135-pounds: Alex “El Cadejo” Alcantara def. Patrick “Il Lupo” Brennan Alumni sophomores Brennan and Alcantara fought head-to-head in the quickest but most decisive bout of the night. Brennan, known for his methodical style, threw the first punch, but it was Alcantara who clearly dominated the pace of the match with his quick fighting style and aggressive presence. Brennan landed several punches to the his opponent's head but was no match for Alcantara’s rapid left hook combinations.
Patrick “Pattycake” Shea def. Gage “American Psycho” O'Connell
The final in the 167-pound weight division was a hard-fought contest between Shea, an off-campus junior, and O'Connell, a graduate student. The first round started quickly as both fighters looked to go on the attack. The action was fast-paced, but the punches landed evenly as both fighters relied on their quick footwork to avoid the heaviest blows.
“Gage is a great fighter. He's got very quick hands and threw powerful punches,” Shea said. “I knew it was going to be tough and ... I guess coming out with a win is all I could have wanted.”
The second round picked up right where the first left off. The boxers opened with a flurry of powerful combinations, but Shea appeared to gain an edge with his slight height advantage. Right at the end of the round, however, O'Connell responded with a combination that landed two blows to Shea's head.
The start of the third round was just as furious as the prior two, with both fighters looking to attack the head of his opponent. Shea broke open the bout when he landed a jab and forced O'Connell back for the rest of the round. He was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
Shea said it felt good to finally win a title after losing in the championship bout twice before.
“Third time is the charm. It feels great to win,” Shea said. “Losing twice in a row's pretty tough, especially the second time around. I wasn't going to lose a third time, and that's what I was thinking about I the second break before the third [round] and that gave me the motivation to do what I had to do in the third.”
178-pounds:
Brendan “Rainman” Lesch def. Jason “Downtown” Ellinwood
Lesch, a graduate student and former varsity soccer player, started off the first round aggressively, and Ellinwood, a junior from Fisher Hall, had trouble fending him off, forcing the referee to briefly halt the fight. Afterwards, Lesch did not let up and continued to impose his will on the fight. Lesch said his plan was to push the action early.
“I tried to come out a little bit bigger,” Lesch said. “That seems to be the way I fight, trying to push the pace a little bit, shake him up early. That was my game plan. I thought it went well. Jason's such a great fighter.”
Ellinwood picked up the pace in the second round and managed to hit Lesch with a few quick jabs to the face. After the first minute of the round, the action slowed as both fighters seemed to wear down.
Ellinwood began to use his height advantage to keep Lesch at bay to start the third round. Lesch, however, responded with a flurry of blows that led to another stoppage. Lesch continued to push the action after his opponent recovered, but Ellinwood scored multiple counter-punches when Lesch did not connect with his hooks. Ultimately though, Lesch's strong first round carried him a victory by unanimous decision.
Lesch said his memories of Bengal Bouts are one of the highlights of his time at Notre Dame.
“I'm really just blessed to be a part of [Bengal Bouts],” Lesch said. “That's more important than being the champion. It's a great tournament, one of the most fun things I've gotten to do while at Notre Dame, and winning this year is something I'll probably keep with me for a long time.”
184-pounds:
Brian “Cheese” Willis def. Bryan Cooley
In the 184-pound weight division, Willis, a junior from Duncan Hall, went up against Cooley, an off-campus senior and club captain. The fight started slowly but quickly heated up with both fighters throwing powerful combinations. Near the end of the round, Cooley managed to get in a few hooks to Willis' body after he dodged one of Willis' jabs.
The second round was much more eventful, as both boxers started to open up and take more risks. Cooley landed a strong hook to Willis' face to start the round, and every time Willis went in, Cooley managed to beat him back with a hook or a jab. Willis said he was impressed with Cooley.
“He was unbelievable,” Willis said. “He hit so hard. Getting in the ring with him was tough with how hard he swings, and even though I'd never sparred with him beforehand, he lived up to his expectations. He's just so clean as a boxer.”
Willis almost managed to pin Cooley against the ropes at the end of the round, but Cooley forced him back with a series of hooks.
The momentum had swung though.
In the third round, both fighters threw everything they had in their early combinations. Willis managed to break through Cooley's defenses and back him against the ropes for most of the round. Cooley grew tired and took many blows to his face. Willis' strong third-round comeback earned him the title as he won by unanimous decision.
“I think that he was beating me going into the third,” Willis said. “I came out a little bit stronger, and I think the length eventually bothered him a little too much. I just landed a few more at the end. He was still hitting me harder.”
196-pounds:
Jack Considine def. Patrick Gordon
The 196-pound final pitted Considine, a sophomore from Dillion Hall, against Gordon, a freshman from Keough Hall. Both fighters came out very aggressively. Considine pushed the action early by forcing Gordon to either dodge away or fight on his heels. Gordon used good early footwork to evade Considine's advances, and both fighters landed only a few good blows in the first round.
The second round was similar to the first as Considine kept moving Gordon around the ring. Gordon responded, however, and gave Considine a bloody nose which stopped the action. Considine's injured nose appeared to knock him off balance as Gordon landed two big body blows to end the round. Considine said he knew he had to improve his performance in the third round if he wanted to win.
“In the first two rounds I just couldn't get in on him,” Considine said. “He has a style where he was sitting back and waiting for me to come in, and it works for a while, but after a while it's just abut scrappiness and throwing punches. Normally I'm a first two-round fighter. It's the first time I've had to come out swinging in the third.”
In the final round, Gordon began to tire and tried to clench with Considine and stall on multiple occasions. Considine also seemed to slow down, and both fighters' blows lacked the same strength as they did in the first two rounds. In the end, Considine managed to hang on and claim the narrow victory by split decision.
Heavy Weight:
Tyler “Tuna” Plantz def. Jackson “The Flash” Wrede
In the final bout of the night, Plantz, a graduate student, took on Wrede, a freshman from Knott Hall. Though smaller, Plantz, a former varsity football player, attacked Wrede with a fervor early on in the match. However, Wrede managed to land a few good counter-punches that kept the bout interesting. Plantz said his strategy was to be the aggressor early on.
“Its kind of been my mentality going through all of these fights, that if I can kind of get a good couple of shots in early, I can kind of get them on their heels instead of coming in,” Plantz said. “I've always got to move inside of longer arms, so being able to dictate the pace of the fight early in the fight worked to my advantage in the last two rounds.”
Wrede was much more disciplined to start the second round and did not back down when Plantz attempted a series of body blows. Both fighters landed a plethora of powerful blows throughout the second round, as Wrede fought his way back into the match.
Wrede began the third round with a ferocious series of hooks, but Plantz managed to weather Wrede's initial attack. As the fight wore on, Wrede managed to land an increasing number of blows to the face of Plantz, who struggled to keep his defensive guard up. At the conclusion of the bout, the heavyweight championship was awarded to Plantz by unanimous decision because of his early round performances.
Plantz said he owes part of his victory to his friends who cheered him on.
“I couldn't thank my friends enough,” Plantz said. “Some of my buddies that I've always had all four years I've been in my dorm, some I met away, some I met through football. That really helped me in the third [round].”