BENGAL BOUTS: Thompson dominates in 185 - pound division
By KATIE HUGHES
Sports Writer
Co-captain Josh "The ReDemon" Thompson set the tone for the 185-pound division, bringing a combination of experienced control and aggression to the ring in a unanimous victory.
Thompson's decisive hooks put John "The Caveman" Caver in a defensive position right away. Thompson's left hook was solid through three rounds, though Caver was able to answer until the end with his own jab combinations.
Eric "Superfreak" Goulet won a fast paced fight over Chris "The Sweet Scientist" Pearsall, forcing him from corner to corner.
"I would say my fighting style is `Brawl,'" said Goulet. "Chris is a great puncher. We were just exchanging throws the whole time."
Though both boxers fought for control early in the first round, the second round was defined by Pearsall's big hooks and Goulet's wild jabs. Goulet forced Pearsall into the corner of the ring twice in the third round, and though Pearsall had a few dead-on jabs, Goulet won in a split decision.
"I'm really looking forward to fighting Josh [Thompson] next time," Goulet said.
In another unanimous decision, Scott "The Dark Horse" Duba won over John "You Want Some" Moore. Both boxers went back and forth with one-two jabs in the second round, followed by Duba's reaching hooks. Duba still had a lot left for the third round, sending off a set of jabs that Moore couldn't answer.
Stephen "The Angry Pirate" Pfeiffer won over Chris Donovan in the 185 pound division's third unanimous decision.
Pfeiffer found his rhythm in the second round with a few well executed right hooks. Donovan was able to answer with some uppercuts, but in the third round Pfeiffer regained control.
"I wasn't making a lot of three-fours, but my jabs kept me in there. He stuck me a few times," Pfeiffer said.
Light Heavyweight
Benjamin "No, You're Schmoopie," Deda defeated Bob "Kennedy Kennedy" Kennedy in a unanimous decision. The first round was a battle of Deda's wild hooks and Kennedy's upper cuts. Blue got some hard triple jabs in the second round, but it was Deda's aggressive endurance that put Kennedy away in the third.
Mike "Raging Bull" Vanderpoel also won in a unanimous decision over Stefan Borovina. Vanderpoel's second round right hooks forced Borovina all over the ring. Vanderpoel finished the job with some dead-on one-two jabs in the third round.
Heavyweight
One strong left and 21 seconds of the first round was all it took for Steven "Lefty Guns" Pratico to defeat Andrew "McGoo" McGuire.
"I guess I would have liked to have had to work for a bit," Pratico said. "But there are some other hard hitters in the heavyweight class. There will be some excellent fights on Wednesday."
Carlos "The Master" Abeyta finished off the night with a split decision win over Andrew "The Irish Hammer" Dempsey. Dempsey's upper cuts and hooks were evenly matched against Abeyta's wide hooks in the second round, but Abeyta's three jab combinations in the third dominated Dempsey's one-two jabs.
"Dempsey charged a lot. I felt like I had control in the last round, though he had control in the first two," said Abeyta. "I think my style is more technical. I'm not a charger, and I don't like to throw blows."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 27, 2001
