Upsets abound in 155-pound division quarterfinals
By KERRY SMITH
Assistant Sports Editor
Some of the top seeds in the 155-pound division faltered in the quarterfinal action Sunday, leaving a wide open fight for the championship titles.
Paul "He-Man" Mehan pulled off one of the biggest upsets when he earned a split decision over favorite Travis "The Only Time I Get Hit On is in the Ring" Alexander in the 155-pound weight division. Mehan had trouble landing his combinations early in the first round, but made up for it in the second and third rounds, alternating right jabs with powerful combinations to earn his place in the semifinal round. Mehan advanced to Sunday's competition after beating Kenneth "Mack Attack Papes" in the preliminaries Friday.
Mehan will face Robert "The Skinny Ginnea" Vuolo in the semifinals on Tuesday. Vuolo's aggressive boxing earned him a unanimous decision over Donald "Diaper Daddy" Doan. Vuolo used his height and reach advantage well, overpowering Doan for three rounds.
No. 2 Jeff "The Pittsburgh Kid" Dobosh showed why he is a contender for the title with a unanimous decision over challenger Billy "Sweet Pea" McMurtie.
Dobosh was aggressive from the opening bell, forcing McMurtie into two standing-eight counts before the end of the first round.
"I knew he'd be aggressive," said Dobosh. "So my plan was to take his jab and throw a straight punch."
McMurtie finished with a strong third round, landing several strong right jabs, but it was not enough to give him the upset.
Dobosh will face Tom "The Pretender" Pierce in the semifinals. Pierce won a unanimous decision over Christopher "Redhead Thunder" Kusek. Pierce controlled the ring and dominated from the start with a big right punch, while Kusek struggled to land his combinations throughout the three rounds.
160-pound Division
Top seed "Dangerous" Dan Schaeffer made an early exit from the Bouts when he lost a unanimous decision to P.J. "Downtown" DuWors. Schaeffer controlled the center of the ring in the first round and landed repeated combinations, but DuWors' powerful undercut and jab proved to be too much for the junior favorite. DuWors earned a spot in Sunday's round after earning a decision over Brandon "Oh No You Didn't" Zick.
Duwors will find his semifinal competition in Joseph "The Polygamist" Smith. Smith has yet to step in the ring during the tournament. The senior earned a bye in the preliminaries and a walkover victory Sunday.
The second-seeded J.P. "Fabulous Thunderlips" Camardo" fell to challenger Matt "All You Can Eat" McCullough. McCullough earned a unanimous decision Sunday after a victory Friday over "Massive" Dan Masse. In one of the most controlled fights in the division, McCullough came with a strong power right and was able to land more punches than Carmardo.
"My game plan was to stay focused and try to hit him as hard as I could," said McCullough. "I wanted to go in, land some punches and then come back out."
Carmardo took control in the second round, but McCullough sealed his win with a powerful three-punch combination that forced the No. 2 seed into a standing-eight count, giving McCullough enough points for the win.
"I thought it was a good fight," said McCullough. "[Camardo] was a tough fighter."
McCullough's next challenger will be Chris "My Nickname Was Excised" Matassa. Matassa, with a clear height and reach advantage, earned a unanimous decision over John "Judas" Berry.
165-pound Division
Top seed Sean "The Erie Kid" Nowak had one of the tournament's most decisive wins when the referee stopped the bout just 18 seconds into the first round and awarded the law student the win over Matthew "The Jedi" Gentile.
Nowak will face Tim "Rock" O'Rourke in the semifinals. O'Rourke earned a split decision over Daniel "The Danimal" Probst after three rounds of close sparring.
No. 2 Seed Don Penn took just more than a minute to earn a victory in his bout with Holt "The Fightin' Reinhold" Zeidler to advance to the semifinal round. Penn came out strong, delivering a mix of high and low combinations, forcing the referee to stop the contest at 1:05 into the contest.
Penn will meet Joe "The Polish Tank" Czerniawski on Tuesday.
Czerniawski had no problem taking care of challenger Thomas "The Terminator" Cullen in a referee-stopped contest. Czerniawski was aggressive from the outset, landing a series of combinations that sent Cullen to the mat and ending the bout one minute and 17 seconds into the first round.
"I wanted to get out there and dominate in the first round, but I didn't think it would be over that quickly," said Czerniawski. "You expect every match to go three rounds so I let up a little bit a few times because I didn't want to be exhausted later in the match."
Despite his strong showing, Czerniawski doesn't expect his semifinal match to be that easy.
"Don was the first guy I ever sparred," said Czerniawski. "I need to work on throwing straight punches and getting in and getting out because this fight won't end the same way. Don is a real tough fighter."
170-pound Division
No. 1 Brian Hobbins had a tough quarterfinal round, but managed to pull away with a split decision over challenger Kyle "The Private" Kerrigan. Hobbins, with a slight reach, came out throwing a potent three-punch combination to put Kerrigan on the defensive in the first round.
Controlling the center of the ring, Hobbins' patient attack propelled him to the next round on Tuesday.
Hobbins will face Ben "The Mail Must Get Through" Dillon. Dillon upset No. 3 Eric "My Name Was Excised" Hovan with a unanimous decision. Dillon had a slight reach advantage, and Hovan was throwing a lot of punches but failed to land enough to pull out a win.
Dillon advanced to the quarterfinals after earning a decision over John "Pride of the Parish" Murphy Friday.
No. 2 Joe "Layeth Down the Smacketh" Kippels earned a split decision over challenger Ryan "The Rhino" Hernandez. Kippels dominated in the first two rounds. Hernandez came alive in the third, but could not land enough punches to earn a place in the ring on Tuesday.
Kippels will face Rob "The Golden Schlager" Joyce in semifinal action.
Joyce's powerful right gave him the edge in a split decision over John "Missile" Lynk.
All Sports Stories for Monday, February 28, 2000
