Ryan “Homie” Quan of Morrissey Manor def. James “Italian Scallion” Sylvester of Knott Hall
In the first bout of Ring B, Quan came out swinging, delivering a flurry of punches on Sylvester with so much fury that the fighters backed into the referee, causing him to tip onto his back and nearly off the stage. To start off the second, Sylvester regained his ground. But it was clear both boxers were still exhausted from the first. Quan ended the third round by backing Sylvester against the ring. By unanimous decision, Quan was crowned the champion.
Caden “Cadenator” McDevitt of Morrissey Manor def. Grayson “G-Force” Gabet of Knott Hall
To kick things off, Gabet nailed McDevitt with a hit to the head within the first seconds of the fight. But McDevitt returned the favor to end the round. McDevitt asserted his dominance in the second round, so much so that the match was cut short there. By referee-stopped contest, McDevitt was the winner.
Dylan “Cha Cha” Cha of Dunne Hall def. Rob “The Builder” Crawford of Stanford Hall
The boxers were evenly matched in the first round of this fight, dancing around the ring and exchanging blows. At the start of the second, Cha was put on the defensive. But by the end of the round, he had turned the tables on Crawford. Cha continued to assert his control in the third. By unanimous decision, Cha won the bout.
Ryan “Letty” Lally of Dunne Hall def. James “Lindell L” Lindell of Dunne Hall
Lally immediately took the lead in this bout with his fellow Dunne Sentinel, bringing the heat early on and never taking his foot off the gas. In the second round, Lindell took back some control, but not for long, with Lally backing him against the ring on two occasions. Lindell tried to turn things around in the third, but Lally ultimately took the W.
Aidan “Sigma” Francfort of Morrisey Manor def. Varun “Singapore Slinger” Taneja of Alumni Hall
Taneja struck first and quickly, landing a few but making sure to stay out of Francfort’s reach. Francfort went on his own run though, as the bell ended the first round. Taneja struck first again in the second, but Francfort answered much quicker this time and the round stayed even from there. Francfort brought his all in the third and forced Taneja to take a count. By unanimous decision, Francfort’s third round showing was enough to win.
Richie “Mysterious” Mistichelli of Keenan Hall def. CJ Mendez of Sorin College
The first round saw the quickness of both fighters. Mistichelli got Mendez on his heels a few times, but Mendez landed a hit to force a count midway through the round. The second round was much more even as the boxers exchanged hits. Mistichelli took off after Mendez to start the third and got him on the ropes several times. Although a count was forced both ways, Mistichelli dominated the round and ultimately, by unanimous decision, won the bout.
Michael “Deagle” Nilsen of O’Neill Family Hall def. Mike “Mack Truck” Thieme
Nilsen stayed out of Thieme’s reach for most of the first round, landing his own combinations on the off-campus senior. In the second round, Nilsen stayed out of reach again and eventually landed a hard hit to Thieme’s head. After the referee stopped the contest to force a count for Thieme, he declared Nilsen the winner.
Robert “The Puma from Petulma” Isetta def. Phil “Il Capo” Pollice of Baumer Hall
Pollice wasted no time forcing a count for Isetta in the first and he landed several more blows before the round ended. The second round started much more even, but Pollice still led. Isetta dodged well until late in the round when Pollice landed two hard hits and forced a count just before time was called. Pollice danced around Isetta through the third as well, forcing one more count before time was called and ultimately Pollice won by unanimous decision.
Charlie “Monk” Alberino of O’Neill Family Hall def. Sean “Ice” Cole of Sorin College
Alberino was patient, allowing some early hits from Cole, but closed the round with a rocket into Cole’s head that forced a count. Alberino stayed patient but sped up his pace a little in the second round. Cole made more significant contact through the second, but not without an answer from Alberino. Alberino forced another count early in the third, but that lit a fire under Cole — until Alberino threw another hook and Cole went into an eight-count again. By split decision, Alberino won the bout.
Damien “Sauce of the Month” Sylva of Fisher Hall def. Sebastian “The Portuguese Stallion” Pires of Dillon Hall
Both boxers came out on the offensive, but Sylva ended round one on a high note, landing some jabs on Pires. In the second round, both boxers found some energy and landed some punches out of the gate. But Sylva again asserted himself as the round went on. In the final round, Sylva yet again took control of the fight, forcing Pires into a count multiple times. Sylva dominated the fight from start to finish and ultimately won by unanimous decision.
Jackson “The Stallion” Graham of Stanford Hall def. Michael ”Hendy” Hendrickson of St. Edward’s Hall
Hendrickson went on the offensive early and landed some punches, but Graham countered well and landed some strong jabs on Hendrickson. Graham wasted no time building off his momentum in the second round, landing some decisive blows to Hendrickson early in the round. Graham landed some more large blows to Hendrickson, forcing the referee to stop the contest and award Graham the victory.
Michael “Money” Winchester def. Brendan “Bedtime” Nolte
Nolte tried to come out on the offensive, but Winchester successfully blocked some punches and landed some jabs of his own. Both boxers then landed some jabs early in the next round. But Nolte landed some decisive punches late, outlasting Winchester in the round to take control of the fight. In the third round, both boxers were noticeably fatigued, but Winchester landed some strong jabs early in the round to win the fight by split decision.
Caz “Manian Devil” Kotsen of Alumni Hall def. Ben “The Crusader” Romenesko of Dunne Hall
In the opening round, Kotsen took control of the fight early by landing some strong blows on Romenesko. Kotsen seized control of the fight in the second round, pinning Romenesko in the corner and landing a series of decisive blows. In the final round, Romenesko showed some heart and landed some jabs, but Kotsen proved to be too much for Romenesko to overcome. Ultimately, Kotsen won the fight by unanimous decision.
Kian “The Persian Excursion” Shinaver of Keough Hall def. Charlie “Chill” Schmidt of Morrissey Manor
Both boxers came out of the gates on the offensive and each boxer landed some strong jabs in a competitive opening round. In the second round, Shinaver took control of the fight by landing some strong blows on Schmidt. In the final round, Schmidt fought back by landing some quick one-two punches on Shinaver. Shinaver would fight back, though, to take control of the fight and win by split decision.
Nicolas “The Italian Bullet” Biondo of Duncan Hall def. Zach “The Beast from the Bay” McKay of O’Neill Family Hall
Both boxers flew out of the gate and went on the offensive early, but Biondo finished strong in the opening round by slipping some punches from McKay and landing some strong jabs. Biondo took control of the fight early in the second round, forcing McKay into the corner. McKay fought back in the final round and landed some punches on Biondo. However, Biondo finished the round by landing some punishing blows, doing enough to win by split decision.
Christian “X” Miller of Knott Hall def. Gavin “The Beard” Carr of Siegfried Hall
Both boxers came out of the gate cautiously, but Miller landed some strong blows on Carr in the later part of the round, forcing Carr into a count early. Carr fought back in the second round, landing some blows on Miller to make the fight interesting heading into the final round. Both boxers landed some jabs in the early part of the last round, but Miller landed some decisive late blows to win the fight by unanimous decision.
Jack “Ghost” Phillips def. Eli “Beepbop” Gay
Gay started out on the offensive in the opening round, forcing Phillip to use his athleticism and footwork to dodge and block punches. Phillips kept active in the second round, and he was better able to hold his ground against Gay’s attacks. To start off the final minute of the competition, Phillips landed a huge hit, causing the third stoppage of boxing in as many rounds. Behind his big blows, Phillips carried the day by unanimous decision.
Rob “The Voodoo Ranger” Rucki of Carroll Hall def. Rodrigo “Rorro” Juarez of Keough Hall
Rucki displayed a relaxed composure in the first round, throwing Juarez off his guard. Kicking off the second round, Rucki again would not back down, and Juarez opted for a second clinch of the match, procrastinating the inevitable Rucki onslaught. Juarez showed some resolve in the third round, bouncing around the ring to get a better angle over Rucki. At the final round's end, though, no debate was needed, as Rucki won by unanimous decision.
Jesse “Justice” Salazar of Morrissey Manor def. Harry “The Water Buffalo” Clinton
Despite taking some heavy hits, Clinton kept his head down and chipped away at Salazar’s endurance in the opening minute of the matchup. Clinton put Salazar on the ropes to start off round two before “The Water Buffalo” stumbled on one knee. Later in the second, a dazed Clinton fell into the ropes and emerged with a bloody mouth. Salazar took advantage of Clinton’s caution in the third round and again forced Clinton head-first into the ropes. Salazar would win by unanimous decision.
Cole “Buonanotte” Ceravolo of Baumer Hall def. Dan “The Problem” Law of Dillon Hall
The first round started off fairly even with both boxers throwing many punches of moderate vigor. However, to close round one, Ceravolo powered Law onto the ropes for almost 10 seconds. Ceravolo again got the better of Law midway through the second round, pushing his opponent in blue shorts around the ring. The match would be suddenly stopped there, and the first-year from Baumer Hall brought home the victory for his Buccaneers.
Sean “Peg-Leg” Mullen of Morrissey Manor def. Felix “Mardi Graze” Smolen of O’Neill Family Hall
Mullen landed several right-hand blows in the first 30 seconds of the matchup, pinning Smolen again and again into the east-end ropes of Ring B. Round two was much of the same, with Mullen pushing Smolen in a northwesterly direction this time. Early in round three, Mullen caused a quick stoppage in the boxing. When blood appeared on Smolen’s left arm, the bout was stopped again for good. In the gold shorts, Mullen stood victorious, winning by referee stoppage.
Tommy “The Tank Engine” Sylvia of Knott Hall def. Jacob “Goose” Gose
The senior in blue, Gose stood comfortably in his shoes for most of the first 60 seconds. Sylvia nonetheless turned it around in round two, necessitating two referee pauses for Gose’s safety. In the final round of play, “The Tank Engine” came out firing, leaning into every blow against Gose and eventually causing another stoppage. Before the bell rang to end the fight, Sylvia was able to put his head down further, and he stuck some more fatal blows into Gose. Sylvia would win by unanimous decision.
Isaac “Ice” Culp of Fisher Hall def. Will “Sleepy Time” Robbins of Knott Hall
In the 186-pound division preliminary, both boxers displayed picture-perfect form throughout the first round. By the end of 60 seconds, neither gold nor blue shorts could get the better of the other. Robbins worked hard to catch his breath during round two, but still, no competitor showed any advantage with a minute to go. The third round was not messy, but both Culp and Robbins got into the weeds together. The judges favored Culp by unanimous decision.
Jack “Scudboat” Taylor of Dillion Hall def. Ethan “Crouton” Hoying of Fisher Hall
It took about half of round one before the sculpted Taylor induced Hoying into a stumble. In round two, Taylor knocked Hoying’s face skyward a couple of times. Nevertheless, Hoying continued to employ footwork to get around Taylor’s relentless attacks. Taylor continued to bully Hoying around the ring in the final round, causing a brief stoppage. Before it was all said and done, Hoying launched a last-second offensive, which fell short of making up for the previous intervals of fighting. Taylor won by unanimous decision.
Ayush “The Tandoori Titan” Sindhwani def. Cam “White Noise” White of Fisher Hall
White started off with no abandon, consecutively landing punch after punch. Sindhwani led off the second round on a better note, making White work to get back on the offensive. By the end of round two, Sindhwani had made some progress, leaving his opponent with a bloody face. That clearly angered White, and “White Noise” immediately came out in round three slinging, pinning Sindhwani up upon the ropes. Both boxers furiously threw blows at one another to the final bell. By split decision, Sindhwani’s late efforts took home the win.
Loren “Bird Legz” Hahn def. Max “Circus Maximus” Van Hollebeke
This matchup between two graduate students tilted in Van Hollebeke’s favor through round one. The Seattle native Van Hollebeke, wearing gold, was not afraid to use his knees and get low for his own cause. Hahn looked more intimidating in the next 60 seconds of action, and the second round closed in a clinch. Van Hollebeke again was required to put in the extra effort to reach the towering Hahn in round three. Arm raised high in the air, Hahn won by split decision.
Roberto “El Patron” Rodriguez def. Jakub “Pizza Man” Drwal of Siegfried Hall
The Venezuelan native Rodriguez laid Drwal to waste with a slew of gut punches in the opening round. Rodriguez did not relent in the next round, causing a referee stoppage about halfway through the match-up. Drwal, though on his heels, kept his arms up valiantly to fend off Rodriguez’s relentless swings in the final round. After another unsightly stoppage in the third round, “El Patron” took home the victory by unanimous decision.
Hector “Bueno” Juarez def. Luke “The Slim Reaper” Huglin of Duncan Hall
A 168-lb round division preliminary between Juarez in gold and Huglin in blue was Ring B’s final matchup of the night. Hughlin came out wildly in round one with a host of roundhouses, and his aggressiveness was rewarded when Juarez fell to his knees at the end of the opening minute. Juarez performed more formidably in round two, landing quite a few body hits on the lanky Hgulin. Both boxers laudably exerted all their remaining vitality in round three. To the joy of the Dahnke Ballroom crowd, Juarez won by split decision.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story mistakenly identified Jacob Gose as the winner of one of the bouts. The Observer regrets this error.
