BENGAL BOUTS 155 POUNDS - 160 POUNDS: Middleweights move to North Dome
By PAUL CAMARATA
Sports Writer
On the eve of the Bengal Bout semifinals, roughly a dozen members of the Notre Dame Boxing Club were scattered across the workout room in the basement of the Joyce Center. Jumping rope, shadow boxing and attacking the heavy bags hanging throughout the room, they all tried to polish their technique before their next match-up.
Of the 133 fighters that began the tournament, only 40 still vie for the championships of their respective weight classes. The semifinal round will again cut that number in half, and send two boxers from each division to the finals Friday night, as the Bouts move from the Joyce Center Fieldhouse to the Arena in the north dome.
155 Pounds
The semifinal bracket in the 155-pound division includes the top four seeds in the weight class. Senior captain Brock "Landers" Heckmann will look to keep the momentum he gained over the weekend, when he won two unanimous decisions to advance. Heckmann is in search of his second consecutive Bengal Bouts championship after winning the 150-pound title last year.
Wednesday he will face Chris "Third Time's a Charm" Pettit, who is in the midst of the most successful tournament in his three year's of boxing.
"At this point I feel like I've got nothing to lose. I actually felt less nervous in the quarter finals then I did last Friday," he said Tuesday. "Hopefully [tonight] I'll be even more calm."
Pettit used an aggressive left hand in his early round victories, both unanimous decisions, but said he hopes to use a more even tempo on Wednesday.
"When I go in there I have to stay back a little bit more than I have been so I don't get gassed at the end of the third round," Pettit said. "… Other than that I just have to take advantage when he leaves himself open."
Heckmann hasn't looked vulnerable in early rounds, using fluid footwork to control the pace and movement of his fights. By working his opponents onto the ropes and into the corners, Heckmann has combined mastery of the ring space with strong straight punches to dictate the rhythm of his two fights.
Sophomore John "The L-Dizzle" Nowak, the second seed in the 155 pound class, used a variety of strong left-handed punches to pound his way through two unanimous decisions into the semifinals over the weekend. Nowak found success in both the preliminary and quarterfinals by keeping his shoulders square and utilizing fast hands. His arsenal of lefts includes both a quick hook and a powerful overhand.
A second-year boxer fighting in the semifinals for the first time, Nowak said he is both excited and anxious about Wednesday night's match up.
"I'm definitely a bit nervous, because it's farther into the tournament and now I'm facing a better fighter than the last two guys," he said.
That fighter is Mike "The Militia Man" Melby, a junior second-year boxer who uses his height and long reach to remain on the offensive during his fights. His preliminary round fight was stopped by the referee, who had to issue Melby's opponent four standing-8 counts. In the quarterfinals, Melby threw his long, quick jab in speedy combination with his right hand to score a unanimous decision.
"I've seen Melby fight, just before me in the prelims and the quarter finals," Nowak said. "I've never sparred with him before so I just have to go out there and see how it goes. He's a lot taller than me and looks good, but we'll just see what happens."
160 Pounds
Chris "Can't We All Just" Kitalong is a skilled, athletic fighter and the top seed in the 160-pound weight class. Kitalong throws a variety of punches, from a crisp jab to a strong overhand right, and depends on combinations to drive his opponent backwards.
His barrage of punches in the preliminaries prompted the official to stop the contest 18 seconds into the second round. On Sunday, he scored a unanimous decision. Although Kitalong has shown a tendency to fight with his hands lower than it is typically prescribed, his speed and ability to shake off punches have helped him dominate each of his two matches.
While Kitalong has the rare combination of speed and power that every boxer wants, his opponent, John "The Chris Reid Shamrock Express" Murphy attacks with the fervor that every fighter needs. Murphy, a third-year law student and native of New Ross, Ireland, says that his nickname is a tribute to his friend Maureen's brother, a former light middleweight who died of cancer last year.
A fighter without quit, Murphy has disrupted opponents by forcing them to contend with his brawling style. Murphy persists in fighting the match along the ropes and on the other boxer's body, a strategy that helped him score a unanimous decision in the first round and a split decision in the quarterfinals against a fighter who was bigger but unable to deter his attacks.
In the other semifinal match up, the second seed and local product Pat "The Beast from the Bend" Dillon, takes on star freshman Mark "Donkey Punch" De Splinter. After watching De Splinter fight, Dillon, who has already won two unanimous decisions, praised his physical condition and speed.
"He looked really impressive, he's got a good strong jab," Dillon said. "He throws it quick out there, is in great shape and he can throw a lot of punches."
De Splinter scored a unanimous decision in the preliminaries and won a split decision victory in the second round. He said he has seen video tape of Dillon's fights, and from that viewing knows he'll have to use his jab to fend off the sophomore's charge.
"He's a strong fighter, throws real hard punches," De Splinter said. "I just have to stay away from his 1-2 combinations and try to use my long jab to stay in control of the ring."
Contact Paul Camarata at camarata.2@nd.edu.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 27, 2002
