`He-man' Mehan TKOs Vuolo in third round
By KEVIN BERCHOU
Sports Writer
In 155-pound action, Paul "He-Man" Mehan lent some validity to his nickname with a convincing victory over Robert "The Skinny Ginnea" Vuolo. Though Vuolo's reach was longer, Mehad was able to land punishing shot after punishing shot.
Intent only on protecting himself from a Mehan onslaught, Vuolo was not able to mount much of a charge.
After stopping the fight three times to allow Vuolo to receive medical attention, the referee finally called the bout in the third round, allowing Mehan to come away with a TKO and a precious finals birth.
In the other half of the 155-pound bracket, Jeff "The Pittsburgh Kid" Dubosh knocked off Tom "The Pretender" Pierce. In one of the night's closest bouts, Pierce demonstrated that despite his nickname he was indeed for real. Dubosh was given all he could handle and needed a third-round charge to come away with a split-decision victory.
160-pound division
In a bracket thought to be the Bouts' most wide open, P.J. "Downtown" DuWors demonstrated himself as the clear favorite. DuWors bested Joseph "The Polygamist" Smith in a classic that went the distance.
DuWors worked predominantly with his jab in an effort to hold Smith at bay. "I worked off my jab to try to overcome his reach," DuWors said. "I was able to position myself to go upstairs and downstairs that way."
With the match seemingly knotted heading into the final round, DuWors knew he needed to come out swinging. "I was dead in the third," DuWors admitted. "The guys in my corner were awesome. They really pumped me up."
Duwors then went to town on a surprised Smith, landing just enough shots to gain a close split decision.
DuWors will tangle with Chris Matassa for the 160-pound title. Matassa advanced to the final round in winning a unanimous decision over Matt "All You Can Eat" McCullough.
"I think I've gotten better with every fight," said Duwors. "I just want to get a chance."
165-pound division
In what might be the bouts' deepest division, Sean "The Erie Kid" Nowak looks like the toughest competitor. Nowak scored a first-round knockdown over southpaw slugger Tim "Rock" O'Rourke and coasted to a unanimous-decision victory from there.
"I threw a lot of lead rights," Nowak said. "I changed my style a little bit to counteract his left-handed technique."
Nowak seemed to get better as the fight progressed. "My corner really kept me focused," Nowak said. "They helped me keep my energy level high."
Nowak will duke it out with Don "The Destroyer" Penn in Friday night's final. Penn whipped Joe "The Polish Tank" Czerniawski in gaining a unanimous decision. Though both fighters were able to land some spectacular shots, Penn's blows proved the mightier.
170-pound division
In 170-pound action, Brian "Hoppe" Hobbins pulled out a unanimous decision over Ben "The Mail Must Get Through" Dillon.
Both brawlers were able to score several vicious blows early on, setting the stage for a third-round showdown. Hobbins, the top seed, pulled out all the stops and his late charge proved the difference.
"I knew it was going to be close," said Hobbins. "I just had to dig deep and put it all on the line."
Rob "The Golden Schlager" Joyce looked more like "Golden Gloves," wailing on an overmatched Joe "Layth Down The Smacketh" Kippels. Joyce connected on a series of powerful uppercuts, leaving Kippels slightly dazed.
While Kippels had hoped to lay down the smack, Joyce moved to lay down the law as he scored a relatively easy unanimous decision.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, March 1, 2000
