BOXING Koval-Page headliner on Olympic-style card in Youngstown
The Buckeye Elks Youth Center is the site of the amateur show on Oct. 26.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Chris Koval of Austintown will top a 12-fight card of Olympic style bouts sanctioned by the Lake Erie Association of Boxing at the Buckeye Elks Youth Center, 421 North Avenue, on Oct. 26.
It is the Pedro Tomez Memorial Boxing Invitational, which made its debut last year, and is promoted by Frank West and Joe Veneroso.
Pat Nelson is the site coordinator and local trainer Tom Cordell is doing the matchmaking using fighters from the Valley against boxers from Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Sandusky and Wooster.
Show's status
"This is as close to a local Golden Gloves as we will have in this area," said Cordell.
Nine of the bouts will feature Youngstown and Warren boxers. Koval, a Fitch High graduate now attending Youngstown State, will bring a 9-1 amateur record against Zack Page (4-1) of the Warren Boxing Association, in a four-round heavyweight fight.
Koval is trained by Cordell, fighting for the Buckeye Elks.
In a cruiserweight bout, Josh Harris from the Elks will face Brian Kover from the Butler Boxing Club. Both fighters have 7-2 records.
Another Buckeye Elks fighter, Anthony Pietrantonio (9-3), will fight William Prato (10-5) from the Akron Good Shepherd Boxing Club in a middleweight bout.
Jack Loew's Southside Boxing Club will have Billy Lyell and Darnell Boone in action. Lyell takes on Keon Johnson from Mickey Beys' Cleveland Gym in a fight between 154-pounders. Those two have combined for 54 amateur bouts. Boone (4-0) will fight Ronnie Johnson (23-3) from Cleveland Gym in a 165-pounder.
A novice three-rounder will have Steve Perry of Mineral Ridge, fighting for the Downtown Sports Club, making his amateur debut as a lightweight against Chris Fitzpatrick from Wooster.
Three other bouts will have fighters from the Warren Boxing Association in action against Pittsburgh and Sandusky boxers.
Others
Josh Lomax (2-0), a super heavyweight, is one of the Warren fighters, with 140-pounder Dan Ross and cruiserweight Joe Mayhew the others.
Mayhew will make his ring debut in a Junior Olympic bout.
The doors will open at 6 p.m. with the first bout at 7. Adult tickets are $10 and student tickets $5. For further information call Cordell (330-270-9497).