GOLDEN GLOVES Pietrantonio rallies to decision Johnson

The Buckeye Elks fighter began his comeback in the middle of round two.
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- The number of bouts may not have been similar to the Youngstown Golden Gloves of a tradition-rich past, but the ring action surely was during 10 amateur bouts Saturday night at the Krakusy Hall.
This event, a first of two Saturday nights hosted by Jack Loew and the Southside Boxing Club, gave the more than 400 boxing fans in attendance 35 rounds of non-stop fighting.
There were two Junior Olympic bouts, five novice and three open fights, and the best of the night was saved for last in a 165-pound Open Division four-rounder that saw Anthony Pietrantonio from Buckeye Elks win a hard-fought decision over Ronnie Johnson from the Kronk Boxing Club in Cleveland.
The experienced Johnson, a power puncher, was tagging Pietrantonio at will, and with a straight right to the nose had him bleeding, but in the middle of round two the Buckeye Elks fighter turned the fight around.
Starting to find the range with a potent left hook, Pietrantonio punished Johnson enough so the Cleveland fighter had to take a standing eight-count in the third round. The final round tested Pietrantonio's endurance, but he stayed through several good exchanges and was awarded the decision.
Boone is winner
The 165-pound bout before that had Darnell Boone of the Southside Boxing Club come out swinging to both the head and body of Cleveland's Top Notch Boxing Club's Rashen Wright. Boone won by decision.
Those fights set up a bout Saturday night for the Open 165 pound title.
"I was behind early so I just started to slug it out with Johnson and nailed him with a few good left hooks, now I get to fight Darnell who looked real good in his win," Pietrantonio said.
Boone added, "I went after my guy and wanted to take him out, but he was tough and stayed. Now I get the fight I always wanted."
Three winners
Boone, Charlie Fagan and Chris Hazimahalis were the three winners among six Southside Boxing Club fighters in action, as eight of the bouts went the distance.
Fagan won a 119-pound Junior Olympic fight with good volleys and polished combinations that forced his opponent, Alexander Wright, from Cleveland's Glenville Recreation Center, to take a pair of standing eight counts in round two, before the referee stopped the contest just before the bell.
Now 4-0 as an amateur, the 15-year-old Fagan dedicated his fight to his ailing grandfather, Huey Fagan.
Hazimahalis, from Campbell, was the aggressor throughout a 132-pound novice four-rounder with Steve Perry, a Mineral Ridge High sophomore and fighting for the Downtown Boxing Center.
Perry used his left jab effectively, but Hazimahalis continually forced the action with a two-fisted attack that had him set the tempo of the fight in winning the decision.
"I knew I had to keep busy and work inside on him," said Hazimahalis (4-1), who will fight Felix Colon from the Cleveland Boxing Academy Saturday for the crown.
Colon, who gave Hazimahalis his only loss, who won a four-round decision over Southside's Lou Zamudio Saturday.
Sackela triumphs
Another local boxer, Austintown's Mike Sackela, who trains at the Buckeye Elks, won a four-round decision over Abraham Omar from Akron in a 152-pound novice bout. This was one of the best bouts of the night with a contrast in styles that had Sackela stymied in the early going.
"At first he was confusing to me, but once I was used to him and could use my jab, I was OK," said Sackela.
In a 152-pound Open fight, Billy Lyell of the Southside Boxing Club went toe to toe with Delaney Howard, a veteran of national amateur competition. Howard eventually prevailed in a decision.