Layoff does in DeFrank

July 27, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

NILES

It’s been two years since Girard’s Alecia DeFrank last fought.

Her opponent, Destini Santiago of Miami, Fla., has had just three fights in four years.

With both still trying to work through ring rust from their respective layoffs, Santiago scored a unanimous decision over DeFrank on Saturday night at Eastwood Expo Center.

“I just wasn’t as aggressive as I had hoped to be tonight,” DeFrank said. “She’s gotten better since we last fought and this was a good experience for both of us.

“It’s back to the gym now and we’ll see what happens next.”

Santiago, who got the best of DeFrank the last time they met nearly five years ago, said the layoff had her a little sluggish, too.

“My game plan was to come here and win and I had to be aggressive right from the start if I wanted that to happen,” Santiago said.

The card was delayed until they could get approved gloves for the fight.

When the card got under way, Mardell Halas of Columbiana moved to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Zach Murray of Morgantown, W.Va.

“I tried to set everything up with my jabs and then work him down the middle,” Halas said. “Once I was able to back him up, that’s when I went with my combos.”

Ericka Barone of Struthers barely broke a sweat defeating Kylee Riggs of Ashland, Ky., by technical knockout in just 24 seconds.

“I knew that she was a southpaw, so I had to lead with my right,” Barone said. “I really didn’t think it would be that easy and kind of feel bad that the fight ended so quickly.”

In a super heavyweight fight, Brandon Thomas of Huntington, W.Va., scored a unanimous decision over Salem’s Wade Marrow to move to 8-1.

“I usually have a height and reach advantage so I want to control the fight right from the start,” said Thomas, who forced a standing eight-count in round two.

“After knocking him down, I just worked his body, hoping to get rid of him as fast as possible.”

At 178 pounds, Youngstown’s Clement Franklin won by unanimous decision over Darius King of Columbus.

“I was working on making my combinations work and they did in the end,” Franklin said.

In the 141-pound co-main event, Terrance Craddock of Columbus scored a unanimous decision over Adreiano Ramirez of Morgantown, W.Va.