BOXING Tune-up bouts set at Buckeye Elks

Saturday's 10-bout event will be the third program in a series of amateur boxing shows honoring the late Pedro Tomez.
YOUNGSTOWN -- There will be 10 Olympic-style boxing matches with a local fighter in each, and several more fights with young ladies as the participants, next Saturday at the Buckeye Elks Youth Center, 421 North Avenue.
This will be the third in a series of amateur boxing shows honoring the late Pedro Tomez, one of the area's top boxing trainers, who was based at the Buckeye Elks.
This is the first of these boxing cards in 2002, and since it precedes the Golden Gloves in Cleveland, this show is labeled "The 2002 Golden Gloves Warmups."
The leaders: The man who was at Pedro Tomez's side for two decades, Frank West, is the promoter, with Tom Cordell the matchmaker and Pat Nelson the site coordinator.
"Pete always wanted the Golden Gloves to be here at the Elks, and this is as close as we can get to that happening," said West.
Buckeye Elks will have five participants and there will be four more from Earl Charity's Ringside A.C. and another combatant from Tony Maiorana's McDonald A.C., which will give the card a Golden Gloves flavor. It has the sanctioning of the Lake Erie Chapter of USA Amateur Boxing, with the Sandusky Sloan's Boxing Club providing five opponents. Good Shepherd and the Sampson Boxing Gyms in Akron also are providing opponents.
Bouts: The first bout is scheduled for 8 p.m. with Derrick Sallaz from the Buckeye Elks going against Gabe Rodriguez from Sandusky in a 139-pound novice three-rounder. The next fight, a novice 145 three-rounder, has A.J. Bulisco from the Ringside A.C. battling Kyle Harvey from Sandusky.
The rest of the card, featuring hopefuls of the Golden Gloves, will be in Open Division four-rounders.
Robert Harris and Joshua Harris from the Buckeye Elks are in 156- and 185-pound fights against Sandusky opponents, with Buckeye Elks' 156-pounder Anthony Pietrantonio against an Akron Sampson Club opponent. The rest of the night will belong to the heavyweights, with Charles Washington, Drew Rauzan and Lenny Zurko from Ringside A.C. and Josh Henson from the McDonald A.C.
Koval billed: The feature bout will have Austintown's undefeated Chris Koval, as a Buckeye Elks heavyweight, being tested by Kenneth Cotton from the Good Shepherd Boxing Club in Akron.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with tickets on sale for adults at $10 and $7 for students. For information call Frank West at (330) 747-5310 or (330) 746-7125.