AMATEUR BOXING Southside Boxing Club helps stock 'Thanksgiving Feast' card
Durrell Richardson and Billy Lyell will fight in the main event.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Southside Boxing Club trainer Jack Loew, the promoter and matchmaker for the Saturday's "Thanksgiving Feast" amateur boxing show at St. Luke School, has set a 14-bout card.
Using 11 fighters from his Southside Boxing Club, it is a natural that his main event of the evening will have Durrell Richardson battling Billy Lyell in a 147-pound four-rounder.
This duo, from Loew's Erie Street gym, has combined for 60 amateur bouts, with Richardson (19-6) a 147-pound champion at the 2002 Nationals. He is the nephew of former world bantamweight champion Greg Richardson.
Making it official
Lyell (24-11), from Niles, works with Richardson almost daily at the Southside Boxing club, but this will be their first encounter in competition.
"If this bout is anything like some of their sparring sessions it will be a war and by itself should be worth the price of admission," said Loew.
Other Southside Boxing Club fighters in action will be undefeated 165-pounder Darnell Boone (5-0) and 135-pounder Lou Zamudio, who will take a 6-3 mark in against Dan Ross from P.C. Torres' Warren Boxing Association.
Four of Loew's boxers -- Charlie Fagan (120), Chris Hazimihalis (130), Jerry Tuscano (147) and Brandon Winner (heavyweight) will make their amateur debuts.
John Swanson, a veteran of the Erie Street gym, will also be on the card in a four-round featherweight bout, and Junior Olympians trained by Loew, 80-pounder Juan Salinas (5-0) and 95-pound Boston Walker (1-1), will fight in a pair of three-rounders.
Fighters from Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Wooster, Toledo and West Virginia will be opponents for most of these Southside boxers, except for Hazimihalis, who will be in the ring with Steve Perry (0-1) of Mineral Ridge and the Downtown Boxing Club.
Another top bout of the night will be a rematch between heavyweights Chris Koval and Zack Page. Koval (10-1), a Fitch High graduate and YSU student, won a hard-fought four-round decision over Page (4-1) at the Buckeye Elks in October.
Anthony Pietrantonio (165) will go up against Ron Johnson, one of the better fighters from the Cleveland area.
Ticket information
Sponsors for the card are Mahoning County Commissioner Ed Reese, attorney Lou Schiavoni, Dicioccio Construction, Mike Tsarnas of Our Place Restaurant and the MTM Management Company. General admission tickets ($10) are still available and will be on sale when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The first fight is scheduled for 7:30.
Loew has invited several former world boxing champions from Youngstown and Ohio State freshman running back Maurice Clarett to be special guests.