The semifinals of the 2022 Baraka Bouts tournament took place Thursday night. These are the results from Ring B. Final rounds take place Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
Frankie “Frank the Tank” Masciopinto of McGlinn Hall def. Kiera “Red Lightning” Judd of McGlinn Hall
Masciopinto opened with a flurry of punches, keeping Judd on her heels. In the first round, Masciopinto forced two counts for Judd, landing several hits to her head. Judd got a few body shots in but was often knocked off her stance by Masciopinto. The second round started even again before Masciopinto doled out several more head hits, forcing another count for Judd. Even when Judd got Masciopinto on her heels, “Frank the Tank” was still swinging and landing. Just before the round ended, Judd received another count. Masciopinto dodged everything Judd threw at her in the third and forced the referee to count for Judd a fifth time. By the time the referee stopped the contest with 40 seconds left, Masciopinto won.
Sarah “Midshipmenace” Nowak of Welsh Family Hall def. Sydney “Angry Elf” Higgins of Lewis Hall
The first round started fast, as both boxers threw everything they had at each other. Higgins quickly lost steam, though, as Nowak stayed well out of her reach but landed hits of her own, forcing a count for Higgins. The “Midshipmenace” stepped out in the second round with early control, but Higgins landed a few hard left hooks to force a count. After that, Higgins took control again, relying on her left hook again. Nowak found a second win, though, as she closed the round with several head hits on the “Angry Elf.” Nowak dodged early hits from Higgins and landed a few of her own instead. By unanimous decision, Nowak took the bout.
Sabrina “Golden Stinger” Curran of Flaherty Hall def. Luisa “Karma” Capobianco of Welsh Family Hall
This bout was all about speed. Curran got inside first and forced a count for Capobianco within the first few seconds. Another flurry of punches from Curran brought on another count for Capobianco to close the round. Curran opened the next round on the offensive again and made Capobiano’s nose bleed, but she wasn’t done. After the bleed paused time, Capobianco landed her first long flurry of the bout. Curran changed the tune again to start the third, but in the second half, Capobianco came back with a fire, cornering Curran. After another pause to clean her nose, the rest of the third round evened out. Both fighters landed several flurries to close the bout and, by split decision, Curran won the bout.
Chiara “French Thunder” Thrum of Lewis Hall def. Jenny “The Big Bad” Wolf of Johnson Family Hall
To start the bout, Thrum got Wolf on her heels, but even so, Wolf landed a few punches of her own. After both women received an informal warning for slapping, the bout resumed. A hard right hook from Thrum forced a count for Wolf and after it, Thrum immediately went back in and put Wolf on the ropes. To start the second round, Thrum cornered Wolf again. Wolf received a second informal warning not to slap and, after that third pause, Thrum cornered her again. The start of the third was more of the same as Thrum cornered Wolf once more. In this round, the pair of boxers received an official warning for slapping, after which Wolf forced her first count on Thrum. It was too little too late, though, and by unanimous decision Thrum won the bout.
Ocean “The Matador” Leto of Welsh Family Hall def. Layann Wardeh of Lewis Hall
This semifinal bout between two freshman boxers began with a series of back-and-forth punches, with both Leto and Wardeh making contact early. A more aggressive Leto seemed to take control until a hard offensive push from Wardeh gave the latter the momentum at the end of the first. “The Matador” came out strong in the second, rushing at Wardeh with her fists and forcing a count on Wardeh. While Wardeh continued to swing and didn’t let up, Leto kept at it, forcing Wardeh on her back feet for most of the second round. Wardeh had a chance to rebound in the third after a late slip from Leto, but it wasn’t enough, and Leto won by unanimous decision.
Cece “Ginga Ninja” Giarman of Lewis Hall def. Ryn “Rico” Weiss of Badin Hall
Opening punches thrown by the “Ginga Ninja” quickly forced Weiss into the corner and into a count. After, both boxers received a slapping warning from the official. Giarman continued to swing hard, knocking Weiss into the ropes on two separate occasions, with one resulting in another count to finish out round one. After a rest, Weiss came out strong in the second, causing Giarman to have to regain her footing. As the second continued, Giarman again pushed Weiss into the ropes. In the third, Giarman sent Weiss backpedaling to round out her dominant fight. “Rico” was never able to gain any traction on “Ginga Ninja,” and Giarman moves on to the finals by unanimous decision.
Nicole “Knuckles” Lies of Welsh Family Hall def. Mary “Red Sky” Quirk of Ryan Hall
This bout was aggressive from the bell, with both women firing on all cylinders. “Knuckles” slowly wore down ‘Red Sky” throughout the first round by simultaneously blocking Quirk’s punches while throwing her own. The second round was just a fairly even bout and much like the first until Lies pushed Quirk into the ropes. Quirk rebounded by circling the ring, but was primarily blocking Lies’ hits rather than taking the offensive. Quirk came out in the third swinging and landing, but Lies began ducking out of the way of most of the hits, regaining her momentum. By split decision, Lies won this semifinal bout.
Caroline “Wasian Persuasion” Landry of Lewis Hall def. Emma “Slay-Ferino” Solferino of Lewis Hall vs.
Both boxers held nothing back at the start of the first round, and a count was quickly called on Solferino. Landry kept swinging hard at Solferino again and again. “Wasian Persuasion” was calculated in her offensive spurs, though, regaining her stance before each combination. Landry came out in the second with big hits, but Solferino didn’t back down, sticking with her until a hit to the head put “Slay-Ferino” into a count and later, into the ropes. After another count on Solferino early in the third round, the official stopped time and called the bout short. By unanimous decision, “Wasian Persuasion” won.
Katherine “Bend It Like” Beckman of Howard Hall def. Annie “Big Ann” Guinan of Pasquerilla East Hall
Katherine “Bend It Like” Beckman won this bout by walkover, sending her to the finals.
Contact Mannion McGinley at mccginl3@nd.edu and Alysa Guffey at aguffey@nd.edu.
