Thursday, May 26, 2016
Two of 23 belts
were won by girls
By Greg Gulas
NORTH LIMA
The 29th annual K.O. Drugs High School Boxing Tournament concluded Wednesday with 23 fighters earning championship belts.
Two girls claimed belts on the final night of competition with 21 other belts claimed by both underclass and upperclass competitors.
“We would like to thank the high school community, fans and most especially the students who competed with such intensity and heart,” said Chuck Nelson, founder and tournament director. “This year’s tournament produced the most competitive fights that we have had in years. We’re already looking forward to and making plans for next year’s 30th annual event.”
Sharon’s Calvin Davis, a freshman super featherweight, was fighting in his first tournament.
He avenged a semifinal setback by registering the first TKO of the evening when he put away Brandon Woolard of LaBrae with one second remaining in the second round.
“I was much more focused this time around because he [Woolard] was a much different fighter. I felt like I had more oxygen this time out and that gave me a boost,” Davis said.
In a lightweight pairing, Roraggio Ford of Alliance remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over Boardman’s Ivan Bosnjak.
Like Davis, it was the sophomore’s first tourney experience.
“My uncle is a boxer, so is my brother and that is what attracted me to this tournament,” Ford said. “My jab and right hook were working so that is what I stuck with all three rounds.”
In the first of two girl’s match-ups, Allison Carroll of Southern Local scored a split decision over LaBrae’s Allyson Spay at flyweight while in a lightweight pairing, Lakeview’s Madison Meeker won by unanimous decision over schoolmate Anastasia McLeod.
“It is always my mindset that this is my fight to win and that is how I approached tonight’s fight,” Meeker said. “I wanted to get in a good punch right at the outset and I felt like I accomplished that. I just wanted to set the tone of the fight.”
Canfield’s Nate Cordova moved to 2-0 as he earned a unanimous decision over Bryce Jones of Girard for the junior welterweight belt.
“It feels absolutely great to win a belt. I liked boxing when I was younger and just had to try the tournament this year,” Cordova said. “He [Jones] had excellent head movement and tested me, but I was able to set up my right hook with my jab and that was the key.”
Last year, Brookfield’s Luke Bender posted a 4-0 mark en-route to the junior middleweight championship.
This year the Warriors’ sophomore went 2-0 and improved to 6-0 over two tourneys, winning the middleweight title by split decision over Luigi Rohrbaugh of Ursuline.
“I knew he [Rohrbaugh] had power so I wanted to stay close. He was punching wild, so I punched straight hoping to score more points,” Bender said. “I knew that it would be a close fight and it turned out exactly like that in the end.”
The second TKO of the evening came when Isaiah Jackson of Austintown Fitch disposed of Mitchell Sharp of West Branch, capturing the super middleweight championship 30 seconds into the second round.
Two other boxers, welterweight Broc Eakle of Indian Creek and Lakeview’s Maxim McLeod, a light middleweight, earned belts with second round retirements.
Eakle stopped Noah Spay of LaBrae and McLeod defeated Paul Smith of Greenville.
The final TKO of the tournament was registered by home schooled Terrell Neely as he defeated Greenville’s Sean Perseghetti just 20 seconds into the second round for the junior heavyweight championship.
Rounding out the evening, Justin McCann of Indian Creek scored a split decision over Roger Shaffer of Struthers for the heavyweight championship while Coaltin Barcey of Leetonia posted a third round TKO (43 seconds) over Crestview’s Daniel Sinclair for the super heavyweight belt.