Friday night, the Notre Dame men’s boxing club hosted the 92nd annual Bengal Bouts finals in Purcell Pavilion. The tournament raises money every year for the Bengal Bouts Missions in Bangladesh.
146 lb. Weight Division Final: Nirajan “One Punch” Koirala vs. Carlos”El Cuchado” Espinoza Banegas
By way of walkover, Koirala won the bout.152 lb. Weight Division Final: Jack “Topgun” Lennon vs. Thomas “Tex” Edwards
Lennon swung first but Edwards was the first to land a hit. After a few exchanges, “Tex” handed “Topgun” three head hits to force a count for him. “Tex” was able to stay out of reach of anything effective from Lennon for most of the first round and landed another couple of hits to force a second count on Lennon. When Lennon found his combinations, he outpaced Edwards and Topgun was able to land a few effective hits on a seemingly tired Edwards. When Edwards got him along the ropes though, he landed several more right hooks to force Lennon into another count just before time was called on the second round.Edwards started to get tired in the third but kept his right hook moving and it would land. “Topgun” took advantage of his slower pace and landed a couple of combinations that would knock Edwards back. Edwards would have Lennon on the ropes twice more before the bout ended though.
The winner by split decision, from the Gold corner, was Thomas “Tex” Edwards.
158 lb. Weight Division Final: Matthew “Double Jeopardy” Downing vs. Terrance “Slinker” Cameron
Again Downing would swing first but it would be Cameron who would land the first hit. Cameron landed a face hit to knock Downing’s head back. Once Downing could get inside though, he was able to land a combination of body hits that ended with a hook to the head. Cameron closed the round with a headshot. Every time in the second round that Downing could get Cameron on the ropes, he found success but Cameron could spin it and land an exchange of his own to get Downing off him and even on the ropes. Cameron maintained headshots throughout the round but for Downing, body shots were his way and once he started he could land a barrage of headshots.To start the third, Downing landed first followed by a flurry of punches from the pair. They stayed close enough to both land a handful for the start of the third. A tired Cameron got chased around the ring by Downing and backed into his own corner but never without at least one punch landed in response. The pair was quick to congratulate each other on a well-fought bout.
The winner by unanimous decision, from the Gold corner, was Terrance “Slinker” Cameron.
162 lb. Weight Division Final: Aidan “Ace” Becklund vs. Hayden “Dragon” Hoekstra
Both took advantage of their speed, the two boxers exchanged landed hits for the first bit of the first round. Hoekstra got Becklund against the ropes first and was able to land a few punches before Becklund turned it on him. Becklund would back Hoekstra up a few more times, landing a flurry of punches each time but when Hoekstra landed, he made it count.The second round started much the same with the two exchanging hits. Hoekstra would land a flurry of punches, working through his combinations and forcing a helmet fix for Becklund. The pair would exchange hits back and forth throughout the rest of the round but just at the end, Becklund would chase Hoekstra around the ring with punches landed. Becklund remained in control as the third round started. Hoekstra would take an advantage of his own towards the middle of the round but Becklund took control again. After a helmet fix for Hoekstra, he kept swinging but Becklund maintained control through the end.
The winner by unanimous decision, from the Blue corner, was Aidan “Ace” Becklund.
168 lb. Weight Division Final: Marcello “Hollywood” Nanni vs. Josh “Barstool Athlete” Williams
Williams took charge first, landing flurries of punches on Nanni repeatedly. Despite a brief against the ropes Williams maintained control of the round. In the last ten seconds, Nanni landed a few hits on his opponent. Williams quickly took control again, landing punch after punch, but Nanni’s right hook to the body kept him in the conversation and it landed when it mattered. Halfway through the round, Nanni found a second gear and went in on Williams, forcing a count for the man in the gold corner.Right out of the count, Williams set the pace again for the end of the round. Williams came out in the third landing hooks and jabs to Nanni’s head. When Nanni could get inside and Williams couldn’t move, that’s where he found success. He got Williams on the right twice and took advantage of it. In the last ten seconds, the advantage changed three times.
The winner by split decision, from the Gold corner, was Josh “Barstool Athlete” Williams.
170 lb. Weight Division Final: Luke “Mantequilla” Slahor vs. Luke “Big Chunky” Sheridan-Rabideau
Slahor landed several combinations first before Sheridan-Rabideau could get one in. Slahor maintained control through most of the round, ducking under Sheridan-Rabideau’s attempts. In the last ten seconds though, Sheridan-Rabideau took a brief advantage that Slahor tried to answer as the bell sounded. The two landed a few punches to start round two but spent the first half of the round clinching or surveying each other.Sheridan-Rabideau found momentum and landed a definitive hit on Slahor forcing a count after holding him on the ropes. Sheridan-Rabideau put him back on the ropes after that and landed a few more before the second bell. Sheridan-Rabideau found momentum again out of the gate, getting Slahor on the ropes early in the third. He landed a head shot backing Slahor into the gold corner and successfully dodged attempts from Slahor until the very end of the bout.
The winner by split decision, from the Gold corner, was Luke “Big Chunky” Sheridan-Rabideau.
177 lb. Weight Division Final: Evan “Milk” Molka vs. Rogba “The Bug” Ayoola
Molka laid the first couple of blows of the bout, which began with an energetic pace with both boxers shifting across the ring. Encouraged by fervent crowd support, Ayoola started to land a few jabs as well. The boxers largely traded shots for the first round, with both landing a couple of headshots towards the end of the round. Molka started to apply some serious pressure just before the first bell. Molka came out aggressively in the second round but failed to connect with most of his early punches, allowing Ayoola to gain some momentum. Molka very quickly countered with a series of blows of his own.Both boxers started to show some fatigue as the second round progressed, with Ayoola gaining momentum with a series of successful hits. Both boxers connected with headshots as the second round came to a close. Molka came out strong in the third round with a series of body shots. Ayoola was solid defensively for most of the round but failed to generate many significant hits.
The winner by unanimous decision, from the Blue corner, was Evan “Milk” Molka.
184 lb. Weight Division Final: Thomas “Clipz” Hintz vs. Alex “Baller” Flor
Neither fighter wasted any time to engage, with both trading aggressive blows right out of the gate. Flor connected with a couple of lefts to the head of Hintz and began dictating the pace. Most of Hintz’s punches were blocked in the early going, though he landed a solid body shot immediately after the referee separated a break. Hintz took some big swings towards the end of the first round but Flor blocked most of them.The second round got off to a slower start. Hintz connected with a solid shot, but Flor responded with a flurry of jabs shortly thereafter. Flor connected with a solid jab to the head after a rapid back-and-forth rush of punches. Flor landed some strong hits before Hintz connected with a powerful headshot near the end of round two. Hintz connected with a big headshot early in the third round that resulted in a long count for Flor. Flor briefly appeared revitalized but started swinging wildly, while Hintz connected with more blows to the head, leading to another long count for Flor that ended the fight.
The winner by referee-stopped contest, from the Blue corner, Thomas “Clipz” Hintz.
196 lb. Weight Division Final: “The Real Big” Mike Guyette vs. Andrew “Cowboy” Foote
Both fighters landed some big headshots right off the hop in one of the most aggressive beginnings of the tournament. Foote landed a few more body jabs and then connected with a right to Guyette’s face. Guyette was largely on the defensive for the first minute before starting to connect on a few more shots. Foote struck with a left-right to the head, though took a jab to the face right back from Guyette. Guyette briefly got Foote on the ropes before he was able to escape, ending the first round.Guyette came out strong to start the second round, but Foote responded well. Guyette then briefly staggered Foote with a headshot. Guyette landed a couple of close-in jabs on a tiring Foote, then ended the round with about a half dozen headshots on Foote in the waning seconds. Guyette came out swinging in the third round, though Foote answered with a strong right to the side of Guyette’s head. Guyette got Foote on his heels before a brief stoppage when Guyette lost a shoe. The brief break only made Guyette stronger, as he landed a few punches, evaded an attack from Foote, and delivered a bevy of more jabs to Foote’s head.
The winner by unanimous decision, from the Blue Corner, “The Real Big” Mike Guyette
Heavyweight Division Final: Joe “Big Brother, Big Sisters” Hunt vs. Chris “The Dane” Hovard
Both boxers failed to connect on their first few punches before Hunt quickly got Hovard up against the ropes. Hovard landed a few body shots before Hunt quickly pushed him up against the ropes again, forcing the referee to separate them. Another separation was followed with some solid punches from Hunt, though Hovard fended him off fairly quickly. The second round began with much more action (and another separation), with Hovard backed into the ropes before recovering to land a few blows on Hunt, then backing him into the ropes.Hunt knocked Hovard back with a forceful blow to the head, which Hovard countered, albeit with less force. Hunt drilled Hovard with a series of forceful blows, pushing him against the ropes and leading to the referee stepping in to adjust Hovard’s headgear near the end of the second round. Hunt continued to dictate the fight into the third round, with Hovard pinned up against the ropes and then needing a long count. Hunt continued to land headshots until he awkwardly stumbled when preparing to re-engage with Hovard. Hovard landed a few jabs but continued to fail to gain position away from the ropes, with Hunt staying on the attack and landing a last-second blow.
