PHOTO SLIDESHOW (contact rich.bergeron@gmail.com for photo copies):
Boxing fans packed the Manchester Downtown Hotel Wednesday night to take in a spectacular night of elite amateur boxing. This was the final stop on a three-city tour of Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts and Manchester, New Hampshire. The scheduled fights featured Team USA amateurs facing the best amateur boxers from Ireland. By the final bell, Ireland managed to finish the eight bouts of the evening with a tie score, their best outcome of the tour. Team USA won the first two duals of the tour in Boston and Springfield, ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ, ਦੇ ਸਕੋਰ ਦੇ ਕੇ 8-4 ਅਤੇ 7-3.
ਬੇਨਟੌਨ ਨੇ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਗੇੜ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਸਵਰਮਿੰਗ ਅਟੈਕ ਦਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ ਕੀਤਾ. He worked in and out of range with 1-2 combos and sparing hooks. He used all his angles well, pivoting out of trouble and into effective range with ease. Kelley struggled to land counters until the final moments of the round when he landed his own flurry of 1-2 ਕੰਬੋਜ਼.
Kelley started the second round with much more energy and poise. He landed early and often, winging left hands and opening up a cut on Benton’s lip. Benton slipped some of the more dangerous punches, blocked shots well and landed some crisp, hard shots of his own. His best exchange was a left and right hook to the head that landed near the middle of the round.
Kelley slowed down a bit in the final round, unable to find his ideal range. He landed some hard right hands, a well-placed body shot and unloaded with a late flurry. Benton kept busy early in the round and artfully ducked under a bombing right hook from Kelley. The judges seemed more impressed with Kelley’s composure in the final two rounds as Benton kept getting drawn in to sloppy brawling. Kelley edged out the win by a 2-1 margin.
The light welterweights came next, producing another tight contest. Ireland’s Caoimhin Ferguson fought Team USA’s Charlie Sheehy with a slightly better tactical approach, earning another split decision victory for his squad.
Sheehy took on a more cautious and patient approach in the first round, waiting for the perfect moment to throw and land. His best punches of the round included a hard right hand to the body and a starching jab. Ferguson put in more work in the frame, scoring on multiple hooks to the head and unleashing wild and crazy flurries a few times. One particular left hook crashed hard into Sheehy’s head in the final moments of the round.
Ferguson landed some decent shots in the second round, but Sheehy was much more composed. He worked around the wild-swinging, hard-charging assault by keeping his distance and scoring from outside with some crisp rights to the chin. The fighters exchanged some hooks to the body and wound up in a clinch before the end of the round.
Sheehy struggled to string punches together in the final round. Though he had a nice straight right hand working for him, Ferguson was able to penetrate his defense. Ferguson landed a thumping left hook early and went on to land a few more bombs before losing his mouthpiece in one exchange. Likely knowing he needed to finish strong to get the judges on his side, Ferguson rushed in with a final torrent of hooks in the final seconds. He earned a 2-1 decision win for his tenacity.
Welterweights Kieron Molloy (Ireland) and Freudis Rojas, ਜੂਨੀਅਰ. (ਅਮਰੀਕਾ) squared off in another bout. Both fighters are previous World Championship Bronze Medalists with Molloy also claiming nine Irish National titles and Rojas winning the US nationals 10 times so far. It was another close shave win for Team Ireland.
Rojas was clearly the more active fighter in the first round. He used a consistent jab and increased his work rate through the frame. He ket busy on offense right up until the bell. Molloy began the round winging shots and trying to figure out his range. He unleashed a bit late in some of the more fierce exchanges, couldn’t figure out how to get his combinations going, and had a tough time catching up with the faster Rojas. Molloy did land some excellent straight lefts, ਪਰ.
The next round went much better for the Irish southpaw. He started with an uptick in his punch output, though he still struggled to land combos. At one point in the round, Molloy connected with a huge straight left, followed up by a nice power jab, slowing down his opponent. Rojas kept coming forward but couldn’t capitalize on scoring opportunities in the round. A late flurry of punches from Rojas wasn’t enough for him to steal the round.
Rojas landed some excellent shots in the final round, going downstairs to the body frequently. He also caught Molloy against the ropes, blasting him with straight punches. Molloy fought the smarter round, ਪਰ, picking the best times to throw and often catching Rojas with his hands down. His best exchange of the round featured a huge 1-2 connecting to the head and a wild left hook to the head. A final swarm of punches from the Irish fighter closed the show and earned him a 2-1 split decision win.
Team USA’s Nikita Ababiy scored a hard-fought win in a wild affair before the main event with Team Ireland’s Gerard French. The first round saw Ababiy jabbing well. The American came into the fight with a very non-traditional boxing stance with one hand low, but his posture seemed to be effective in luring his opponent into punching range. Ababiy landed some booming hooks and a nice left uppercut that backed up French. ਇਸ ਦੌਰਾਨ, French concentrated on trying to land counters. He had a lower work rate but also didn’t take too much punishment.
French spent the second round trying to exchange in close quarters. He landed more shots later in the round, including some heated right hooks in the final moments. Ababiy connected with some thumping shots in the round and showcased some nice defense as well. He mixed up his shots to the body and head, throwing and covering up to wait for the next opening. Ababiy landed a nice left hook to the head followed up with a picture perfect right uppercut in the final minute. He ended the round well on his way to his first win.
The final round saw Ababiy slow down a bit, but he was still effective enough to carry the frame. French managed some crisp left hooks to the head, but he couldn’t figure out the different style his opponent brought to the ring. The American cruised to the unanimous decision win.
The night also began with the only stoppage on the card thanks to a wild brawl between local 132-pound Manchester, NH novices Michael Correa and Abhisek Thapa. Correa took off across the ring upon hearing the opening bell and unleashed one wild flurry after another. Thapa didn’t let the tornado swallow him up, ਪਰ. He ust covered up and waited for his opportunities. It only took a couple minutes for Correa to start tiring out from the relentless attack. Thapa then waded in to land some of the most impressive shots of the night, forcing the referee to stop the fight for three standing eight counts before the end finally came with a whirlwind of power punches from Thapa.
There was also a guest appearance made by the boxer Floyd Mayweather, ਜੂਨੀਅਰ. still calls his toughest opponent ever, Emanuel Augustus (3-34-6, 20 ਕੋਸ). Augustus participated in a reunion the previous night with “ਆਇਰਿਸ਼” Micky ਵਾਰਡ (38-13, 27 ਕੋਸ), celebrating one of the best fights in the history of the sport, which took place on July 13, 2001. Augustus stuck around for the fights and even came into the ring to showcase that he still has the same punching prowess that made him one of the most entertaining fighters of his era.
“We learned from this tour that we’re right up there with the best teams in the world,” Team USA head coach Billy Walsh said. “Team Ireland is a very good, young team. We’re going to have a good team to send to Tokyo (2020 ਓਲੰਪਿਕ). I’m proud of my team. They all worked very hard. We didn’t have some of our best boxers because some were competing in an International tournament We do have a good crop of 18-19-20 year-olds who will make up our 2020 Olympic team.”
Team Ireland also brought their own production crew to film all the action for those who couldn’t be there:
MANCHESTER, N.H. (ਮਾਰਚ 22, 2018) – Last night’s third and final stop on USA Boxing’s 2018 ਅਮਰੀਕਾ ਬਨਾਮ. Ireland Northeast Boxing Tour ended in a 4-4 draw at Downtown Manchester Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire. Team USA won the team tour title, 2-0-1.
Team USA had won the first two duals of the tour in Boston and Springfield, ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ, ਦੇ ਸਕੋਰ ਦੇ ਕੇ 8-4 ਅਤੇ 7-3.
“We learned from this tour that we’re right up there with the best teams in the world,” Team USA head coachਬਿਲੀ ਵਾਲਸ਼ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ. “Team Ireland is a very good, young team. We’re going to have a good team to send to Tokyo (2020 ਓਲੰਪਿਕ). I’m proud of my team. They all worked very hard. We didn’t have some of our best boxers because some were competing in an International tournament We do have a good crop of 18-19-20 year-olds who will make up our 2020 Olympic team.”
Team Ireland led last night’s team scoring, 4-3, going into the final match of the night, a super heavyweight rematch. The 2016 Youth World Championships bronze medalistਰਿਚਰਡ Torrezonce again defeated there-time Irish National ChampionDean Gardiner,
Third time was the charm for Brooklyn middleweightNikita Ababiy, who broke into the win column with a 3-0 unanimous decision overGerard French, keeping the Americans hope alive to deadlock the final score with one match to go.
In a battle between southpaw welterweights, nine-time Irish National Champion and World Championships bronze medalist, Kieron Molloytook a 2-1 split decision overFreudis Rojas, ਜੂਨੀਅਰ., a 10-time national champion and World Championships bronze medalist.
Irish light welterweightCaoimhin Ferguson ਜਿੱਤਿਆ ਨੂੰ ਇੱਕ 2-1 split decision victory over California light welterweightCharlie Sheeyto give Team Ireland a 3-2 advantage.
Eight-time Irish National champion and European Championships bronze medalistWayne Kelley ਜਿੱਤਿਆ ਨੂੰ ਇੱਕ 2-1 split decision versus Cincinnati light welterweightAdrian Benton, the 13-time national champion making his International match debut.
In his International debut, two-time USA Boxing championJames Browningਜਿੱਤਿਆ ਨੂੰ ਇੱਕ 2-1 decision over Irish lightweightFrancis Cleary, a nine-time Irish National champion and European Championships silver medalist, in a very entertaining lightweight match.
ਨਾਂ ਕਰੋ. 2-rated American middleweightLeah Cooperdropped her opponent, eight-time National Irish National champion and European Championships bronze medalistAdolfe Burke, en route to a 3-0 ਸਰਬਸੰਮਤੀ ਦਾ ਫੈਸਲਾ.
World Championship silver medalistKellie Harringtondefeated lightweightStacia Suttlesfor the second time on the tour by the identical score, 3-0, giving Team Ireland its first lead of the tour, albeit temporary, in last night’s tour opener.
In a Special Manchester Lightweight novice class match, Michael Correa (Manchester PAL) ਨੂੰ ਹਰਾ Abhisek Thapa (Title Boxing) when the referee stopped the contest in the opening round.
ਨ੍ਯੂ ਯੋਕ (ਦਸੰਬਰ 2, 2016) -Split T Management is pleased to announce the signing of 2016 United States Olympian, Charles Conwellto a managerial contract..
Conwell 19 years-old of Cleveland, Ohio competed as a middleweight in the Olympics but will compete in the welterweight division in the professional ranks.
“David McWater of Split T Management is known as a man who cares about his fighters, not only inside of the ring, but outside of it as well,” said Conwell.
“When I talked to a lot of people, they had a lot of nice things to say about him. When I met him and got to know him, he showed me that he cared about me not only as a boxer, but as a person, and that’s the one I want handling my career.”
“Charles is a wonderful person as well as a fighter,” said McWater. “He’s accomplished so much in his life already! How many kids win National Golden Gloves, US Nationals, Continental Elite Worlds and make honor roll in school all before they graduate high school? Close to none I would guess! He’s just an awesome young man and a tremendous talent, I’m very excited to be working for him.”
Conwell began boxing at the age of 10 when his father brought him to the gym and Charles fell in love with the sport.
Charles won a gold medal in the Americas Olympic qualifiers and took the top spot in countless United States Amateur tournaments, which included the National Junior Championships on two occasions, the National Golden Gloves Tournaments and the United Stated Olympic Trials.
“After winning my first national tournament (2012 National Junior Olympics), I felt that I could make boxing my career. I went on to become an 11-time national champion.”
For the past 2 ਸਾਲ, Conwell has been the top-ranked middleweight in the United States.
ਵਿੱਚ 2015, Conwell was named the USA Boxing Junior Male Athlete of the Year.
ਵਿੱਚ 2016 ਓਲੰਪਿਕ, Conwell was ousted by Krishan Vikas of India. Vikas was a 2-time Olympian, who defeated top welterweight contender Errol Spence, ਜੂਨੀਅਰ. ਵਿੱਚ 2012 ਖੇਡ.
“My Olympic experience did not go was planned, but I made the most of it. By fighting internationally, I got to see a lot of different styles of fighters and took some of the good qualities and added it to my style, which will help me become even a better fighter. I am a very smart boxer with fast hands and power. When people see me, they will think of Aaron Pryor, Mike Tyson and Andre Ward all rolled up into one.”
I plan to become the undisputed world welterweight champion and leave a legacy in boxing. I will be known as one of the all-time greats to come out of Ohio.”
Startingਸ਼ੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ ਨੂੰOver Two Dozen PBC Fighters and Past Olympians Congratulate 2016 Team on PBC website and Social Channels; Fighters Discuss Their Olympic Experiences in New Video & Editorial Content
ਲਾਸ ਵੇਗਾਸ, NV – ਅਗਸਤ 2, 2016 – The Olympic Games hold a special meaning for the manyਪ੍ਰੀਮੀਅਰ ਮੁੱਕੇਬਾਜ਼ੀ ਚseries boxers who competed in past Olympiads. Representing the United States, ਮੈਕਸੀਕੋ, ਹੈਤੀ, ਰੂਸ, Great Britain and more, it served as the highest achievement of their amateur careers before they embarked on professional championship aspirations. Startingਸ਼ੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ, an honored group of fighters that represented their homes as Olympians salute the members of the 2016 Olympic Teams on their achievements and wish them all the best in bringing home the gold. To view go to: www.premierboxingchampions.com ਅਤੇ www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions.
In a series of special video vignettes and articles on the Premier Boxing Championsਦੀ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ, previous Olympians like heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder (Bronze medal winner in 2008 Beijing Games); Rau'shee ਵਾਰਨ, the only U.S. boxer to participate in three Olympics (2004, 2008 ਅਤੇ 2012); and Errol Spence (2012 London Games) will offer encouragement to members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic boxing team. Warren and Spence will reminisce about their Olympic experiences together.
ਗੈਰੀ ਰਸਲ, ਜੂਨੀਅਰ. (2008 Beijing Games) will talk about his experience in the Games and also discuss his brother, Gary Antuanne Russell, who is a member of the 2016 U.S. Team in Rio, when the Olympics kick off onਅਗਸਤ. 5.
Terrell Gausha (2012 London Games) will have some helpful tips for the members of the U.S. boxing team on how to maneuver through the Olympic maze and succeed in securing gold medals. Marcus Browne and Jamel Herring were also teammates with Gausha on that 2012 Olympic team.
The PBC has over two dozen Olympic boxers representing countries includingਮੈਕਸੀਕੋ (Abner Mares and Alfredo Angulo – 2004 Athens Games), ਹੈਤੀ (Andre Berto – 2004 Athens Games), ਰੂਸ (Artur Beterbiev and Sergiy Deveryanchenko – 2008 Beijing Games), Great Britain (ਆਮਿਰ ਖਾਨ – 2004 Athens Games, ਯਾਕੂਬ DeGale – 2008 Beijing Games), ਡੋਮਿਨਿੱਕ ਰਿਪਬਲਿਕ(ਜੁਆਨ ਕਾਰਲੋਸ Payano – 2004 Athens Games/2008 Beijing Games and Gold medalist Felix Diaz – 2008 Beijing Games), ਪੋਰਟੋ ਰੀਕੋ (ਜੋਸੇ Pedraza – 2008 Beijing Games), Cameroon (Saki ਟੌਰਸ – 2000 Sydney Games), ਵਰਜਿਨ ਟਾਪੂ(John Jackson and Julius Jackson – 2008 Beijing Games), ਅਤੇ ਕਜ਼ਾਕਿਸਤਾਨ(Beibet Shumenov – 2004 Athens Games and Kanat Islam – 2004 Athens Games/2008 Beijing Games).
