All ten fights in lower weight classes decided unanimously
By BRIAN BURKE
Sports Writer
After about the seventh fight of the 71st annual Bengal Mission Bouts preliminary round, something became apparent to the crowds that packed the stands.
None of these fights were all that close.
With the top seeds enjoying byes, the 135- and 145-pound weight classes put on a show of frantic swinging and hard hitting. At the same time, they also were all unanimous decisions, save one TKO.
135 lbs.
The TKO came in the first bout of the night at 135 pounds as Tony Hollowell bested Charles "Candler Park Kool-Aid" Cullen. Hollowell used a size advantage to back up Cullen with a good jab, scoring two standing eights in the first round.
"This is my first year, I had no clue what to expect," Hollowell said. "He had the reach on me, but I think I'm a little stronger, and I think that helped."
The next fight between Eric "Kamikaze" Ota and Guillermo Tijerina was faster paced. Tijerina landed a few good jabs but basically earned the decision by winning most of the wild exchanges in the second and third rounds.
The closest fight in the 135-pound division pitted Justin "The Virginian" Pendarvis against Russell "The Muscle" Giancola. Giancola made a hard charge, and at times had Pendarvis backing up, but Pendarvis ducked and countered well. Overall, Giancola likely earned the decision by going on the offensive and finishing strong at the end f the third round.
Christopher Cardillo then made it four in a row for the gold corner by defeating Michael "Oajae" Moore by unanimous decision. The action picked up in the second round as Cardillo finally managed to land a jab to the head of Moore.
This seemed to make Moore impatient as he began swinging hard, but it only made him more susceptible to Cardillo's jabs and straight rights. Cardillo scored a standing eight in the second round and controlled the fight after that.
145 lbs.
The 145-pound weight class opened with an a strong performance by Daniel "The Aztec Warrior" Gonzalez, who notched the decision over Luke Macauley. The bigger Gonzalez stayed low and landed combinations, scoring often in the first round.
In the second, he let Macauley come to him but still countered well. By the third Gonzalez was landing punches that can only be described as hay-makers, much to the delight of the raucous crowd.
The next bout between Andrew "The Golden Arms" Harms and Mark "Stop, Drop and" Roland was also one-sided. Harms chased Roland around the ring for most of the fight to earn the unanimous decision.
Harms scored standing eights in the first and second rounds, and consistently landed while Roland consistently missed. Harms did much of his damage when Roland retreated.
Next, Anthony "T.J." D'Agostino clashed with Luke "Coolhand Luke" Dillon. D'Agostino utilized a good left jab and straight right, backing Dillon into the corner on several occasions. Both fighters tired in the third round, but D'Agostino held on for the win.
The ensuing bout between Corey "To-Knockus Maximus" Shalanski and Jemar "Swift-T" Tisby was a brawl. The contest began with both fighters swinging frantically, almost getting tagled in the ropes.
Tisby showed he is a force to be reckoned with, duckng under Shalanski effectively, backing him into the ropes, and anding a devastating uppercut. One such blow to the midsection sent Shalanski to the canvas in the third round. Tisby earned the unanimous decision.
Mike "The Jersey Jackhammer" McAleenan took control early in the next fight against Eric Eddy, landing combinations that had Eddy backing up. Eddy soon turned the tide however, chasing McAleenan around the ring and scoring a standing eight in the second round. Eddy dictated the pace of the fight and sealed the win knocking down McAleenan at the start of the third round.
The final card at 145 pounds matched Walter "The Gator" Pfenning and Jason Voss. Both fighters landed punches in the first round, but Voss especially did damage with a good hook. After the pace slowed in the second, the third round turned into a slugfest, where Voss was able to land more consistently to win.
"Before the third round, I talked to my corner, and I knew I had to finish strong in the final 25 seconds," Voss said. "I had to concentrate on basic form, keep my hands up, and don't get sloppy in the final 25 seconds. I was tired at the end of he second, but my nose was bleeding, and when they stopped for that it gave me a chance to rest."
The 130 pound fighters all had byes and will begin competition in the quarterfinals Monday.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 23, 2001
