from decades of fighters who’ve stepped through the ropes with nothing promised but a verdict and a measure of respect. On that stage, Saugus’ Sam LoRusso earned both. The 2024 Saugus High School graduate recently captured the 165-pound Central New England Golden Gloves championship with a 5-0 decision victory over Haverhill’s John Maher, closing out a fourweek tournament in which he fought twice and left no doubt with either performance. There was no prize money attached to the win, no shortcut to the moment — just judges’ cards, raised hands and a name added to one of New England’s most enduring boxing traditions. For those who know LoRusso’s background, the result made sense. Before he ever pulled on boxing gloves, LoRusso built his reputation on the wrestling mat. Competing for the Saugus–Peabody cooperative program at the Division 1 level, he went unSam LoRusso was named the winner over John Maher during the recent Golden Gloves championship match at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. beaten in dual meets over his final two seasons and placed fourth at both the Division 1 State Championships and AllStates at 157 pounds. At AllStates, he defeated Division 3 state champion Adrian Guzman of Ashland, one of several examples of LoRusso breaking through on the sport’s biggest stages. That wrestling foundation is where his relationship with coach Mike Penta of Saugus began. “Sam and my journey started long before boxing,” Penta said. “When Sam was 15, I started doing his strength and conditioning for wrestling, which led me into being one of his offseason wrestling coaches before becoming an assistant coach for Saugus/Peabody wrestling. We had gone to countless tournaments all around New England, sectionals, states, all states and finally New Englands, where he placed No. 8 at 157 pounds in 2024.” Late in the summer and early fall of 2024, that relationship shifted sports but not approach. “Late summer/early fall of 2024, I started to coach him in boxing,” Penta said. It was then that Penta and fellow coach and Revere boxer Travis Mazac Gambardella quickly realized that LoRusso’s grit, conditioning, a will to win and the pace he brought from wrestling “was going to make him a serious issue in the boxing world.” The transition was fast and deliberate. On March 8, 2025, LoRusso took his first bout at Peter Welch’s St. Patty’s Day Tournament and won. Ten months later, he was standing in the center of the ring at Lowell Memorial Auditorium as a Golden Gloves champion at 165 pounds “in exciting dominant fashion.” “The kid is just an absolute SHS Wrestling team Capt. Sam LoRusso celebrating 100 wins with Coach Mike Penta LORUSSO | SEE PAGE 8 PLEASANT ST. TAX 175 Pleasant Street, Malden Specializing in Personal Income Tax Preparation Starting at $90. Call: (781) 324-6195 Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657
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