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UPPERCUT AMATEUR BOXING RESULTS
October 4th, 2011
By Ray Kilgore at ringside
Photo's by John D’Auria, S.C. Photography

 

 

For the second Saturday in a row, amateur boxing offered unbelievable action, first with the Brunette’s card last weekend and then with Uppercut’s card last Saturday night. Uppercut, one of Minnesota’s premiere gyms, brought out some of Minnesota’s well-known figures in the sport, including: internationally renowned judge Denny Nelson, former State Light Heavyweight champion Zack “Jungle boy” Walters, and former State Middleweight Champion Anthony “The Bullet” Bonsante. Saturday’s fights offered both causal and die-hard fan a mixture of action to suit their preferences, and the action got started with:

McCaffery shown on the left shakes Kennelly's hand

195-pounder Jack Kennelly took a decision win over a determined Jim McCaffery

Kennelly and McCaffery have sparred with each other several times before, the last encounter taking place weeks ago, where this writer saw the two 60-year-olds holding nothing back. Well, in round one, this was still the case when both, who train out of Uppercut, started aggressively, taking turns landing good shots. But Kennelly, a former journalist, seemed to get the better of the action. His blows started to have a visible effect on McCaffery, who found himself in a defensive position as Kennelly, who kept a surprisingly high punch rate, pushed forward.

In round two, Kennelly went back to using the jab while applying aggression, which kept McCaffery, who wasn’t a passive bystander, off balance at times. McCaffery attempted to land a hard right, but Kennelly countered with his own and sent McCaffery to the seat of his trunks. While McCaffery, who didn’t appear seriously hurt by the blow, was able to recover, he was never fully able to size control as Kennelly worked his jab, often following up with hard right hands.

 

Garcia on the left gets ready to take a shot from Nord

150-pounder Braden Nord dropped a decision to Renam Garcia

During the fight, the boxers often mirrored one another, often making it difficult to gauge who had the upper hand. Nord, out of Jungle Boy Gym, looked good during the round as he jabbed and set up his punches. On the other hand, Garcia, out of 4th Street Gym, absorbed the blows well and fired back, often seeming to try to coax Nord into one of his, Garcia’s, big blows.

In round two, the action continued as both men took turns trading effective jabs and occasionally going to the body. While neither boxer was really in control, it was Garcia who might have pulled out the bout, as he slightly outworked Nord in the round.

Bane on left takes a shot from Stewart

 

Tough 140-pounder Meri Stewart took a decision over a disciplined Janelle Bane

In round one, Bane, out of Uppercut Gym, started well, demonstrating good skills by working behind her jab and following up with good right hands. While Stewart, out of Anoka Gym, was the slightly more active boxer in the round, Bane contributed to making the round entertaining, as she fought back hard and tried to come forward as well.

While neither woman ever looked seriously hurt during the bout, they both put force behind each blow. Bane turned her attention to Stewart’s body and followed up with several head shots. And while it looked as if Stewart was starting to take control of the fight, the only way Bane was going to lose was by a stoppage or injury, as she fought toe-to-toe in the center ring with Stewart, to the delight of the fans.

By the time the final round came, Stewart was on her way to a victory, continuing to press the action. And while Bane, who was never outclassed, gave a valiant effort, Stewart appeared the sharper of the two and used good ring generalship.

Stark on the left Knudson on the right

 

155-pounder Jared Knudson won a decision outlasting Jeremy Stark

If the boxers in the previous fight looked at times to be boxing in a controlled manner, Knudson, out of Jungle Boy Gym, and Stark, out of 4th StreetRochester Gym, wanted to put the hurt on one another as they landed blows from all angles. Knudson, who is trained by Zack “Jungle Boy” Walters, one ofMinnesota’s most recognizable former fighters, eventually slowed the action a bit by using his jab and circling the ring, looking to set up his shots. But that game plan last all but a few seconds, as both men went back to brawling center ring, eliciting “wooing” from the fans.

In round two, both men, each figuring he had found success in the previous round, tried to force their will on the other. But it was Knudson who started to land the better shots to edge out the round.

While it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand early on in the final round, once again Knudson stood out a little more as he continued with the momentum he had built up in the previous round, this time backing Stark to the ropes and applying good blows. Stark, meanwhile, offered his own counterattack, but he came up short.

 

75-pounder Fransico Escamilla, on the right, took a decision over Isayah Rolandson on the left in a memorable bout

Without question, this was one fight to remember, as both boxers provided so much action that it was difficult to digest at times. If these two boxers remain in the sport over the long haul, they will, without question, make good professionals down the road, should they go in that direction. Each boxer’s resolve left them little choice but to go mano a mano, as Escamilla often got the better of the two.

In round two, Escamilla landed a tremendous right hand early, which Rolandson walked through. Rolandson countered with his own left hook, followed by a right hand. As had been the case in the first round, the energy and the intensity was palpable, but once again, it was Escamilla who seemed to get the better of the two, as Rolandson was now finding himself in Escamilla’s corner more often, defending himself as opposed to working behind a game plan.

In the final round, the “woos” from the fans, which were heard on and off during the bout, resurfaced as the boxers traded blows and worked each other’s bodies. All during the fight, neither boxer ever looked particularly tired until Rolandson showed signs as he took in a deep breath, was now being more easily forced to the and corners covering up.

Raile on the right and Wahlen on the left

155-pounder Greg Wahlen took a decision over David Raile in yet another entreating bout

If fans needed a moment to collect themselves after the last bout, Raile, out of Uppercut Gym, and Wahlen, out of Boxer’s Workout Gym, give just a little time, as the two started round one looking polished, using the jab and waiting for a good opening. But that only lasted a few seconds, as each boxer soon let loose, throwing thunder—which might have put a less strong-willed boxer down or out.

Raile landed a solid blow that made Wahlen cover up. But Wahlen imposed his will a tad more, and Raile started to circle, by no means because he was hurt, and it looked as if Wahlen had gained a slight edge, using a jab and keeping his gloves high in the air.

While Wahlen might have sensed that he had taken round one and started the second round coming forward, Raile tried to quickly put a halt to Wahlen’s game plan as he sat down on his punches and landed three hard jabs. He went to Wahlen’s body some, but by mid round, both boxers had dispensed with their jabs and were letting the leather fly in a back-and-forth round.

Although Raile never seemed hurt, Wahlen started to look like the stronger of the two, as he often stood his ground and kept Raile off balance, which forced the boxer to cover up, placing himself out of position to fire back.

By the final round, Raile again tried to push the action as he landed good blows to Wahlen’s head. But Wahlen, who just refused to bend, snapped Raile’s head back, and Wahlen followed that up with connective hard blows which caused referee Mark Nelson, a national and international referee, to give Raile a stand eight, a good move as Raile looked off balance and left himself potentially damaging blows.

Abalam on the left Washington on the right

93-pounder Isaiah Abalam defeated Jaden Washington by decision in a battle of wills

In the final bout of the night, Abalam, out of Twin Ports Gym, proved to be a little too much forWashington, out of Anoka Coon Rapids Gym, as Abalam outmuscledWashingtonover the long haul. In the opening round,Washingtonran towards Abalam, hoping to establish an early tone. While Abalam was never in jeopardy at any time during the fight, he metWashington’s aggression with his own effective jab and pressure.

As round one neared its end, both boxers were trading blows, and whileWashingtontried to follow up with a right hand, he fell off balance, a problem he would face all night long, leaving Abalam ample opportunities to take advantage. Seconds before the bell, Abalam pinnedWashingtonagainst the ropes and landed a three-punch combo.

“I felt good,” said Abalam after the bout. “I thought I landed the harder punches, and my coach made me work real hard before the fight.” And it showed in round two, as Abalam once again backedWashingtonup. At one point Washington, who never stopped trying to force his will, got caught with a clean blow and clinched. After referee Nelson broke the fighters,Washington, for some reason, focused on his trunks, hands by his side. Abalam, who was by far the bigger of the two, tried to take advantage with a hard blow. Luckily forWashington, he was able to avoid the shot by stepping back and clinching Abalam.

“He wasn’t himself tonight,” saidWashington’s mother, Shayla, after the bout. “He was OK before the fight until he found out days before that the boy [Abalam] was bigger and taller than him, and that’s when he froze up.” WhileWashingtonmay have had his doubts going into the bout, he did a good job of covering it up, as the boxer showed no hesitancy during the fight, firing back with his own shots after Abalam landed several punches in a row. As the round went on,Washingtonstarted to look a little winded, often times losing his footing and falling to the canvas.

In the final round,Washington changed his tactics and circled, trying to leap in, hoping to catch Abalam with something big. ButWashingtonwasn’t able to succeed, and at one point in the round, Abalam backed him to the ropes. A covered-up Washingtonhad his back on the ropes while his lower body sat on one of the ropes as Abalam landed three blows. While Washington was understandably too devastated after the bout to reflect on his first defeat , he never got the impression of wanting to quit during the bout. It was Abalam’s aggression which would tell the story in the end.

In a terrific fight, 175-pounder Chris Daniels got the win over Jason Klemesrud in the second round.

A Special Commentary Note:

While this site has no affiliation to any gym, feeling obligated to misrepresent a write-up because a match is put on and promoted by that gym, the fact is, no matter how detailed the write-up might be, the atmosphere and the sheer magnitude of the event cannot be replaced by seeing it live. In the last two weeks, two cards were put on that showed an overall good night of action for small fees, the cost well under the thrills each fighter showed.

This writer would also like to thank photographer John D’Auria, sprocketdauria@yahoo.com for allowing this site to use his photos. And a big thanks goes out to Zack Walters for his bring D’Auria from Duluth to work the card. It was great to see Walters giving back to young boxers.

The site would like to congratulate all the boxers for their entertainment and efforts.

More Photo's by John D'Auria can be found > By emailing John at
jdsecondchancephotos@yahoo.com