It was night three of the 96th annual Bengal Bouts tournament, and this time, spots in the final were on the line. With Dahnke Ballroom full and 48 boxers nervously waiting in the wings, the stage was set for the fighters to prove themselves and book their place at Purcell Pavilion on March 28. The fights consisted of three rounds, each lasting 90 seconds, with 24 semifinals across all the weight categories.
145 lb. Semifinal 1: Eddie “Pi Hard” Couri def. Paddy “Rut Row Raggy” Roof
The night kicked off with the lowest weight class, and it began with a bang as it was an all-out attack from both fighters. It was Couri who got off to the better start on the front foot, moving Roof around the ring well. However, Roof’s defense held up strong. Couri ended the first round with a flurry of punches to assert himself as they headed into the second, where Roof fought back. Roof seemed to land the majority of the punches, but when Couri attacked, it was cleaner and more effective. This ultimately is what set the two apart and booked Couri’s spot in the final. He will face senior captain Ryan Lally, who advanced via a walkover.
152 lb. Semifinal 1: Jack “Bernese” Byrne def. Quentin “Respect Your” Elder
The first 152-pound semifinal Elder, with a witty nickname, got off to the better start. He pushed hard to begin the fight. Byrne wasn’t going to go down without a fight though, coming alive with some hard hitting, relentless boxing. After a couple of stoppages, Byrne seemed in control. A good start to the third from Elder followed by some strong combinations from Byrne, meant this tight affair ended up leaning the way of Byrne, the Baumer Hall resident. Byrne will fight Wesley “The Kid” Taylor in the final after he received a walkover victory.
156 lb. Semifinal 1: Phil “Il Capo” Pollice def. Sammy “Allen” Davey
Eyes turned to ring B as Bengal Bouts president Pollice took to the ring next against sophomore Davey. Pollice started strong, dominating the exchanges and finding lots of success with his jab. Davey tried to launch attacks, but Pollice fended beautifully and launched back. With the fight seemingly done, Davey came to life spurred on by the hoard of Graham Family Hall men in his corner. Davey upped the intensity, with his punches coming in with ferocity, landing some emphatic hits. Pollice did cause a stoppage with a brutal right cross, but Davey ended the fight the stronger of the two to come up just short despite a spirited performance. Pollice will face Samuel Cramer in the final after his semifinal walkover.
160 lb. Semifinal 1: Marco “Honey Badger” Saldivar def. Sam “Sparkplug” Sparks
Sparks came out firing, landing punch after punch with his right hand, however his dominance didn’t last long as Saldivar landed some big punches to end the first round. The second round was very tight, with Saldivar coming out strong and finding success, but leaving himself exposed. Sparks couldn't make the most of this though, unable to stop Saldivar as his huge punches just kept coming, securing the win for Saldivar and Coyle Hall.
160 lb. Semifinal 2: Richie “The Tooth Fairy” Mistichelli def. Xan “The Man” Sabga
The second 160-pound semifinal saw two Keenan Knights go head-to-head, including senior captain Mistichelli, who got a big cheer around the ballroom. Both fighters began with notably fast footwork, moving around the ring at pace. Mistichelli absorbed pressure to start, unleashing on the counter as Sabga just kept coming. Mistichelli’s patience was paying off, but he did take a huge hit right hook during a counter. What followed were some huge exchanges, with Mistichelli landing a strong right hook whilst Sabga found success with a right cross, both men fighting at an incredible pace. However, Mistichelli sealed the victory with a brilliant round of punches unleashed so fast that there was nothing Sabga could do, and two right crosses which reverberated around the room booked Mistichelli his spot to face Saldivar in the final.
166 lb. Semifinal 1: Collins “The Truth” Trainor def. Michael “The Don” Giovacco
It was Trainor who got the better start out of the two in a somewhat cagey affair, landing the cleaner hits in the first round. Giovacco took control in the second, dictating the tempo and seeming to win the exchanges. The third round saw the fight come to life, with some brilliant back and forth boxing leaving it very close to call, but ultimately the judges edged it to Trainor.
166 lb. Semifinal 2: Aidan “Prodigy” Sainte def. Robert “The Turkish Mindset” Bektas
A highly anticipated matchup saw the Sorin freshman Sainte take on Duncan senior Bektas from the United Kingdom. With both Sorin and Duncan residents packing out the corners, and chants for both fighters ringing around Dahnke, this fight had all heads turned, and it delivered. It was a back and forth encounter, with Bektas landing a number of strong right hooks but Sainte evading really well. After a close fought first round, neither man was backing away, with the fight being fought in close encounters. The fight really heated up in the third, as neither man stopped throwing punches in an endless back-and-forth exchange. This left both men drained to end the fight as it fizzled out, with Sainte booking his spot in the final despite only being a freshman.
171 lb. Semifinal 1: Oliver “Founding Father” Jefferson def. Jack “Reaganator” Regan
It was an all-Keough affair in this one, and it got off to a bang as Regan landed a heavy punch with his very first blow. This was a sign of things to come as one of the scrappier fights of the night, with both fighters going blow for blow with pure power in one of the most entertaining bouts of the night. It began with Jefferson struggling to break down Regan’s impenetrable defense, but he managed to get Regan in the corner and landed a strong blow, causing the referee to intervene. The corners were a popular place in this one, with the fighters taking turns finding themselves up against the ropes, and after a stoppage for a cut to Regan, the contest swung in Jefferson’s favor. This was a brilliant contest with both men just letting it fly, providing some incredible boxing.
171 lb. Semifinal 2: Zach “Obi” Egan def. Colby “Goldilocks” Whitehouse
This was one of the best supported matchups of the night, and rightly so, given the incredible speed and intensity of the fight. Whitehouse started the better of the two, but Egan ended the first on top, and he didn’t stop there. He landed combination after combination, and Whitehouse just couldn’t match his intensity. His brilliant hands landed blow after blow until the referee stopped the contest in the third round, sending Egan through.
175 lb. Semifinal 1: Jackson “Ammo” Amorosa def. Max “The Neanderthal” Wachter
This was a tight and controlled affair, with Amoroso displaying some excellent technique. He bided his time, waited for his opportunity, finding consistent success with his left hand when Wachter attacked. Wachter launched attack after attack after attack, and yet Amoroso, spurred on by the Duncan Highlanders behind him, just kept knocking him back. Amorosa’s defense was so impressive that he didn’t even need to attack off his own accord, proving the perfect antidote to Wachter’s aggressive fighting style.
175 lb. Semifinal 2: Tommy “T-Rex” Santarelli def. Owen “The Boom Boom Assailant” Balint
This was a really interesting matchup, as the reach and control of Santarelli was met with the raw power of Balint. Santarelli did a really good job at remaining patient and keeping Balint at bay, who landed some big shots when he was able to get close enough, especially with his right cross. Balint posed a huge threat when he could break down Santarelli’s defense, but he did a good job to combat Balint, including a devastating right cross in the third round. One of the tightest ones to call all night, it was Santarelli who advanced to face Amorosa in the final.
179lb Semifinal 1: Cole “Schlops” Peters def. Matthew “Derf” Langenderfer
This was arguably the best fight of the night. It was Langenderfer who got off to a flyer, using his reach to close down space when necessary, before Peters struck back to send him to the deck. After Langenderfer made it back to his feet, he found himself down again moments later after another huge shot from Peters. With the fight seemingly over, Peters continued his onslaught, putting some strong combinations together. It was then that Langenderfer came to life, showing some incredible spirit after a tough close quarters encounter. With the Siegfried crowd coming alive, Peters launched another flurry of punches, but this time ended up hitting the deck himself after being on the receiving end of a deadly right cross from Langenderfer. A heated exchange in the corner caused the whole ring to shake as the two men gave every punch all their might. With tension rising and emotion boiling over, the final bell rang to put an end to a truly incredible fight, with Peters holding his hands up in celebration. He was right to be confident, taking the victory and booking his place in the final.
179 lb. Semifinal 2: Andrew “Molotov” Molinsky def. Ben “Thunder Jaw” McVeigh
Both men were protected their heads well, only able to land shots to the stomach. After a cautious first round, the fight began to open up a little with Molinsky dodging beautifully as both men remained controlled. The third round was where the fight came alive, but neither fighter could really grasp the fight by the scruff of the neck, with it being anyone’s guess as to which way the judges would swing. Much to the delight of the Sorin College crowd, they leant the way of Molinsky.
182 lb. Semifinal 1: John “The Third” Christoforetti def. Luke “The Pres” O’Connor
This was a really even and impressive fight, with both men landing some excellent hits. It then stalled out a little, both men biding their time before Christoforetti struck with a right hook. O’Connor was defending Christoforetti’s advances well, and then in the third round the fight came alive. Punches were flying back and forth, but it was Christoforetti who seemed to be landing the cleaner hits. Much to the dismay of the Morrissey Manorites, they saw their president fall short as the judges went the way of Christoforetti.
182 lb. Semifinal 2: Gil “WWGD” Gagnon def. Michael “The Honeybadger” Heffernan
It was cagey affair in the other 182-pound semifinal, with neither fighter being able to put much together, other than a strong right hook from Heffernan. It stayed a controlled and cautious fight into the second and third rounds, with both men landing punches but neither getting a decisive blow. Again, it was a tough fight to call, but it was Gagnon who advanced.
188 lb. Semifinal 1: Thomas “Tank Engine” Rotatori def. Eddie “The Godfather” Giuntini
The 188-pound weight category got off to a strong start, with two heavy hitting powerhouses clashing. Punches flew back and forth as both men took some big hits, until Giuntini gave it everything to launch some huge combinations which came up fruitless, and Rotatori was able to capitalize on this by landing a big right cross. In the third, both fighters remained composed, with big swings not landing, other than another right hand from Rotatori, which was enough to earn him the victory.
188 lb. Semifinal 2: Michael “Deagle” Nilsen def. PJ “Hot Girl” Summers
Another excellent nickname matchup on display here as Nilsen and Summers ended the night in style. Nilsen landed some effective combinations, and Summers got a roar from the crowd with a thumping right hook. Nilsen wasn’t able to get through Summers’ defense to the face, so he looked to the body instead, willed on by the O’Neill Hall faithful. Summers continued to apply pressure, but seemed unable to keep up with Nilsen’s intensity, leaving himself exposed to a very effective Nilsen jab which worked over and over en route to the victory.
199 lb. Semifinal 1: Steven “Showtime” Vanden Novan def. Leonard “Meatball” Siegal
With half of the ROTC cadets standing in his corner, support was strong for Siegal in this one. He came out with some aggressive attacks, but ended worse off after Vanden Novan replied with a thumping right hand. Siegal, under pressure now, was dodging well on the back foot, still landing some successful punches, although it was Vanden Novan who landed the better hits in the third to tilt the scales and come away victorious.
199 lb. Semifinal 2: William “B.O.A” Johnson def. Bear “44 35” Swan
After a tense faceoff, it was Swan who landed the cleaner of the punches to start, despite a really impressive mix of technique and composure on display from both. A hard-hitting exchange kicked off the second, with a strong 1-2 from Swan followed by a lethal right hook by Johnson. Johnson then hit his flow on the attack, sending Swan stumbling with a right cross, jab and left hook combo, to take the win.
Heavyweight Semifinal 1: Ryan “The Original Gentleman” Davey def. JP “Jackpot” Nadreau
Davey got off to a flying start over Nadreau, putting him in the corner with a nice combination. It was a very even second round, as both men landed some clean shots in spite of slight hesitation; although, again, it was Davey applying more pressure. Nadreau improved in the third, finding the cleaner punches as the affair remained controlled, but it wasn’t enough to stop Davey from progressing to Purcell.
Heavyweight Semifinal 2: Ijeh “Golden Child” Nwaezeapu def. Jacob “Slingshot” Cruz
It was always going to be a tough one for Cruz against two-time champion Nwaezeapu, who lived up to his reputation and showed why he’s earned his title. Nwaezeapu landed huge blow after huge blow, taking any slither of a chance handed to him and capitalizing on it. His speed was incredible and the power in every punch could be felt outside the ring. Cruz tried to use his reach to his advantage, but the speed of Nwaezeapu left him helpless. Cruz landed a nice combination to start the third and put in an excellent showing against a really high caliber opponent.
Alongside the captains, medical staff and coaches, the men of Duncan Hall provided exceptional support all night to help stage the event. The finals of the 96th annual Bengal Bouts will be held at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.
