Semifinals bring tough competition to ring
By KERRY SMITH
Assistant Sports Editor
Rivalry heats up in the ring tonight when semifinal action resumes in the 70th annual Bengal Bouts.
With the field narrowed to just four in each weight division, every punch becomes more critical as the competition grows tougher with each bout.
155-pound division
In the 155-pound division, No 2 Jeff "The Pittsburgh Kid" Dobosh is the favorite after unranked Paul "He-Man" Mehan upset top seed Travis "The Only Time I Get Hit On is in the Ring" Alexander.
Third-year boxer Dobosh is looking to avenge losses in previous tournaments.
The senior lost a split decision to the No. 1 seed during his sophomore year and made an early exit from last year's competition when he was upset as the No. 2 seed.
Dobosh will enter the ring tonight after earning a unanimous decision over Billy "Sweet Pea" McMurtie in the quarterfinals Sunday.
Dobosh's next challenge en route to the finals is Tom "The Pretender" Pierce.
Pierce, a freshman fighting in his first Bouts, took a unanimous decision against Christopher "Redhead Thunder" Kusek Sunday.
Pierce will have to continue his controlled boxing and patient attack in order to advance.
Mehan, one of the tournament's biggest surprises, will find his match in Robert "The Skinny Ginnea" Vuolo.
Both Mehan and Vuolo earned their way to the semifinals with hard-fought matches in the preliminaries and upsets in the quarterfinals.
160-pound division
In one of the most open brackets in the Bouts, the title is up for grabs in the 160-pound weight division. With top seeds "Dangerous" Dan Schaeffer and J.P. "Fabulous Thunderlips" Carmardo given early exits from the tournament, any of the four contenders remaining could grab the championship crown.
P.J "Downtown" DuWors earned his second win of the tournament with a unanimous decision over Schaeffer and will be looking for his third when he takes to the ring against untested Joseph "The Polygamist" Smith.
Smith received a bye in the preliminaries and advanced past the quarterfinals with a walkover decision.
In the lower half of the bracket, Matt "All You Can Eat" McCullough, who upset Carmardo will need to overcome challenger Chris "My Nickname Was Excised" Matassa's height and reach advantage to advance to the finals.
Matassa fended off a spirited John "Judas" Berry in a unanimously decided bout.
165-pound division
The 165-pound weight division boasts some of the toughest competitors of the tournament.
No 1. seed Sean "The Erie Kid" Nowak and No. 2 seed Don "The Destroyer" Penn advanced through the quarterfinals with ease —Nowak took only 18 seconds to dispose of his challenger Matthew "The Jedi" Gentile, while Penn took just over a minute to take care of Holt "The Fightin' Reinhold" Zeidler.
The top seeds will have a tougher time of it tonight when they face stronger competition. Nowak will meet Tim "Rock" O'Rourke a senior who earned a split decision in the quarterfinals. O'Rourke is ready for the challenge Nowak will present him.
"I know he's the returning champ and I know he's the top seed," said O'Rourke. "So I'm just going to go out there and do my best."
O'Rourke has the advantage of being a lefty, but realizes that will only carry him so far.
"In the beginning it catches you opponent off-guard," said the first-time competitor. "But then they can do the same with their right, so it comes down to who makes the most of it."
Penn's next challenge will be Joe "The Polish Tank" Czerniawski.
170-pound Division
Top seed Brian "Hoppe" Hobbins will continue his title bid when he faces energetic Ben "The Mail Must Get Through" Dillon.
Dillon earned his spot in tonight's bouts with a unanimous decision Sunday. Hobbins faced tough competition in Kyle "The Private Kerrigan" in the quarterfinals.
Coming away with a split decision, Hobbins earned rights to continue on in the tournament only after a close match. No. 2 seed Joe "Layeth Down the Smacketh" Kippels also earned a split decision to enter the semifinals.
He will face Rob "the Golden Schlager" Joyce in the attempt to advance to the finals.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 29, 2000
