133 lbs.
Jack "Rico Suave" Lallydef. Joe "Sweet Cheeks" Decker
In the first match of the night, junior Jack Lally showed his smooth technical style, landing himself in the finals after defeating fellow junior Joe Decker.
In the first round, Lally used his quickness and agility to find the holes in Decker's defense. Decker was opportunistic early on in the match. After biding his time, he started using quick combinations to try to catch Lally. Lally moved more in response, leading to an uncharacteristic slip late in the first round.
Lally started to take full control of the match in the second round with his dominating footwork. He combined accuracy with movement, creating angles to help his attack.
The third round started off with another fall, as Decker's aggressiveness caused Lally to trip while backing away. Decker attempted to make up lost ground by closing in on an evasive Lally. But as the round went on, Decker tired out and Lally closed the match with a solid showing late in the round.
Lally's smart fighting gave him the unanimous decision.
‘Tough as" NielsSeimdef. Tony "Lucky" Lucisano
Junior NielsSeim pulled out a slim victory against junior Tony Lucisano. The entire fight was a tight matchup, with neither fighter gaining a clear advantage.
Seim started the fight by taking advantage of his small size. Despite Lucisano's presumed size advantage, Seim went under his opponent's reach to get to him. Seim's quickness in the close quarters was key to his early advantage.
In between rounds, Lucisano adjusted his body to stay away from Seim's jabs. The adjustment helped keep Seim at a distance.
In the final round, Lucisano attempted to be the aggressor. After catching Seim off guard early in the round, Lucisano started to let his guard down and allowed Seim to make big counters. Seim cornered Lucisano twice and landed long combinations, ending the fight.
Seim won in a split decision due in part to his success in close quarters. The win sets up a rematch of last year's final with Lally.
142 lbs.
Nick "Bronco" Bortolotti def. Nick Rowek
Senior Nick Bortolotti won methodically in his match against junior Nick Rowek. As the match progressed, Bortolotti improved and adjusted to Rowek's fighting style.
In the early round, Bortolotti used quick combinations to break down Rowek's guard and back away. Rowek struggled to get close to Bortolotti, turning the match into a defensive battle for Rowek.
Bortolotti landed longer combinations in the second round as he started to move around Rowek's guard more successfully. After Rowek landed a few counters, Bortolotti unleashed huge punches close to the end of the round.
In the third round, Rowek used his reach to finally get to Bortolotti. But Bortolotti ended the fight with two long series as he backed Rowek into the corner. The last series forced the referee to end the bout in the third round in Bortolotti's favor.
Will "The Thrill" Peterson de. Jackie "The Forgetful Housecat" Garvin
Will Peterson was victorious against Jackie Garvin, as the battle between the two sophomore fighters highlighted their similar fighting styles. The victory puts Peterson into the finals for the second year in a row.
The fight started slowly with both boxers getting a feel for each other's styles as they exchanged punches. Late in the round, Peterson landed a few solid punches to pull ahead.
Garvin came back in the next round with a swing in momentum. By controlling the middle of the ring, Garvin forced Peterson to move around. But because of the movement, Peterson more easily found weak spots in Garvin's defense and took control of the match.
Early in the third round, Peterson continued to control the match's pace. Garvin responded by becoming more aggressive and closing in on Peterson. Eventually, Peterson used quicker punches in the close quarters.
Peterson's overall control of the match gave him the unanimous decision.
148 lbs.
Ben "Danger Zone" Eichler def. Casey "The Man Beast" Allare
Early success led to a quick victory for sophomore Ben Eichler over junior Casey Allare. Eichler came out swinging and it paid off in a one round fight.
Eichler's early combinations caught Allare off guard. Following a first referee pause, Eichler changed gears and unloaded huge punches with the intent of finishing the fight early. After the referee paused the fight three times, he stopped the match and gave Eichler the win by technical knockout in the first round.
Kevin "The Commissioner" Ortenzio def. Ryan "Ho-Cro Heart" Power
Seniors Kevin Ortenzio and Ryan Power began their fight throwing lots of punches with little emphasis on defense. Power started to land a few, but Ortenzio was quick to dodge and counter well, ultimately leaving with a victory.
The first round was a toss-up, as Power landed a few solid punches but Ortenzio also landed a few strikes of his own.
Power came out strong in the second round. Ortenzio, however, used Power's momentum to dodge away and back Power up against the ropes. Ortenzio then gave Power a powerful right jab, causing him to bounce off the ropes. Toward the end of the round, Ortenzio snuck in three solid jabs, causing Power to stumble and have the ref check him out.
The third round continued with Power throwing a lot of punches, but Ortenzio defended and dodged the majority of them and landed his own. Power seemed to tire with Ortenzio's constant movement and dodging, which allowed Ortenzio to land multiple punches before the round ended. The victory was unanimously given to Ortenzio.
154 lbs.
Sunoh "What is this? I don't" Choe def. Keegan "Unicorns and Butterflies" Somers
Because freshman Keegan Somers suffered from a concussion, the fight was scratched and junior Sunoh Choe came out victorious.
Garrity "Biscuit" McOsker def. Joel "Hashtag" Hlavaty
Freshman Garrity McOsker was confident and aggressive in his win against sophomore Joel Hlavaty.
McOsker combined his aggressiveness with accurate punches throughout the round. Hlavaty had success late in the first round with counters, but not enough.
In the second round, McOsker landed hard punches and his aggressiveness pushed Hlavaty to the ropes. McOsker's pure strength was difficult to keep up with, as Hlavaty's guard started to break down.
The third round started with both boxers landing big hooks. Hlavaty and McOsker exchanged turns, but as the fight progressed and the fighters grew tired, they closed out the round with a series of holds.
The first two rounds proved to be enough for McOsker to earn the unanimous victory.
158 lbs.
Greg Cunningham def. Sean "Dark Side of the Moon" Mullen
Seniors Greg Cunningham and Sean Mullen took turns trading punches, but Cunningham's strong jabs ultimately left him with a victory.
The first round began with aggressive starts from both Cunningham and Mullen. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand at the start of the bout, but as the round pressed on, Cunningham seemed to gain control.
Cunningham backed Mullen up against the ropes twice with a flurry of punches early in the second round. He landed a solid left jab halfway through the round, and with this punch forced Mullen against the ropes for a third time. Mullen, however, not wanting to be counted out, finished the second round strongly.
He came out with a point to prove in the third round, starting strong and landing a solid string of punches. This was not enough, though, as Cunningham got out three strong right jabs, causing Mullen to stumble. As Mullen seemed to tire, Cunningham backed him twice more against the ropes and finished the bout in control. The decision went unanimously to Cunningham.
Joey Kim def. Danny Leicht
With initial patience and ultimate aggression, junior Joey Kim defeated junior Danny Leicht.
Kim started the fight testing his reach against Leicht. Leicht, staying low, tried to get inside the long reach of Kim and beat him with body shots. Leicht packed a lot of energy in this tactic but Kim kept him at a distance with strong punches. At the end of the round, under a torrent of body blows, Kim was backed up against the ropes, but ended the round with a solid punch on Leicht.
Kim began the second round as patiently as he began the first, waiting for an opportunity. Partway through the round, Leicht took a hit and tried to counter, but Kim dodged the attack and Leicht, losing his balance, dropped to a knee. After this slip, Kim seemed to gain control of the fight. He landed a very strong string of punches, causing Leicht to back up into the ropes. With another series of blows and Leicht against the ropes again, Kim started throwing hooks. He landed solidly enough to cause the ref to stop the action.
The third round started with Kim landing a hard right uppercut, causing Leicht to fall back. Kim took control completely and had Leicht on the defensive. Once more Leicht fell backwards and was checked by the ref. Leicht continued, but Kim did not relinquish control, giving Kim the unanimous victory.
165 lbs.
Inoh "Lights Out" Choe def. Dan Griess
Senior Inoh Choe got off to a quick start, landing solid punches on sophomore Dan Griess and coming out victorious in the end.
Griess had a longer arm reach than Choe, but Choe was able to get inside the reach and counter with extremely fast punches. In the latter half of the round, Griess seemed to keep Choe at a distance, but Choe got a solid jab to Griess' head in right before the bell rung.
With the momentum of the punch at the end of the round, Choe landed a solid one-two combo to start the second round. Choe was then able to force Griess back against the ropes twice. Once against the ropes, Choe released a series of short quick body strikes. When Griess moved his arms down to block his body, Choe struck quickly with a blow to the head. Griess countered well and finished off the second round strong.
The third round started much the same as the second. Choe landed a powerful right jab and backed Griess into the corner, where he continued to throw fast punches. Griess seemed to tire this round and started throwing bigger punches. Choe quickly dodged many of these and returned with body shots, which were then followed by calculated head shots. Choe controlled the third round and was awarded a unanimous decision.
Alex "El Gatito Loco" Oloriz def. Dallas Bunsa
The Manor mayhem began, as juniors Alex Oloriz and Dallas Bunsa came out seeing who could be the best 165-pound fighter from Morrissey. The answer: Oloriz.
Oloriz began with a ton of energy and Bunsa was busy preventing Oloriz from getting inside his longer reach. Bunsa landed a solid one-two combo to end the round.
Bunsa rolled his left ankle at the second round and the fight had to be briefly stopped. On returning, Bunsa's ankle soreness caused a big problem because of Oloriz's quickness. Bunsa landed a string of punches, but Oloriz countered with a heavy onslaught of punches, backing Bunsa across the ring and into the ropes. As Bunsa was against the ropes, Oloriz landed a huge right hook.
The ankle continued to be a problem for Bunsa, as he seemed to be on defense for much of the third round. Oloriz seemed to sense the slowness of Bunsa and started throwing more punches. Oloriz began to land more and more strikes. With two uppercuts after a string of blows, Bunsa was dazed against the ropes and had to be counted back in. Oloriz did not wane in his intensity and ended the match strong, earning himself the unanimous decision.
171 lbs.
Ryan "Dirty" Alberdi def. Patrick Spittler
Junior Ryan Alberdi's aggression led him to a sure victory over senior Patrick Spittler.
The fight commenced with Alberdi trading blows early on with Spittler. Partway through, Alberdi attempted to land a hook, but lost his balance and fell to a knee. This did not faze Alberdi, who ducked under a hook thrown by Spittler and landed a resonating uppercut. Spittler came back however, ending the round strong with a string of jabs.
Alberdi came out strong in the second round and backed Spittler against the ropes. Spittler ducked out of it and used his long arm reach to throw a few solid jabs and hooks. Alberdi countered well, was able to get inside of Spittler's reach and with a jab brought blood to Spittler's nose. The round ended with Alberdi gaining more control with very strong jabs. This put Spittler against the ropes where Alberdi threw a few hooks.
The end of the second round did not seem to deter Spittler, as he came out swinging in the third round. Both traded blows, but Alberdi gained the momentum with a long series of jabs halfway through the round. There were a few short breaks in the last round due to blood from Spittler's nose but the fighters continued on. After one of these short intermissions, Alberdi threw a strong right uppercut that hit home. Alberdi earned the unanimous victory.
Jake Joe def. Jeff "Little Bear" Ulrich
Junior Jake Joe edged out a close victory over junior Jeff Ulrich by split decision.
The first round saw both fighters establish periods of dominance. After both boxers traded jabs to begin the round, Joe went after Ulrich with a flurry of high body shots, knocking him against the ropes. Ulrich rebounded quickly, countering Joe's attack by landing a series of low punches and driving Joe into the corner of the ring.
In the second round, both boxers increased the intensity, attacking each other with a wild series of punches throughout the round. Joe rendered Ulrich defenseless with a series of consistent body shots for a good portion of the round, but Ulrich recovered to land a few low body shots of his own.
Although both fighters showed fatigue in the third round, they continued to wear each other down with punches. Joe went on the attack early, landing a series of uppercuts to Ulrich's face. Ulrich countered with a flurry of body shots, and both boxers continued to exchange punches until the final bell sounded.
In a split decision, Joe was awarded the victory.
180 lbs.
Brian "Not Chris" Salvi def. Joe "Send in the Troll" Garrity
A powerful effort by Brian Salvi sent the law student into the championship past senior Joe Garrity.
In a matchup of Chicago natives, Garrity displayed great aggressiveness in the first round, throwing the majority of punches and moving Salvi onto the ropes at one point. Salvi was able to evade the majority of Garrity's punches, though, and countered with a few well-timed shots of his own.
Salvi took control of the tempo in the second round of the fight, managing to get on the attack at different points. Salvi used a strong series of both left and right hooks to push Garrity back, driving Garrity into the ropes at one point. Garrity continued to throw several punches, but Salvi largely fended them off.
The final round of the fight belonged to Salvi, as he attacked Garrity with a series of jabs to the face. Salvi knocked Garrity down with a left hook to the head and, after a brief stoppage, put Garrity on the ground again with a headshot.
At this point in the third round, the referee ended the fight and gave Salvi the victory.
Connor "The Skellator" Skelly def. Nick "The Lancaster Disaster" Grasberger
Connor Skelly used a quick start to help earn a unanimous decision over Nick Grasberger.
In this matchup of senior fighters, Skelly took early control of the fight, using his lanky frame and long reach to hit Grasberger with a series of high jabs. Grasberger made an attempt to go on the attack, but Skelly countered with a series of high body shots and forced Grasberger on his heels for the remainder of the round.
The second round saw the two fighters engage in a defensive struggle, with few punches landing. Skelly continued to attack Grasberger with quick jabs, but Grasberger fended him off. Skelly continued to block most of Grasberger's punches, putting forth a strong defensive effort.
Grasberger almost broke through early in the final round, pushing Skelly against the ropes and knocking him back with a series of upper body shots and headshots. Skelly maintained his poise and composure to rebound and threw a series of strong hooks to end the round.
Skelly took the bout by unanimous decision.
188 lbs.
Adrian "Yo Adrian" Moreno def. Frank "The Tank" Conway
A back-and-forth fight ended with senior Adrian Moreno earning a unanimous decision victory over senior Frank Conway.
The first round was marked by a quick tempo, as both boxers came out throwing a wild array of punches. Conway was aggressive on the attack, assailing Moreno with a flurry of body shots at one point. Moreno displayed a nice recovery, knocking Conway down with a hard body shot and later moving him onto the ropes.
The second round saw each boxer land several punches, as they continued to attack each other with intensity. Moreno moved Conway to the ropes with a series of powerful body shots early in the round, but Conway responded with a jab to Moreno's head that left Moreno bleeding and forced the first stoppage of the bout.
Moreno made a strong case for victory in the final round, hitting Conway with a series of demonstrative punches. Conway came on the attack early in the round, but Moreno moved him back with an intense right hook to Conway's face. Moreno landed a few more headshots to conclude the round.
As a result of Moreno's efforts in the third round, the senior was awarded the victory by unanimous decision.
Chris "Not Brian" Salvi def. Brian Tower
Senior Chris Salvi got off to a fast start on his way to a victory over senior Brian Tower in the final 188-pound bout.
In the matchup, Tower began the fight on the early attack, but Salvi was able to evade many of his early punches. Salvi mixed in an array of body shots, hitting Tower particularly hard with one lower body shot that forced a temporary stoppage of the bout. Tower made a strong recovery effort toward the end of the round, landing a few body shots on Salvi before the end of the round.
The second round was fully dominated by Salvi, as he landed an early uppercut on Tower's face that left Tower sprawling on the ground. After a brief stoppage, Tower tried to go on the attack, but Salvi stopped him in his tracks with a quick upper body shot that knocked Tower down for the second time.
The referee then decided to end the fight in the second round, giving Salvi the victory.
204 lbs.
Bart "The Buv'nor" Dear def. Reid "The Captain" Paape
Senior Bart Dear established control late over junior Reid Paape to win and advance to the championship fight.
Neither fighter showed a clear advantage in the first round, as both fighters landed punches. Paape used his height advantage to throw early headshots, but Dear rebounded to land a variety of upper and lower body shots.
Paape came out on the attack in the second round, throwing the majority of punches and remaining aggressive throughout. Dear largely fended off most of Paape's punches, showing a unique ability to anticipate his opponent's moves. Dear landed a few punches of his own as the round progressed, hitting Paape with several upper body shots just before the bell rang.
Dear took control of the fight in the final round, continuing to display strong defense techniques while also wearing Paape down with a flurry of low body shots and few headshots toward the end of the match.
Dear's strong third round effort helped give him the victory by unanimous decision.
Brian "Caesar" Salat def. Chris "Stubbs" Sarkis
Junior Brian Salat outlasted junior Chris Sarkis in a match that left both fighters exhausted and Salat the victor by unanimous decision.
The two juniors came out swinging to start the bout with Sarkis connecting on the first solid flurry of punches near the ropes. Salat fought back and landed his own fair share of blows near the ropes, utilizing left-right combinations. The round concluded with both boxers exchanging shots to the head and the body.
The second stanza began with Salat going on an aggressive attack that featured the use of jabs and hooks with uppercuts dispersed throughout. Sarkis stood strong though and landed a few punches with his powerful right hook. The back-and-forth action persisted as Salat got Sarkis up against the ropes and landed strong shots. Salat then went back to the uppercut and connected with a few of them to close out the round strongly against Sarkis.
Sarkis opened the final frame by landing solid punches in what was otherwise a slow start to the last third of the fight. The slow pace continued, as each fighter would throw a punch and retreat, waiting for the other to become vulnerable. Sarkis landed a few combinations before Salat connected on an uppercut. Both fighters were absolutely spent by the final bell and Salat nabbed the win by unanimous decision.
Heavyweights
Nate "Catdome" Arnold def. John Rompf
Nate Arnold was able to use a combination of elusiveness and power to defeat fellow law student John Rompf by unanimous decision.
Arnold came out of the gates aggressively, leaning into his opponent and throwing forceful jabs. Rompf countered with a monster hook that Arnold eluded. Rompf tried to work both hooks and jabs against Arnold, but Arnold was able to ward off the blows and get Rompf onto the ropes. The two heavyweights then slowed down and threw jabs before one final even-sided outburst concluded the first round.
The second frame began with Arnold landing a few quick jabs. Rompf was momentarily flat-footed and Arnold capitalized by connecting on a big right hook. The next segment of the round was uneventful, with the two boxers regaining their energy. As the clock wound down on the middle round, Arnold went after Rompf with jabs to the body.
Arnold opened up the final round like he did the start of the fight, coming after Rompf aggressively with speed and quick hands. Rompf, however, fought back and landed a good left-right combo to the head. Arnold was not to be denied, though, and kept up the pace for the duration of the fight earning him the win by unanimous decision.
Daniel Yi def. Brian Ellixson
Sophomore Daniel Yi used his quickness and agility to defeat law student Brian Ellixson in the night's final contest.
The final match of the evening started with both boxers displaying quickness and agility. Ellixson knocked down Yi, who quickly got up and resumed the fight. Ellixson landed a flurry of left-right combinations that had Yi attempting to counter off his back foot.
Ellixson attempted to open the round with repeated jabs, but Yi showed an exceptional dodging ability.
After ducking many of Ellixson's efforts, Yi countered with some jabs of his own. Ellixson then got his opponent on the ropes, but Yi deflected the majority of the punches and managed to connect with some jabs to conclude the second frame.
The final stanza began in exciting fashion, with both boxers completely letting loose in the corner, exchanging jabs and hooks with one another. The crowd got into it after the back-and-forth action and the excitement palpably built in the night's final round.
Yi ducked many of Ellixson's punches and returned fire by throwing various combinations. With the clock running out and both boxers emptying their respective tanks, Yi landed some good punches to conclude the fight and got the win by split decision.
Contact Isaac Lorton at ilorton@nd.edu
Contact Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu
Contact Brian Hartnett at bhartnett@nd.edu
Contact Ernst Cleofe at ecleofe@nd.edu
