2018 Team New England (missing Angel Gonzalez)

(pictures courtesy of Edward Boches / Boches Photography)

LOWELL, Mass. (February 23, 2018) – Eleven New England champions were crowned last night during the New England Tournament of Champions at historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Central New England snapped the Western New England’s four-year reign in team scoring to capture the covered Bill Hoar Memorial Award as Most Outstanding Team.

The New England Tournament of Champions, also known as the All-New England’s, is part of the 72nd annual New England Golden Gloves Championships.

Each individual N.E. champion qualified for Team New England, which will compete at the National Golden Gloves Championship, starting May 14, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Central N.E. had five individual winners, edging Western NE with four, North N.E. and Southern N.E. had champion one apiece.

“There were some great fights, hotly contested because there was so much on the line,” N. E. Executive Director Bobby Russo said. “We closed the season in grand style with great matches and a loud, packed house that’s been the Lowell tradition for 72 years. There were some disputed decisions and the crowd let everybody know how they felt after a few of the fights.

“We have a lot of talent on this year’s Team New England. It’s a strong team with some fighters who now have national experience like Angel Gonzalez, Felix Parilla, Liz Leddy, Miguel Teo and Fernely Felix, Jr. The other fighters look like they could do very well at the National Golden Gloves.”

N.E. featherweight champion Felix Parilla (WNE), of North Haven, CT, was selected as the Thomas Costello Memorial Award winner as Most Outstanding Boxer.

Most Outstanding Boxer Felix Parilla

The Rocky Marciano Memorial Award as the Most Outstanding Heavyweight Boxer was presented to Lowell, MA’s Edmond Worley, who edged Randolph, MA’s Edit McApman, 4-1, to clinch the team title for Central New England in the second to last bout of the night.

Rocky Marciano Memorial Award winner Edmond Worley

The unofficial Fight of the Night was a toss up between lightweights Jonathan DePina and Elijah Peixoto (DePina won 3-2) and middleweights Michael Fontanez and Victor Reynoso (Fontanez won 3-2).

In the most anticipated match of the evening, Mansfield, MA welterweight James Perella (SNE) defeated USA No. 5-rated and defending N.E. champion Josniel Castro(NNE), by way of a controversial 5-0 unanimous yet very closely contested decision that drew the wrath of the disapproving crown.

USA No. 7 rated light heavyweight Miguel Teo (CNE), of Marlboro, MA, took a unanimous 5-0 decision versus Rashane Doyle (SNE), of Boston.

In a N.E. super heavyweight rematch, Danbury, CT’s Fernely Felix, Jr. (WNE) repeated by the same score las last year, 3-2, against Providence’s Tim Hatfield(SNE), for his third straight N.E. title.

In women’s competition, Portland, ME lightweight Liz Leddy (NNE) captured her seventh N.E. women’s title, taking a unanimous 5-0 decision over Willow Crawford(CNE), of Manchester, NH, unanimous 5-0 decision, while USA No 10- rated Ashleigh Moore (CNE), representing Buzzards Bay, MA, won a unanimous 5-0 decision against Gorham, ME’s Lindsay Kyanjohnian (NNE), who was runner-up for the second year in a row after she took top honors in 2016.

Proceeds from the Lowell Sun Charities Golden Gloves Championship go towards sending the New England Golden Gloves champions to the National Golden Gloves Championship (starting May 14, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska), in addition to supporting local athletes and area gyms, the Boys & Girls Club, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, cancer funds, scholarships and many other great charitable causes.

New England Golden Gloves Executive Director: Bobby Russo

Director of Contestants: Art Ramalho

Chief of Officials: Laurie Purcell

Ring Announcer: John Vena

Venue: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA

Website: www.lowellgoldengloves.com, www.lowellauditorium.com

Twitter: @LowellGloves