Thursday, March 27, 2008
By Greg Gulas
The event begins at McMenamy’s Banquet Center in Niles at 7 p.m.
A 20-bout amateur boxing card at McMenamy’s Banquet Center in Niles has some intriguing bouts Friday night.
Sanctioned by USA Boxing, the card will get underway at 7 p.m. and will feature the best amateur boxers from the area, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Local promoter Chuck Nelson has also added four female bouts while noted local trainer Jack Loew will feature from his stable all three Salinas brothers (Pedro, Julian and Popo) on the card.
“We’re really excited about this card because it gives all of the fighters a chance to showcase their talents. It’s an excellent mix of boxers with four female bouts on tap as well. All bouts are expected to be very competitive,” Nelson said.
In one of the co-main event features, Jake Jericio (14-2, 155 pounds) of Campbell will take on four-time Golden Gloves champion and No. 1 ranked Eddie Allicio of Cleveland in a junior middleweight clash.
“Jake [Jericio] is under the tutelage of Keith Burnside and Sammy Caldrone, and both tell me that he is ready to step up. As for [Eddie] Allicio, what more can you say about a boxer who already has four Golden Gloves titles to his credit,” Nelson added.
In the other co-main event, Chris Hazimahalis (28-5, 135 pounds), also from Campbell and trained by Loew’s South Side Boxing Club, will take on ranked Julius LaGrande of Cleveland in a lightweight bout.
Other boxers on the card expected to raise some eyebrows include Quon English of Columbus, a 105-pound entry in the junior Olympic division; Montana Love (110 pounds) of Cleveland; No. 1 rated junior lightweight Antoine Slaughter of Columbus and lightweight hopefuls, Mafia Slade, also of Columbus and Johnny Barnett of Cleveland.
“The four female division bouts are all evenly matched and probably the most competitive pairings in that division to date,” Nelson noted.
Those pairings include former K.O. Drugs champion Stephanie Sahli of Struthers, who will take on Valerie DeFiesta of West Virginia in a featherweight match; Alicia DeFrank (Girard) versus Pittsburgh’s Katie Banks in the other featherweight pairing; Shelia Watkins of Columbus and Ashley Jackalea of Pittsburgh in a lightweight scrap, and Ashley Barnett of Cleveland, who is set to meet Uniqua Carter of Toledo in a junior lightweight battle.
For DeFiesta, her pairing against Sahli, the area’s “Billion Dollar Baby” will be her last amateur bout as she is expected to turn pro.
Cost is $15 for all seats with the doors set to open at 6 p.m.
XFor more information call Chuck Nelson at (330) 757-7273 or Rocky DeFrank at (330) 610-5897.