Lexington’s Shereen Salem is Golden Glove Champion

S hereen Salem’s recent performance during Golden Gloves season at Lowell Memorial Auditorium was crowd-pleasing, for sure.

But her biggest fans couldn’t be prouder of their mom, daughters Sonorous (8), Malikai (6) and Jezera (3), who according to Shereen “can probably throw a better hook than I can.”

The girls are thoroughly enamored with the hardware collected by their mother, the large trophies earned after capturing the Central New England and All-New England Golden Gloves championships in the 112-pound women’s novice division.

The titles are the payoff from rigorous training since October, when coach Todd Paris deemed the Lexington High grad (Class of 2010) was ready for live, sanctioned boxing matches.

“We wanted to wait for the right moment,” said Paris, also of Lexington. “I didn’t want to push it in case she had a bad fight.”

All in the footwork

Salem, now 33, didn’t grow up in gyms as a Sliver Mittens prodigy but did develop athletic assets in her youth that could pay off in boxing. After dabbling in youth soccer, she captained LHS cross-country and track teams, scoring points aplenty in long jump and hurdles events.

Over the years since high school, Salem stayed physically active with disciplines in jiu-jitsu, tai yoga, and “dancing has always been a part of my life … the footwork comes naturally.”

Coming out of the COVID period, with two young daughters, Salem sought another fitness outlet and found Alton Street Boxing & Fitness in Arlington, where Paris was teaching the sport, whether pupils made it to the ring or just used the exercises to snap into shape.

He stresses footwork first, followed by defense, then the punches, particularly the importance of jabs to score and establish position.

“I’m not a violent person,” said Salem, who during the day works as a hair stylist for SuperCuts in Waltham. “But I value defense, that’s one of my strongest assets.”

“Shereen is one of the most dedicated fighters I’ve ever had,” Paris said. “She’s the personification of what I try to teach — I’m so proud of her as an athlete and as a human being.”

“He’s an excellent coach who lives and breathes boxing,” said Salem, who also credits coach Serena Cates in her corner, along with nutritionist Frank Stubbs. “He has taken such a personal interest in my success.”

No stranger to strenuous exercise, Salem trained long and hard before even sparring against an opponent, and that includes while pregnant with daughter No. 3 (no sparring there, of course).

Like their mom did, the older two daughters attend Harrington School, and Salem couldn’t be prouder of her hometown. All four arise early for the Reenactment on the Green, and they’re sitting on a Mass. Ave. curb that afternoon for the Patriots Day Parade.

“I’ve got to credit my parents for watching the kids (while training),” Salem said of her mother Jaleh, a native of Iran, and father Mohammed, who hails from Kenya. “They’ve really put their grandparenting to good use.”

At 5-foot-4 with a fighting weight of 110 pounds, Shereen Salem is a champion of Lucky Punch Boxing & Fitness, frequently working out under Paris at Nonantum Boxing Gym in Newton.

In this corner …

Starting in the fall of 2023, Salem fought in her first “smokers” — bouts of two 2-minute rounds unsanctioned by USA Boxing (let’s call them scrimmages).

Salem’s amateur career debut, with 10-ounce gloves, was set for October 2025, at the Rocky Marciano Tournament in Bridgewater, a fine feature on the New England amateur circuit. She went up against a slightly more seasoned Alissa Fregoso of Lawrence.

“Sweet Shereen” felt she had trained to the max for the fight, but “I didn’t win the spilt decision.” Paris thought Salem deserved the verdict, and several coaches on hand told him so. Nevertheless, a barometer was set for Salem to follow.

Preparation was now underway for the Golden Gloves at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, where the toil turns into the shining lights of a main event, three rounds of two minutes each. In her Central New England semifinal awaited — you’ve got it — Fregoso, for a rematch on Jan. 15, this time with a most-favorable split decision.

“It felt like I went in with little expectation,” Salem said, the first-fight jitters well behind her. “I’m in the zone when I look like I’m having a good time. I was feeling it. I had put in the work. It was going to be me.”

The next bout meant more to Salem than just a Golden Gloves subregional title on Feb. 5. Opponent Karlene Colon also was a mother, of one.

“A Mom fight, that means something,” said Salem, who won a 3-2 decision. “She brought a lot to the ring. Something else comes out, you push it one more.”

“She was so excited that it was mom vs. mom,” Paris added.

Two weeks before that bout, Cates presented Salem with a secret move, called “pay-the-check.” Let’s just say the maneuver cashed in.

“It helped out big-time there and continued to be an important move for the next match,” Salem said. “It’s a new favorite move for Lucky Punch Boxing.”

At the time, Salem and her handlers thought that may be it for her Golden Gloves season, but a few days later, she learned there would be a 112-pound novice final at the All-New Englands.

In the March 5 All-New England final, Salem easily outpointed Apiyo Charles of Gorham, Maine, to become the second Lexingtonian to capture a Golden Gloves regional title, the first being Orlando Maffucci in 1988 at 138 men’s open.

“I’m still coming down from that,” Salem was still saying less than a week later. “That felt amazing, and the sold-out crowd was amazing, so I figured I might as well have a performance.”

Maffucci, now a boxing trainer, heard Salem introduced as from Lexington, Massachusetts, and immediately left his post at his Boxing For Fitness table in the Lowell auditorium lobby and bolted to near ring side.

“I’m so happy she won,” Maffucci said, “but I didn’t think it was possible another boxer from Lexington could do it. She has great fundamentals, she holds her elbows right, she has everything on point.”

What’s next?

After having trained intensely for the past five months, Salem can step away from the ring for a while, with a supporting nod from Paris. Yet she’ll stay in shape, not opening or closing doors.

At 3-1 through four amateur bouts, Salem remains classified as a novice, which runs through nine fights. A boxer enters the open division upon the 10th bout.

While plans for future matches are undecided, Salem could have the option of entering next year’s Golden Gloves open division with even fewer than nine fights behind her. All-New England open division champions advance to the Golden Glove Nationals, while novice champs do not.

“She has the talent and skill level,” Paris said of her chances in the open division.

“She can do it as long as continues to do what she’s doing now,” Maffucci added.

The allure of the Golden Gloves keeps Salem beaming. “The sheer excitement and intensity of the opportunity …”

Whether Salem continues her Golden Gloves quests or not, her coach boasts that she has come through amazingly while representing her hometown.

“She’s so proud of being from Lexington,” said Paris, who has lived in town 14 years, “and Lexington should be very proud of her.”