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Friday, April 19, 2024
The Observer

Nine fighters crowned Baraka Bouts champions

Lindsey “Smol Ranger” Michie def. Katherine “Bend It Like” Beckman of Howard Hall

The opening bout of the finals was full of enthusiasm from the crowd, and both boxers came out on the offensive. Michie landed a couple of punches early, but Beckman fought back, using her long reach to land some punches of her own. Michie ended the first round on a high note, though, by landing a series of jabs on Beckman. In the second round, it was Beckman who came out of the gates on the offensive, but Michie responded by landing a huge blow to the head. After the second round, it was still up in the air who would win the fight. In the third, both boxers continued to land blows on each other, but Michie was able to land some punishing blows on Beckman to win it all by unanimous decision. 

Ellie “The Hammer” Hammerschmitt of Pasquerilla East Hall def. Emily “Enemy Jane” Nowak of McGlinn Hall

Hammerschmitt dominated this fight early, landing a huge blow to Nowak in the opening seconds. But Nowak was able to get her footing in the fight and slip out of some of Hammerschmitt’s jabs to land some blows of her own. Nowak came out of the gates on the offensive in the second round, but Hammerschmitt countered with a series of blows on Nowak. Although Nowak responded by landing some punches of her own, Hammerschmitt’s longer reach proved difficult for Nowak to handle, and Hammerschmitt gained control of the fight in the second round. In the final round, Nowak landed some body blows on Hammerschmitt, but Hammerschmitt once again used her strength to pin Nowak against the rails and land more. Ultimately, Hammerschmitt would win the fight by unanimous decision.

Sarah “Midshipmenace” Nowak of Welsh Family Hall def. Lauren “Blondie” Buetow of Flaherty Hall

This fight was highly contested early on, with both boxers landing jabs on each other in the opening seconds. Nowak would gain some momentum as the round progressed by landing some big punches on Buetow. It was Buetow who came out of the gates on the offensive in the second round, but Nowak countered by landing some strong blows on Buetow and knocking her to the ground. Beutow would fight back, however, after getting knocked down and landed some jabs of her own on Nowak. Nowak would then end the second round on a high note by landing some more strong blows on Buetow. In the final round, both boxers looked noticeably tired, and both traded blows with each other over the final seconds of the fight. In the end, Nowak had done enough in the first two rounds to win the fight by split decision. 

Cece “Gigna Ninja” Giarman of Lewis Hall def. Chiara “French Thunder” Thrum of Lewis Hall

The fight between the two Lewis women got off to a quick start with both boxers landing punch after punch on each other. The fighting went back and forth early in the first round, and both boxers were successful in responding to the other’s offensive. Giarman ended the round on a high note, however, by landing some punishing blows on Thrum. In the second round, both boxers came out of the gates on the offensive, but this time it was Giarman that found success by landing a flurry of punches on Thrum. Giarman continued to dominate the second round by landing some more body blows and jabs on her opponent. In the final round, Thrum fought back and landed some jabs on Giarman, forcing Giarman into an eight count. Both boxers started to fatigue towards the end, but Giarman found a second wind to land some punishing blows at the end of the fight. Giarman did enough to ultimately win the fight by unanimous decision.

Lily “The Chelsea Dagger” Whitman of Lyons Hall def. Caroline “Wasian Persuasion” Landry of Lewis Hall

The final round fight between Whitman and Landry began with both fighters landing a flurry of punches. The ref broke up the fight after Whitman landed a headshot; both fighters continued with vengeance. They went back and forth fairly evenly until Whitman landed several shots to end the round. Whitman dominated in the second, backing Landry down with multiple jabs to the head. Landry managed to land a strong punch, but Whitman largely controlled the round. Whitman dominated in the final until Landry knocked Whitman down and gave her a bloody nose. However, this was not enough, and Whitman won the fight by unanimous decision.

Ocean “The Matador” Leto of Welsh Family Hall def. Monica “Mc4” Caponigro of Pasquerilla East

The championship round fight between Caponigro and Leto got off to an exciting start with both fighters throwing rapid punches. Caponigro and Leto moved quickly, and the match remained fairly even until Leto managed multiple successive punches to Caponigro. Caponigro started the second round off by landing a series of punches. But,Leto did not back down, and the two exchanged blows until the bell sounded. The fighters went into the third round with a burst of energy, both fighting with vengeance. Caponigro landed multiple successive punches, which Leto repaid her with a few moments later. Leto attacked fiercely and landed an uppercut and a shot to the face. This late burst pushed Leto ahead, and she won the hard-fought match by unanimous decision.

Kim “The Grillmaster” Nguyen of Walsh Hall def. Nicole “Knuckles” Lies of Welsh Family Hall

Lies controlled the fight at the start, landing successive hits and dodged Nguyen’s punches effectively. She kept Nguyen on her heels for the majority of the first round. Both fighters came into the second round with increased intensity. Nguyen started off strong, but Lies fought back harder and continued to back Nguyen down. Nguyen started to tire towards the end of the second and stayed on the defensive until the bell rang. Lies continued to dominate in the final round, landing multiple hits to the head while also dodging most of Nguyen’s punches. Both fighters were slowing down by the finish, but Nguyen managed to finish strong, landing multiple punches to end the round.. Her performance late in the match earned Nguyen a split victory.

Frankie “Frank the Tank” Masciopinto of McGlinn Hall def. Sabrina “Golden Stinger” Curran of Flaherty Hall

The main event of the evening was the final round contest between Frankie “Frank the Tank” Masciopinto of McGlinn Hall and Sabrina “Golden Stinger” Curran of Flaherty Hall. Sabrina opened the match aggressively, landing several rapid hits and dodging most of Masciopinto’s punches. She kept Masciopinto on her heels and continued to land hits for most of the round. Masciopinto found a burst at the end of the round and backed Curran into a corner before the bell rang. Curren again opened the second round aggressively. The fighters traded punches, but the more technically sound Masciopinto controlled the fight for most of the round. The third round started evenly, with both fighters trading punches with tenacity. Curran then broke ahead, knocking Masciopinto to the ground and then landing a right hook moments later. However, it was not enough, and Masciopinto emerged as the victor by split decision.

JJ “Soldier Boy” Jorgensen def. Jessica “The Adjudicator” Vickery

Vickery did not show for the fight and Jorgensen won by default.