Middle weights see mix of close matches
By JEFF BALTRUZAK
Sports Writer
150 lbs.
The 150-pound weight class' first bout featured a pair of freshman in Julian "Bel Biv" Devoe and Ted Volz. After a quick start of fast punches, the rookies settled into their own styles, though Volz dominated the first round with a stinging jab.
Both fighters continued to look for the big punch in the second, and Devoe was the first to find it, landing a solid overhand right that stunned Volz. But Volz recovered, and the fight was stopped twice due to Devoe's bleeding.
Devoe took control of the fight in the early third round with several consecutive connections to Volz's head. Fatigue quickly set in, and neither fighter finished strong. The split decision for Devoe reflected the even bout.
Next it was the seniors' turn, as John "The Knockout" Nowak and Matthew "You're Gonna Die" Yung squared off in the squared circle. Round one saw quick, clean punching from both fighters, but it became clear in the second that Nowak had the upper hand.
"[Yung] came in hyped up and threw a lot of punches at me," said Nowak. "It made it difficult at the beginning."
Yung was on the defensive for most of the third round, but still managed to land multiple counter-punches. Still, Nowak remained aggressive, and he attacked enough to have his hand raised in a unanimous decision.
"In the third round I made a little run, and I thought I pretty much had the fight," said Nowak.
The third bout of the class saw two boxers that took "float like a butterfly" too seriously. Neither Raymond "Tuff" Bolamos nor Tom "T.K." Owens was spectacular. When the two finally got to punching, it was the senior Owens that had the better of the exchanges in the second.
The third round of the bout looked like a square dance without the cowboy hats. Owens took a unanimous decision.
Patrick "The Kleese" Kolesiak, a lefty, took on Tucker "The Wicked Bad Bostonian" McGree next. The opening round saw a wild McGree landing punches.
McGree landed several more hay-makers in the second. But Kolesiak was able to stand firm the entire bout, leaving the decision in doubt. It was McGree's bout in a split decision.
The fifth bout in the 150 division found Brian "The Irish Stallion" Long boxing Luke "Desperado" Busam. Both fighters threw clean punches, stunning each other several times. Busam's used his superior reach to his advantage, but Long got inside him several times and did damage.
Long landed two consecutive roundhouses in the second, and the bell stopped a furious exchange at the end of the round. Busam bled throughout the second and third, and it seemed that Long was landing higher-quality blows.
But, in a decision that met with an enormous negative reaction from the crowd, Busan was given a split decision.
"We both fought hard," said Busam. "I was happy the way I fought, and I would have been happy with the fight no matter who won. Brian is a good boxer."
Matt "Hogtown Hurricane" McDonald faced Dave "The Kentucky Boy" Suetholz in the last bout of the class. McDonald had a straightforward approach to the fight.
"I wanted to keep my hands up and throw straight punches," he said. "Countering [Suetholz's] charges was important for me."
McDonald stayed to his strategy effectively in his unanimous decision. Repeatedly, Suetholz plowed forward, only to be met by a counter-punch. Suetholz landed several quality hits early in the final round, and McDonald responded by dancing.
"Half way through the third round I started doing a little keep away," said McDonald.
155 lbs.
From the start of Paul "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Stinson's bout versus Joe "The Polish Tank" Czerniawski, it was clear that Czerniawski would have the upper hand.
He remained aggressive the entire fight, following Stinson around the ring, tagging him multiple times with stinging body blows. In fact, the only problem Czerniawski had the entire three rounds was staying on his feet. The law student slipped twice during his unanimous win.
The first round between Shawn "The Full Monty" Monterastelli and Steve "The Natural Lightweight" Keppel proved to set the tone for the two's entire bout.
Keppel knocked Monterastelli down early, and after a standing eight-count, Keppel attacked. For the ten seconds after the count, it looked like Keppel's fist was attached to Monterastelli's head with a rope as he relentlessly pounded his opponent. Keppel secured a unanimous decision after three strong rounds of boxing.
Brandon Gasser and Daniel "The Mauler" McCoy entered the ring for the third fight of the weight class. After an uneventful first, both fighters came out of their corners swinging in the second. Both fighter could dominate the action, but Gasser looked tired late in the third, and McCoy managed to put together a strong combination right before the bell to pull off a split decision.
The second round of the Matt "Diesel" Wilkerson and Robert "Little Mac" McColgan proved to be one of the best rounds of the weight class. Early in the round Wilkerson went down, though it was unclear whether he slipped or was knocked down. Still, Wilkerson recovered to throw a massive right hand that floored McColgan.
"All I remember is I threw a hook and he was down," said Wilkerson. "Then I could hear the crowd."
In the end, the left-handed McColgan managed to land more punches in a unanimous decision, though Wilkerson finished strong.
160 lbs.
Vince "The Italian Meatball" Gennaro stepped in with Andrew "The Atomic" Baum to open the class. The first round was dead even, and it was not until the second round that Gennaro started to dominate.
Gennaro continued his control of the fight in the third and was rewarded with a unanimous decision. Enormous crowd support could not power Michael "Peaches" Kwiatt past Mike "The Militia Man" Melby.
Kwiatt managed to hold off Melby's charges for only the first round. The fight had to be stopped after a session of Melby pounding Kwiatt on the ropes in the second round. The fight was stopped again in the third in route to Melby's unanimous decision.
Patrick "El Chipotle" Hobbins, younger brother of boxing captain Brian Hobbins, followed in his brother's winning ways by taking a split decision over Brian Fellner.
Both boxers landed big punches throughout the fight, and neither fighter quit. Hobbins did bloody Fellner early in the match, and Fellner had to be cleaned multiple times.
Mike "The Alaskan Assassin" Fink fought Jeff "Re Re" Ream in the last bout of the 160s. Ream bloodied Fink in the second, and remained solid until the final bell after a rough first round. Ream secured a unanimous decision to continue to the quarterfinals.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 23, 2001
