Connor “Hound” Hinkes def. Jack “Da Cake” Kelly
Hinkes came out swinging early but Kelly deftly dodged his attempts while breaking through a bit on offense. Kelly was a bit more aggressive at the start of round two, with Hinkes displaying nice footwork to avoid significant damage for a while before Kelly connected with a flurry of jabs about halfway through the round. Kelly laid a blow that caused Hinkes to stumble seconds into the last round, forcing a count. However, Hinkes returned the favor moments later. It was a tightly contested bout, with Hinkes awarded the victory by split decision.
Joe “The Fury” Fuchs def. David “Stretch” Schueler
The heavyweight bout was controlled early by Fuchs, dealing strong jabs with both hands in the early going. Fuchs worked Schueler up against the ropes and pummeled him in that position and in the middle of the ring. Schueler did have a nice sequence near the end of the round. Schueler was the one positioning Fuchs near the ropes early in round two, although Fuchs still found a way to land some punches. The official briefly stopped the match towards the end of the round. Fuchs finished strong after that break, but Schueler seemed to have the upper hand early in an offense-heavy final 90 seconds (which included another stoppage). Still, Fuchs earned the victory by unanimous decision.
Andrew “The Red Scare” Cassidy def. Kevin “The Lobster” Prata
This bout began with a feeling-out process as it took at least 15 seconds before either boxer seriously moved into attack mode. Each boxer had a brief moment of domination in the first round, with neither separating themselves apart from Prata needing a count after stumbling along the side of the ring. Prata got off to a strong start in the second round, although Cassidy didn’t let it last for long, finishing the middle frame with a couple of quick blows. Prata came out firing in the final round, getting Cassidy on the defensive and connecting with some big right hooks. However, Cassidy did enough to prevail by split decision.
Rob “The Voodoo Ranger” Rucki def. Greg “All Love” Vogt
The senior-on-senior bout took some time to get going before Rucki landed the first flurry of blows. Rucki and Vogt did well defensively in the opening 90 seconds, keeping their hands up and limiting damage. Each showed some more offensive prowess coming out of the break, with Rucki sending Vogt spinning with a left-handed shot to the head. Rucki got Vogt to the ropes seconds later with another strong punch. Vogt connected on a few consecutive body blows before taking a left to the chin just before the bell. Vogt was aggressive in the third round, taking advantage of a visibly tiring Rucki. It wasn’t enough, though, with Rucki reaching the finals by a split decision.
Sean “Milk” Mullen def. Erick “Wutang Warrior” Valdez
This bout got off to an aggressive but back-and-forth start. Every time one boxer would string a few punches together, the other would counter with some of their own. The second round had more of a defensive feel early before Valdez landed some strong blows. Mullen got some blows of his own near the end of the round, which once again didn’t have much separation. Valdez started the final round on a good note, but again, Mullen was quick to answer the bell. Mullen backed Valdez against the ropes and landed several big blows to force a count. Mullen was the victor by unanimous decision.
Jack “Topgun” Lannon def. Drew “Flinch” Braaten
Lannon quickly landed a flurry of blows at the beginning despite Braaten’s frenetic charge to the center of the ring. After the two boxers slowed down, Lannon took control of the first round and landed a series of combinations to the head and knocked Braaten off balance. Lannon dominated the start of the second round landing blow after blow before a count. Lannon proceeded to control the bout and initiated another count for Braaten. When the bout resumed, Lannon continued to easily land shots to the head and pushed Braaten up against the ropes before a fourth count was called. Lannon won by unanimous decision.
Jesse Salazar II def. Dante “The Inferno” Gardini
The bout started quietly as both heavyweights carefully calculated their opening shots, but Salazar soon went on the offensive and knocked Gardini off balance, landing multiple hooks to the head. Gardini failed to muster any momentum and was pushed up against the ropes. In the second round, Salazar dominated the whole way, quickly forcing Gardini back onto the ropes and eventually forcing a count. Salazar continued to wreak havoc, constantly deploying extended combinations on Gardini before a stoppage. Salazar won by unanimous decision.
Marcello “Tomato Can” Nanni def. Kyle “Outlaw” Mackey
The first round began with Mackey falling after an aggressive start from Nanni. Nanni proceeded to push Mackey against the ropes and land vicious hooks. Mackey was able to land some shots on Nanni in the second round, but Nanni continued to force his way and knock Mackey off balance. The third round was more of the same, as Nanni landed massive hooks and forced Mackey to maneuver away around the ring. Nanni won by unanimous decision.
Christian “K” Miller def. Brooks “BMC” McConnell
Both boxers attacked aggressively at the start, each finding some success offensively. The first round ended with both boxers landing several shots to their opponents’ heads. Miller gradually asserted himself in the second round, working from the center of the ring. However, McConnell refused to be put away, continuing to land right hooks on Miller. McConnell came out firing in the third round, swinging relentlessly before Miller regained control and landed several jabs and pushed McConnell against the ropes. McConell landed a large hook as the bout wound down before both boxers threw out last-second desperation punches. Miller’s steady approach ultimately was enough, as the senior from Knott Hall won by split decision.
Jackson “Amo” Amorosa def. Damien “Sauce of the Month” Sylva
The fight started frenetically, with both boxers taking huge swings at their opponents. Sylvia began to take control, holding the center of the ring; however, the freshman Amorosa was able to land several shots to the head and stay in the fight. In the second round, both boxers landed numerous hooks to the head. Syliva eventually took control and knocked Amorosa off balance, but Amorosa worked his way back into the fight and landed a flurry of shots. The third round began with the same energy as the first two rounds, as both boxers launched onslaughts of non-stop punches. Amorosa landed huge blows on Sylvia and forced him against the ropes. The boxers continued to constantly throw punch after punch, with Amorosa maintaining control for much of the third. Amorosa, the freshman, ultimately prevailed, winning by split decision.
Aldo “The RAM” Plascencia def. Jack “Cinderella Man” Taylor
Taylor had the better start of the two competitors, connecting on some solid blows. Plascencia landed some punches as well but Taylor seemed to have the better of the opening round. However, Plascencia went right to the attack in round two, sending Taylor to the mat seconds into the frame. A fairly lengthy delay ensued, and ultimately, the referee decided to stop the contest and award Plascencia the win.
Justin “Slim Reaper” Darwin def. Jack “Grock-ness Monster” Zagrocki
The last bout of the night in Ring A featured one of the loudest cheering sections of the night, with Zagrocki’s supporters sporting a cardboard cutout of his face. However, Darwin quieted them early with a series of jabs to both the chest and face of Zagrocki. Darwin continued to hammer away at Zagrocki up against the ropes and was relentless on the attack all of round one. The second round offered more of the same with Zagrocki unable to find an answer for Darwin’s powerful moves. Darwin was even more dominant out of the gates in round three, forcing Zagrocki into the corner and pounding away. His dominance was unsurprisingly rewarded with a unanimous victory and a trip to the finals on Saturday night at Purcell Pavilion.
