Jack "Rico Suave" Lallydef. Nick "Patio" Rowek
In a fight where the fighters preferred to wait each other out, Keough senior Jack Lally won by unanimous decision over off-campus senior Nick Rowek. The first round was marked by long periods of waiting with some occasional missed punches. Both boxers appeared tentative, as neither seemed willing to go on the offensive. Lally eventually went on the attack and landed a few punches, but the round closed with more waiting. Rowek, defensive since the opening bell, began the second round with several jabs to Lally's body. But Lally returned fire with a series of head and body shots. As a result, Rowek went back on the defensive, only throwing punches when Lally approached. By the third round, Rowek had to go on the offensive to win, but Lally deftly dodged Rowek's advances and secured the unanimous decision victory.
Ben "Danger Zone" Eichlerdef. Tony "Lucky" Lucisano
St. Edward's junior Ben Eichler went on the attack early and preyed on off-campus senior Tony Lucisano's style to earn a unanimous decision victory. From the start, Eichler took control of the bout, utilizing a vicious hook and uppercut to knock Lucisano off his game. After a series of uppercuts to the head, Eichler nearly knocked Lucisano to the ground before Eichler fell after Lucisano pushed him. In the second round, Eichler used a combination of head and body shots to set up several sweeping uppercuts. Lucisano tried to respond, but most of his punches missed their mark and he was left grabbing at Eichler. In the final round, Eichler drove Lucisano to the corner and landed a flurry of punches, sealing his unanimous decision victory.
Devin "Opel" Duffy def. Brian Benedict
Dillon sophomore Devin Duffy outlasted off-campus senior Brian Benedict to earn the split decision win and advance to the finals. Duffy opened the match on the attack and connected on several big punches, although Benedict was able to dodge a few of them. Benedict began the second round with a series of head and body shots, but Duffy defended himself well before landing several headshots in a row that sent Benedict reeling. Duffy continued to rely on the headshot in the third round. This tactic paid off as Benedict appeared to tire out towards the end of the fight. Duffy capitalized by attacking Benedict relentlessly, using his superior stamina and endurance to lock up the split decision win.
Garrity "Biscuit" McOskerdef. Kevin "So Krispee"Kershisnik
In an action-packed bout, Fisher sophomore GarrityMcOsker took home a unanimous decision over off-campus senior Kevin Kershisnik. The fight was evenly matched from its onset, as both boxers were able to land several punches. McOsker struck first using combinations of jabs and uppercuts, but Kershisnik countered with a series of headshots that pushed McOsker to the ropes to end the round. In the second round, McOsker began to take control of the fight, as he forced Kershisnik to the ropes before delivering several headshots. Kershisnik kept fighting and landed a few big shots of his own, but ultimately couldn't handle McOsker's devastating uppercut. In the final round, Kershisnik started on the offensive in one last effort to win the bout, but McOsker fought back relentlessly. With a few headshots to finish the fight, McOsker earned the unanimous decision victory.
Danny "Natty" Leichtdef. Mike "El Flan" Flanigan
Despite a disadvantage in size, off-campus senior Danny Leicht defeated St. Edward's sophomore Mike Flanigan by unanimous decision. Flanigan had a significant advantage in height and reach, but Leicht was stockier and more aggressive. Leicht turned Flanigan's height advantage against him, attacking him low first and then going for headshots. Flanigan was unable to utilize his reach advantage and landed hardly any shots on Leicht in the first round. Flanigan had trouble defending his body against the smaller Leicht throughout the fight, which Leicht took advantage of in the second round. Flanigan attempted to bounce back by going on the attack, but Leicht escaped Flanigan's long arms. In the final round, Leicht landed a huge headshot on Flanigan and forced him to the ropes before Flanigan finally landed a few punches of his own. However, this last burst by Flanigan was too little too late and Leicht advanced to the finals with the unanimous decision victory.
Contact Alex Wilcox at awilcox1@nd.edu
By A.J. GODEAUX
Sports Writer
Mark Fregodef. Daniel Colt "Pony Boy" Collins
The law student Collins started off the fight establishing his jab, almost knocking Frego over halfway through the opening round. Frego would recover, countering with right hooks to Collins' head. Collins trailed off at the conclusion of the round, unable to connect on as many jabs. The southpaw Collins got Frego on his heels for the majority of the second round, throwing jab after jab and chasing Frego around the ring. Frego would recover in the third round though, landing a big right hook and quickly combining it with a jab. Collins was much more defensive in the final round, not landing as many shots as in the first two rounds. Frego seized the fight by unanimous decision.
Kevin "Git'Er" Dunne def. Daniel Rodriguez
Both fighters came out of the gates with a defensive strategy, but the patience did not last long. Halfway through the first round, junior Daniel Rodriguez flipped the 'On' switch, going right at senior Kevin Dunne's body with jabs, putting him on his heels. Dunne had problems landing his counters, giving the aggressive Rodriguez an early edge. Halfway through the second round, Dunne turned the fight around, getting Rodriguez up against the ropes and connecting on left-right combos. Dunne took the momentum into the third round, using his jabs to score points. Rodriguez was able to counter with a few right hooks, but it was too little too late and Dunne taking the fight by split decision.
Sean Hipskinddef. Peter "The Wild Irish Rose" McGinley
The fight started off as a slugfest, with both fighters landing hooks to their opponent's head, while mixing in a few jabs under the chin. At the end of the round, Hipskind went on the attack, using body jabs and hooks to the head to score points. The second round started off with a hammer of a hook by McGinley, but both fighters adopted a much more defensive style for the round. Hipskind started using his length to his advantage, backing away from McGinley and using his jab to land shots. The slugfest ensued in the third round though, with McGinley landing low right hooks to Hipskind's body. Hipskind's jab was the ultimate factor though, leading him to a split decision victory.
Joey "Kangaroo" Kim def. Jack Healy
Senior Jack Healy came out the aggressor, getting senior Joey Kim up against the ropes just seconds into the fight and keeping Kim on his heels for the majority of the round. However, Healy did not connect on a high percentage of his punches, and it came back to bite him when Kim caught him off-balance, sending him to the mat with a crushing right hook. The second round played out in identical fashion, as Kim knocked down Healy with a hook, despite having been pushed up against the ropes. Kim would add another knockdown in the third round. The three knockdowns combined with Healy's low strike percentage, helped Kim to a unanimous decision.
Chris "The Crank" DeLillo def. Scott "Bootstrap" Rousseau
The senior Chris DeLillo started the fight off by establishing a left body jab and right hook combo, not wasting any opportunities, as he connected on a high percentage of his punches. Scott Rousseau was able to recover in round two, establishing a jab of his own. DeLillo would adapt, using the same left-right combo to counter. Rousseau had ground to make up in the final round, and came out much more aggressive. He attacked with his jab, scoring shots to DeLillo's head. DeLillo's counter attempts were futile until halfway through the round, when he connected on a right hook that bloodied Rousseau. The fighters exchanged a flurry of punches to conclude the fight, with Rousseau connecting on body jabs and DeLillo bloodying Rousseau once again. DeLillo's consistent performance earned him the unanimous decision.
Contact A.J. Godeaux at agodeaux@nd.edu
By COLE SCHIETENGER
Sports Writer
Patrick Shea def. Gage "Chia Pet" O'Connell
In a hard-fought battle, freshman Patrick Shea managed to edge out law school student Gage O'Connell. From the beginning, Shea jumped out to a quick start, landing the first punch. However, Shea could not capitalize and missed several hooks. O'Connell responded with a combination of punches. After creating separation, Shea took over the round by capitalizing on his superior arm length and finished the first round with a set of jabs and hooks. After an uneventful second round, O'Connell came out strong in the third, attacking Shea and minimizing their separation by cornering Shea and pinning him against the ropes. In the end, Shea won in a split decision.
Alex "El Gatito Loco" Oloriz def. Brett "Doughboy Freshcake" Geschke
A key right hook late in the third round was all senior Alex Oloriz needed to get the Referee Stopped Contest against third-year law student Brett Geschke. Geschke and Oloriz remained neck and neck through most of the first round, until Geschke missed a strong uppercut. Countering, Oloriz used his superior quickness to his advantage and threw several hooks to Geschke's side, while mixing in jabs to the head. In the second round Oloriz opened with a flurry of jabs. However, Geschke quickly responded by pinning Oloriz against the ropes. Such an effort seemed to wear Geschke out for the rest of the fight, giving Oloriz the edge. After a similar start to the third round, the referee called the fight when Geschke went down after a vicious right hook, giving Oloriz the win.
Facing a Bengal Bouts captain is never easy, and this fight was no different. Oloriz consistently dodged punches, and was simply able to outlast Geschke.
Pat "No MRSA" Bishop def. Bryan "Cowabunga" Cooley
Senior captain Pat Bishop would not be stopped early on, as he came out firing hooks and jabs at the head of sophomore Bryan Cooley. Cooley would not go down easily and responded with several hooks of his own. Throughout the first-round punches were traded back and forth aggressively, but Bishop landed more punches. In round two, Cooley took control early, but ran out of gas ⎯ his hands began to drop and his feet slowed down. At a near standstill, Cooley struggled to keep up with the well-conditioned senior. In the final round, this proved to be critical, as Bishop separated himself, earning a split decision victory.
Good things come to those who wait, proved once again by the reward Bishop received for his patience. After an aggressive start, Bishop waited for his opponent to tire out before taking advantage on his way to a win in his first and only semifinal victory.
Brian "Smiles" Salvi def. Andrew "50 Shades of" Greybar
In a fight that ended in less time than it took to start, third-year law student Brian Salvi needed roughly five punches to defeat fifth-year architecture student Andrew Greybar. After being knocked off of his feet by Salvi's first punch, Greybar went down again less than 20 seconds later. After 22 seconds, the ref decided to stop the fight, awarding Salvi the victory by Referee Stopped Contest and a trip to the final round of the 185-pound division.
Ricky "Scooter" Neville def. Eamon "Gravy" McOsker
In the battle for Fisher Hall, freshman Eamon McOsker squared off against fellow Fisherman, senior Ricky Neville. The fight was constantly back and forth, as McOsker and Neville traded punches throughout. Neither fighter showed signs of fatigue during the fight, but Neville landed a key hook in the second round to slow McOsker down. McOsker rebounded to keep the back-and-forth match up going. In the final round, McOsker put forth a great effort as he landed the first punches and continued to counter Neville's missed jabs with punches of his own. By the end there was no clear winner, but Neville ended up on top with a split decision.
Contact Cole Schietinger at cschieti@nd.edu
By MEREDITH KELLY
Sports Writer
Jeff "Little Bear" Ulrich def. Jimmy "Jimbo Slice" Bowers
Senior Jeff Ulrich demonstrated his defensive fighting skills at the beginning of the fight, when senior Jimmy Bowers attacked from the sound of the bell. Ulrich firmly protected his face as Bowers attempted to break him with punches. At the beginning of the second round, Ulrich continued to keep his gloves up, blocking punches and answering with hard jabs to Bowers' face. Ulrich then advanced, delivering hard punches to the head accompanied by hooks to the body. These combinations slowed down the punches from Bowers. Although Bowers eagerly entered the third round with a flurry of punches, Ulrich quickly retaliated with hard one-two punches to the face. Ulrich won the match by unanimous decision.
Sunoh Choe "No Mercy" def. Zack "Bedrock" Flint
While senior Sunoh Choe and freshman Zack Flint were evenly matched in height and strength, they were not similar in fighting style. Choe finished the first round strong with a hard punch combination to Flint's face. Flint retaliated in the second round with hard uppercuts to Choe's body that slowed Choe down momentarily. Choe soon regained the advantage in the beginning of the third round, delivering a series of hard jabs square in the face of Flint by employing an in-and-out method. Choe finished strong, backing Flint into the ropes and landing a flurry of punches to Flint's face. Choe won the match by unanimous decision.
Brett "Italian Ice" Sassetti def. Joey "No Game" Stromberg
Junior Brett Sassetti started out strong with a few quick punches to the face of law student Joey Stromberg. Stromberg demonstrated a more defensive style of fighting, as Sassetti advanced again with a flurry of hooks to the sides of Stromberg's head. Stromberg made an advance at the end of the first round, pushing Sassetti into a corner and landing a few hard jabs to his face. In the second round, both boxers fell back onto the ropes, throwing punches into each other's bodies. As they both eventually regained their composure, Stromberg ended the round with a punch straight to Sassetti's face. Stromberg began to tire in the third round as Sassetti stayed strong and delivered quick jabs to Stromberg's face. Sassetti won the match by unanimous decision.
Ryan "Dirty" Alberdi def. Brian "The Weatherman" Hartnett
Senior Ryan Alberdi waited for sophomore Brian Hartnett to advance at the beginning of the fight, showing his defensive fight style. As soon as Hartnett threw the first connecting punch, Alberdi answered with strong alternating body-head punches. Alberdi ducked under a high punch from Hartnett, who had the height advantage of the two, and retaliated with a strong one-two punch to the face. Alberdi continued to chase Hartnett around the ring throughout the second round with the clear advantage. Near the end of the second round, Alberdi delivered a hard hook to the side of Harnett's head that threw him off balance and forced the referee to intervene. Alberdi won the Referee Stopped Contest.
Bobby "Softie" Manfreda def. Tyler Plantz
Junior Tyler Plantz started off aggressively by delivering low punches to the body of senior Bobby Manfreda. Plantz attempted to advance on Manfreda, crouching down low and delivering body shots to him. Manfreda answered the attack with high jabs to the side of Plantz's head. Plantz started the second round with a hard punch to Manfreda's face, but Manfreda regained his composure and knocked Plantz against the ropes. Manfreda earned the advantage at the end of the second round by connecting on more hard jabs. Both boxers came into the third round hungry for points to secure the victory, but it was Manfreda who finished strong with a string of punches to the face of Plantz. Manfreda won the match by unanimous decision.
Brian "Long Arms of the Law" Ellixson def. Evan "Heavy Duty" Escobedo
Law student Brian Ellixson started the match on the offensive, landing punches on sophomore Evan "Heavy Duty" Escobedo. Ellixson continued to advance in the first round with hard hooks to the body and strong one-two punches to Esobedo's face, temporarily knocking him off balance. In the second round, Escobedo connected on some hard jabs to the face of Ellixson. Utilizing a wide stance, Ellixson continued to stand straight up and he answered Escobedo's attack with a punch to the face of his opponent. In the third round, Ellixson started off strong, delivering a hard punch that knocked Escobedo to the ground. But Escobedo rallied, getting up from the ground and attacking Ellixson. Both boxers attempted to finish strong, throwing as many punches as possible before the final bell rang. Ellixson's consistency throughout the match awarded him the unanimous decision victory.
Contact Meredith Kelly at mkelly28@nd.edu
By SAMANTHA ZUBA
Sports Writer
Brian "Caesar" Salat def. Chris "Stubbs" Sarkis
Senior Brian Salat mixed an effective uppercut with his jab and straight right against senior Chris Sarkis. Sarkis persevered with his one-two combination and landed several well-timed shots. Sarkis' combinations were clean and straight, and the boxers matched each other well. Without quick footwork, both Salat and Sarkis moved methodically around the ring, waiting for opportunities. Salat and Sarkis blocked well, so both had to power through blocks and parries with strong and accurate punches. They answered each other almost punch-for-punch, but Salat used his uppercut to his advantage. He successfully followed his one-two combination with his uppercut enough times to seal the split decision.
Mike Broghammer def. Sean "Too Tall" Lischke
Early in the first round, graduate student Sean Lischke dropped his hands, which allowed senior and Notre Dame basketball player Mike Broghammer to land a key one-two-hook combination. Lischke had been using his jab effectively, but dropped his hands to throw a straight right and Broghammer took advantage of this opportunity. Broghammer came out just as strong in the second round. He sent Lischke flying into the ropes with a right hook. A jab and two more hooks sent Lischke to the mat again seconds later. Lischke was slow to get up, and the referee stopped the fight. Broghammer won the bout by Referee Stopped Contest in the second round.
Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu
By GREG HADLEY
Sports Writer
Daniel Yi def. Bob Burkett
Senior Bob Burkett started off the bout as the aggressor, dancing around junior Daniel Yi for the majority of the first round. Yi mostly stayed in the center of the ring, but was still able to land several hard combinations to Burkett's head and body. Burkett was able to connect on most of his punches but failed to land any significant shots. The second round saw Yi begin to take over the fight, as he continued to slam Burkett with combination after combination. However, Yi put in less effort defensively, allowing Burkett to turn the fight into a slugfest. Yi continued to land powerful punches on Burkett in the third round and he began to pursue Burkett around the ring, looking for a knockout punch. This left openings for Burkett, but he failed to exploit them. Yi won the semifinals fight by unanimous decision.
Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu
