Boxers battle to advance

134-pounds:Jeffrey “JWeezey” Wang def. Stephen “M&M” Gaetano This fight began with Wang dictating the pace and landing several jabs on Gaetano throughout the first. Wang went from strength to strength, bobbing and weaving to create some room for his lethal straight jab. Gaetano tried to establish himself in the fight in the third, but Wang countered with left hooks, taking the fight by unanimous decision.

Daniel “Jet” Lee def. Robert “One Man Wolf” Pak   Both fighters came out strong in the first. Lee delivered some strong straight jab combos, while Pak landed some well-timed right hooks. However, Pak’s failure to get inside in the second round meant Lee was able to continue dominate with his deadly combos. In the third Pak fought valiantly, but Lee was just too strong, giving him the win by unanimous decision.

Andy Fausone def. Edward “Big Ed” Leppert Fausone asserted his dominance early and stayed aggressive in the later rounds on his way to a win by unanimous decision. The sophomore opened the bout on the defensive, blocking multiple jabs before landing a right hook that Leppert answered with a hook of his own to Fausone’s head. As the fight progressed, both boxers continued to lead with combinations while trying to get in close to throw hooks. Fausone cornered Leppert twice in the second round, before he finally knocked the sophomore Leppert on his back after a series of hard jabs. Fausone kept the pace up in the third round, maintaining his technique and finishing off the victory.

Matthew Muliadi def. Glen “G-Mac” McClain Muliadi established control in the first round and never let up, taking the win by unanimous decision. McClain seemed to forfeit his height advantage early on in the bout when Muliadi stymied him every time he tried a straight right punch. But, Muliadi relied on a wide array of punches, including several hooks that found the freshman’s head. In the second round, he backed McClain into a corner, landing solid punches while dodging McClain’s hooks. The sophomore finished strong, throwing left hooks throughout the third round on his way to the win.

140-pounds:Niels Seim def. Keith “The Chief” Loh Seim, one of only a few left-handers in the tournament, relied on his defense to outmaneuver the sophomore Loh in a unanimous-decision victory. The boxers appeared to be well-matched early, trading punch for punch. Seim, a grad student, landed a few 1-2 combinations while Loh struggled to connect on almost all of his punches against Seim’s strong defense. Seim continued his great blocking and dodging in the second round before Loh managed to land a few punches. Seim finished strong, however, landing multiple straight rights, and took the victory.

Ben “Bad” Hoffner def. Juan “Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” Alvarez In a close, back-and-forth match, the freshman Hoffner came out on top with a split-decision victory as Alvarez tired in the third round. Hoffner displayed his quickness early, but the senior was able to counter with a slew of straight-right punches. Alvarez opened the second round with a strong 1-2 combination before both boxers began to trade punches. Hoffner seized the advantage early in the third period, landing jabs while Alvarez was able to connect on only a few hooks. Both boxers kept the fight close, but the decision went to Hoffner.

Patrick “Little Mae” Brennan Def. Conor “The Invisible Hand” Durkin This bout began evenly, as Durkin’s quick straights were met by a brutal straight from Brennan. The second round was much more reserved as neither fighter went on the offensive, although Durkin fatigued his opponent and gained the upper hand. The bout was still even going into the third, but a devastating straight left jab from Brennan grounded Durkin, which was enough to give him the win by unanimous decision.

Alex Bogucki-Baran def. Luke “Mickey” McCormack McCormack began the fight energetically, moving Bogucki-Baran around the ring, but Bogucki-Baran’s powerful jabs kept his opponent at bay. Bogucki-Baran struggled to pin down an elusive McCormack in the second, but when he did he began to dominate. Going into the final round Bogucki-Baran had the upper hand, and although McCormick connected on a few right hooks late, Bogucki-Baran took the fight by unanimous decision.

146-pounds:Chris “Hitman” Hinman def. Jack “Attack Jaiclet” Taiclet In a tight, competitive fight from both boxers, Hinman outlasted Taiclet for a split-decision win. Hinman, a law student, countered Taiclet’s height advantage early, blocking most of the sophomore’s punches before landing a hook to Taiclet’s head. Hinman continued to dodge most of Taiclet’s punches in the second round before Taiclet was able to land multiple jabs to Hinman’s body. Hinman responded by backing Taiclet into a corner and landing another hook to the head. By the third round, Hinman pressed his advantage by getting inside on Taiclet. Taiclet continued to fight back, relying on his jab. Hinman was able to land punches to Taiclet’s core and ended the bout with a few shots to the face on his way to victory.

Garrett “Fedex” Schmelling def. Connor “Khalippur” Chelsky Schmelling exploded in the first round of the bout firing devastating hooks to Chelsky’s body, yet Chelsky’s deadly straight left jab kept him in contention. Schmelling kept control of the fight the entire way, forcing Chelsky into corners where he was able to let loose with a flurry of body shots. Chelsky continued to connect on some well-timed jabs through out the fight, but Schmelling was able to hang on for the win by split decision.

Danny “El Hombre” Espinoza Def. Edward “Armagetti” Smith Espinoza started the bout in the driver’s seat, deploying some lethal hook combos. Smith began to gain some momentum towards the end of the first, connecting on jabs to Espinoza’s head and body. In the second, Smith kept the momentum, getting inside Espinoza and connecting on jabs to the body. However, Espinoza quickly rebounded, using a jab to keep Smith away. He followed up with left hook combos in the final round, giving him the win by unanimous decision.

151-pounds:Ryan Dunn def. Sean Himel This fight began closely with both fighters trading jabs, though Himel mixed in the occasional hook. But at the beginning of the second round Dunn pinned Himel into the corner and unleashed a devastating combo that stunned his opponent. Dunn then connected on a right hook that put Himel on the floor. The bout was stopped and Dunn was giving the win by TKO.

Jackie “The Forgetful House Cat” Garvin def. Austin “Don’t Believe Me Just Watch” Cartier Cartier began this bout in dominant fashion, unleashing lethal jabs and hooks onto Garvin. Although Garvin struggled to land anything in the first round, he mounted counterattack in the second with a flurry of straight jabs that left Garvin stunned. As Cariter began to tire in the third, Garvin took full advantage and went to work on his opponent with successive jabs. The late comeback was enough to give Garvin the win by unanimous decision.

Ben “Danger Zone” Eichler def.  Liam “Trooper” Chan Using quick feet and a strong right hook, the senior Eichler dominated the bout to win by unanimous decision. Both fighters were cautious in the early going, but Eichler grabbed control of the bout with powerful hooks to Chan’s head. In the second round, Eichler continued to evade Chan’s jabs and used his own left jab to set up several forceful right hooks to the sophomore’s head. Chan was aggressive in the final round but was driven back into the ropes as Eichler closed out the win with brutal uppercuts.

“Sloppy” Joe Guilfoile def.  Chip Blood Guilfoile’s tactical fighting and powerful punches earned him a unanimous decision win in this battle of two freshmen. Both fighters came out hard in the first round, but Guilfoile dictated the early action with a strong left jab that kept Blood off balance. Blood was more aggressive in the second stanza, going after his fellow classmate with sweeping hooks, but Guilfoile was able to land several counter-punches of his own. In the final round, Guilfoile’s strong jabs hounded Blood throughout the ring and ultimately sealed the victory.

162-pounds:Garrity “Biscuit” McOsker def.  Conor “The Wild Rover” Douglass McOsker, the defending champion, showed his top form tonight, moving on to the next round with a dominating unanimous-decision victory. The junior used his precise form and explosive hooks to control the first round, and in the second drove Douglass into the ropes. Douglass,attempted to elude contact as the bout wore on, but McOsker caught him with several jabs, making the grad student bleed from the nose. Douglas hung in the fight valiantly, but McOsker’s quick style and strong body blows were too much to overcome.

Gage “The Heart-Break Kid” O’Connell def. Joe “Trix are for Kids” Brogan O’Connell withstood Brogan’s energetic fighting style, expending enough of his own energy to earn the victory by unanimous decision. O’Connell’s hooks gave him a slight edge early on, and in the second round he landed a few powerful jabs that managed to drive Brogan into the ropes. The junior maintained his energy into the final round, but a final sequence of jabs and hooks was overpowering and gave O’Connell the win.

Paul “Pride of the 415” Toboni def. Joseph Sulentic Toboni grabbed the bout by the scruff of the neck in the first round, delivering straight jab combos against Sulentic, who struggled to get any momentum going. Sulentic improved in the second round, working his way inside of Toboni. Toboni didn’t back down, though, delivering well-timed combos when Sulentic would get too close. Sulentic dominated most of the third with successive straight jabs, but it was too late as Toboni held on for a win by unanimous decision.

Joel “The Supple Leopard” Hlavaty def. Matthew “The Bond Hall Brawler” Schaefer Both fighters entered the bout with energy, but they were conservative when it came to going on the attack. When they did begin to attack, it was Hlavaty who had the upper hand, landing some well-timed straight jabs. As the fight went on, Schaefer began to creep back in with some lethal jabs of his own. Hlavaty began to come into his own late on in the third round with jab-hook combos, which was enough to give to him the win by unanimous decision.

166-pounds:Michael “Greasy” Grasso def. Calvin Hemington Both fighters unleashed a flurry of punches in the first round, as the senior Hemington was knocked down when Greasy connected with Hemington’s head on a number of consecutive hooks from both hands. The sophomore continued the barage in the second round, using heavy 1-2 combinations and a solid upper cut with his right to batter the senior. Hemington tried to mount a comeback in the third, ducking a number of Greasy’s punches and countering to push the sophomore into the corner. Greasy’s lead, however, was too much to overcome as he cruised his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Collin “Me Maybe” Corcoran def. Josh “Pride of the South” Whelan The evenly-matched fight between two seniors hung in the balance until late in the final round, when Corcoran did just enough to earn the split-decision victory. The two fighters exchanged lengthy jabs in the fight’s opening stanza as each tried to set up combinations. The bout stayed in the middle of the ring in the second round as both fighters landed combinations of jabs, but neither took control of the fight. Both seniors were more aggressive in the closing action. Whelan attacked his opponent’s body with vicious hooks, but Corcoran held him of with well-timed jabs and ultimately landed enough blows to Whelan’s head to get the win.

Jason “Downtown” Ellinwood def.  Scott “Bootstrap” Rousseau The junior Rousseau began the fight with a series of punches to the midsection of the sophomore Ellinwood. That attack fizzled quickly and Ellinwood used the considerable height difference to lock up Rousseau in a bear hug. Ellinwood’s length advantage continued to be a factor in the second round, as the sophomore landed some shots to the head of Rousseau. Rousseau consistently targeted Ellinwood’s torso, forcing him against the ropes on multiple occasions before the sophomore clenched the junior to escape In the third round, Rousseau controlled the direction and tempo of the exchanges, but again Ellinwood’s height gave him the chance to land several hits to Rousseau’s head, giving Ellinwood the win by a split decision.

Sebastian “El Papa” de las Casas def. David “No Way, No” Howe The two seniors held nothing back from the start, as de las Casas began the fight showing off his power and quickness. Howe had a significant height advanatage, but the technical prowess of de las Casas kept him in the fight. Several hooks of de las Casas hit home on Howe in the second round, though Howe bounced back with a series of vicious hits a few moments later. Though de las Casas was able to block or evade many of Howe’s blows, Howe made him pay heavily during an exchange in the third round. De las Casas managed to hold on for the win by a split decision.

173-pounds:Patrick “Patty Cakes” Shea def. Charles “Chuck” Romano The action began as soon as the bell to open the match sounded. The sophomore Shea was the more aggressive of the two boxers, getting inside on the lankier grad student and using right jabs to corner Romano. Shea continued to push Romano in the second, attacking his body and head with combinations. He found success late in the round with straight left jabs and continued the pressure in the third, never giving Romano any momentum on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Mike “The Stache” Flanigan def. Alex “Turtle” Jirschele This matchup of juniors started with lots of movement but few punches, until Jirschele got inside the longer Flanigan just past the midway point of the first round and used a dangerous uppercut to knock his opponent to the floor. Jirschele used effective dodges and counters for the first half of the second round, but appeared to tire towards the end of the period as Flanigan’s punches began connecting. Flanigan continued to pound away in the third, putting his opponent on the ropes and completing the comeback to earn a victory by a unanimous decision.

Zack “Bedrock” Flint def. Trevor “Sting” Stevens The sophomore Flint showed off his speed in the initial exchange against the law student Stevens, evading many of Flint’s shots and dealing back several of his own.  However, only a few of the sophomore’s quick punches made contact. The intensity picked up in the second round, with Stevens forcing Flint against the ropes with a flurry of punches before Flint did the same to him. Stevens seemed to tire near the midway point of the second round, as Flint landed a powerful 1-2 combination to the head of the law student. Stevens regained enough energy to land some solid shots on Flint at the beginning of the third round, but again wore out by the end of the period as Flint aimed more hooks at his face. The punches had a major effect, as Flint won by unanimous decision.

Brian “Rowdy” Roddy def. Eric “P-Rex” Palutsis The junior Palutsis came out swinging against the junior Roddy immediately, backing him against the ropes and getting in a series of hooks before Roddy fought his way back. Later on in the first round. Roddy hit Palutsis with several straight right jabs to the stomach. Both boxers spent most of the second round sidestepping and blocking, with each landing an occasional hook to the head. In the final round, Roddy landed a few jabs to the midsection of Palutsis, but Palutsis used his height to land some shots on Roddy’s head. In the end, Roddy won in a split decision.

180-pounds:Brett “Italian Ice” Sassetti def. Brian “Cheese” Willis The senior Sassetti used left jab after left jab in the first round to establish himself over his sophomore opponent, but Willis was able to sneak in a few hooks in response. Sassetti knocked out Willis’s mouth guard early in the second and the senior pushed his opponent into the ropes early in the third, connecting on another hook. He knocked out the sophomore’s mouth guard again late to secure the victory by unanimous decision.

Eric “I Still Can’t” Reed def. Jack Considine The taller Considine kept Reed at bay in the first round, but Reed worked his way into striking range in the second period. He began to have success with this strategy, connecting on several left jabs to the freshman’s head. Considine fought back using 1-2 combinations as Reed began to tire in the third. Reed landed several of his own combinations early in the third but the freshman began opening up as the round wore on, just missing on several near-devastating right upper cuts. The closeness of the fight was reflected in the judges’ split decision, which gave Reed the victory.

James “The Iceman” Hodgens def. Justin “Shady” McGrady The sophomore McGrady stumbled in the opening moments of the fight, but recovered quickly to land several successful punches. The first round consisted mostly of blocking and parrying with only a few punches making an impact. The second round was much more physical, with Hodgens briefly knocking McGrady into the ropes and the referee having to separate the two a few moments later. Hodgens landed a few solid shots to the head, though McGrady was able to get away from many jabs to the body. Spirited chants from the crowd seemed to energize Hodgens in the third round, as he connected on several hooks to the face of McGrady. The sophomore’s frustration was evident as the referee had to separate the fighters again, though McGrady landed a jab or two. In the end, it was not enough, as Hodgens won by a split decision.

Melchior “Il Lupo” Perella-Savarese def. Justin “Penta” Tabit The grad student Tabit held nothing back at the start against Zahm freshman Perella-Savarese. Tabit landed several hooks to the head of Perella-Savarese in the first exchanges of the bout. Perella-Savarese recovered and was able to parry some of Tabit’s powerful right hooks at the beginning of the second round, but Tabit had a few straight rights that hit home, and startled the freshman with a sudden left hook to the head just before the bell. Perella-Savarese came out in the third round with a vengeance, landing successful hooks and jabs to the grad student’s head. The comeback effort proved to be enough, as Perella-Savarese won by a split decision.

190-pounds:Michael “The Uncle” Smoljan def. Lucas Sullivan In a cautious, tentative fight, the senior Smoljan came away with the split decision win over the junior Sullivan. The fight got off to a slow start, as Sullivan spent most of the first round ducking and weaving the hard jabs of Smoljan with only the occasional counter-punch. Smoljan did not press the attack until the second round, when both fighters came out more aggressively. Smoljan succeeded in fighting past Sullivan’s defense for a few right hooks to the head, while Sullivan failed to sustain any offensive attack. In the third round, Sullivan came out swinging hard and landed multiple jabs to Smoljan’s head, while Smoljan stayed on the defensive and preserved his advantage for the win.

Evan “Heavy Duty” Escobedo def. Jack Corrigan In a hard-hitting affair from start to finish, Escobedo’s technical prowess proved to be too much for the freshman Corrigan, and the referee stopped the contest and awarded the win to Escobedo. Both boxers came out swinging early, trading punch for punch. Escobedo used his technical advantage in the first round to stay in control as Corrigan began to flail wildly, allowing Escobedo to land several hard hooks to the face. Corrigan came out on the defensive in the second round as Escobedo continued to use multiple combinations to back Corrigan into a corner and pound his head and body. Escobedo came out burning on all cylinders in the third, using several vicious combinations to knock Corrigan to the ground early and force the referee to stop the contest.

Ricky “Scooter” Neville def. Phil “Bald Eagle” Mannelly Both fighters landed their share of punches in the first, with the senior Neville using his right hook to gain a slight advantage in a round full of brief flurries of punches. Mannelly was more aggressive in the second round, but the law student was unable to connect on most of his punches. Neville countered with enough left jabs to maintain his advantage. In the final round , both boxers opened up, but Mannelly could not overcome Neville’s early advantage, as the judges gave the senior the victory by unanimous decision.

Hank “Team Pup ‘n Suds” Duden def. Cassidy “I’m No Lady” Laux Both fighters swung early and often, with Laux taking control of the match by putting his senior foe on the ropes twice in the first round. Duden managed to respond by catching the law student with a couple of good left jabs in the second round to work his way back into the match, as the law student failed to keep his hands up on defense. In the final round, Duden put Laux into the ropes early, but Laux came back with three straight left hooks. When the dust settled from the back and forth battle, Duden walked away with a hard fought, split-decision victory.

202-pounds:Brian “Long Arms of the Law” Ellixson def. Matthew “Don’t Tell My Mom I’m Boxing” Freda Ellixson made use of his long reach early to land a number of combinations to the head of the sophomore Freda, drawing blood midway through the first round. That would end the match, as Ellixson was awarded the victory after the referee stopped the contest in the first round. Freda left the ring immediately before the referee declared the fight.

Keith “Chief Keef” Marrero def. Robbie Hammer Hammer put together a string of jabs as he pursued Marrero across the ring early in the first, but the graduate student responded well, putting Hammer on the ropes and connecting with the senior’s head with hooks with both hands. Hammer used his long reach early in the second, but Marrero cornered Hammer multiple times to take away the advantage as the round wore on. Both fighters showed signs of exhaustion in the third round, leaning on each other for the final minute of the fight in order to stand. The judges awarded Marrero the victory by unanimous decision.

Ryan “Drama” Lindquist def. Joseph “Mowgli” Comer Utilizing his heavy right hook, the junior Lindquist took the unanimous decision victory over the sophomore Comer. Both fighters were content to slug it out early and often, as Lindquist used several hard head-body combinations in the first round to slow Comer. The fight continued at a fast pace in the second period, as Lindquist continued to land big hits, but Comer continued to go inside and counter with strong hooks of his own. Lindquist did not let up in the third round, working Comer’s body as the sophomore tried to mount a rally. But in the end it was not enough and Lindquist emerged with the victory.

Tyler “Gerald from Hey Arnold!” Sonsalla def. Ernie “Spider” Soto In a bruising battle that went down to the wire, Sonsalla overwhelmed Soto with combinations to take the win by split decision. Sonsalla came out aggressive early, but Soto responded a sharp counterpunch to Sonsalla’s head that caused him to back off and work his length advantage. Soto managed to work inside several times and landed a hard right hook to Sonsalla’s head. The second round began more tentatively, as both boxers danced outside of each other’s reach. Soto picked up the pace midway through the round, working in short rapid bursts that included a vicious right jab to the head that knocked Sonsalla down. Sonsalla came out aggressively in the third round and attacked Soto, getting inside and hammering his head with multiple hooks. As the round wore on, Sonsalla began to tire but continued to land jab after jab, which proved to be enough for the win.

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