Semi-Finals 2013 NCBA College Boxing Tourney at Foxwoods

NCBA Tourney Semi-Final Recap

By Alex Pierpaoli

Originally posted at BillyCBoxing.com

Last night Foxwoods Resort & Casino hosted Day Two of the 2013 National College Boxing Association Championship in the Fox Theater. The crowd was small but enthusiastic and they were rewarded with twenty-four exciting contests.

In a tournament like this all of the athletes involved are geared-up to win and it’s no surprise that almost every bout is action-packed. Combine that with the 3 2-minute round format of the bouts and you end up with boxers who need to work and work right now at the sound of that opening bell. Overall, that’s exactly what fans have seen over the course of days one and two of the tournament. The finals begin tonight at 7pm eastern and we’ll be covering them live via Twitter from ringside.

Read on for a recap of last night’s bouts based on our tweets but cleaned up and made more reader-friendly for fans that are less familiar with social media.

Bout 1, 112lbs, West Point's Kyle Kirayama won round number 1 versus US Air Force Academy's Andrew Pineda. The second round was closer but it looked like the West Point boxer still landed the cleaner blows. Both guys are busy but missing a lot, both mostly throwing head punches only. In the third, these 2 are exhausted, Kirayama's arms are moving at half the speed they were in round number 1. Pineda takes the 3rd but overall it’s close, heated action. Winner of bout 1 of the semi-final round is Andrew Pineda of the USAF Academy. That busy third round must have put him ahead on the cards.

Bout 2 features 112 pounders, Richard Gonong, of the US Naval Academy, versus Vikromjit Parmar, of Penn State University. Gonong, a southpaw, came on in the second half of the 1st, which both men landing
with their power hands; Parmar controlled first 20 seconds. In the 1st min of 2nd they box in typical amateur looking style, each man reaching in with quick bursts of straight shots and quickly withdrawing out of punching range, by round's end both are grappling. The 2nd round likely went to the Navy boxer, though it was close. But Vikromjit Parmar of Penn State landed repeatedly with a chopping right uppercut and controlled 3rd. The officials tab Parmar the winner and he advances.

Bout 3 pits Brandon Knox, of East Carolina University, versus Dave Martinez, of Penn State, 119 pounds, semi-final. Knox led for much of the 1st half of the opening round but with just about 15 seconds to go Martinez cornered him and scored with a heavy flurry. Both men exchanging heavy punches in round 2, but Martinez lands harder and scores a standing 8 count; the ref takes Knox to the corner for a head guard adjustment. Round two belonged to Penn State. But this last round is going to be heated!

Martinez takes a knee in the 3^rd when his head guard comes loose and despite a complaint from the boxer the ref scores it as a knockdown, which unlike in the pros, here it equals a single landed punch. Both fighters swing for the fences after the bout continues knowing how close the scores must be. When the decision comes, it’s Dave Martinez, of Penn State, advancing and Brandon Knox can certainly keep his head held high in a gutsy, close defeat.

Bout number 4, at 119 pounds, pits Army vs. Navy in West Point's Ceon Harris facing US Naval Academy's Carlos Perez. At the bell, Perez comes roaring out of his corner, firing away at Ceon Harris. Both men are scoring, soon Harris finds the range and blasts Perez, scoring a standing 8 count. And another head guard comes loose and needs to be re-tied, this time on Perez. Yesterday, Ceon Harris was clearly holding back because he looks terrific right now, another big round for West Point. Harris is very talented.

Perez was badly outgunned & bloodied but he was tenacious. All of these young men have lots of future options but Ceon Harris really has the look of a professional prize-fighter. Ceon Harris advances to tomorrow night's 119 pound final & Carlos Perez should get some sort of Grace & Grit Under Fire Award.

Bout number 5, 125 pounders, Roy Taylor, of USAF Academy, versus UNLV's Jay Doh. An interesting clash of styles here; Doh is shorter and fights in a crouching and weaving manner, while Taylor is longer of limb and taller and comes forward very quickly. Taylor found the range on Doh in the second and stung him with a heavy right from outside several times. Good head-movement from Doh in round three especially, but he has to reach up to connect with Taylor's face and the effort is showing on him; Taylor landed sporadically in the final frame. The decision win goes to Roy Taylor of the US Air Force Academy and he advances to the 125 pound final tomorrow night

Bout 6, pitting Army versus Navy, at 125 pounds, Jeramias Ortiz of the US Military Academy at West Point vs. Jorge Rodriguez of the US Naval Academy. Excellent body punching from the West Point fighter in 1st; Rodriguez has to be feeling those blasts to both sides of the belly from Ortiz. The body blows have really sapped the strength of Rodriguez and he's barely throwing punches back by round's end. Ortiz' body punching is marvelous, the cracks against Ortiz’ sides drawing winces and “oooos” from the crowd. But wait, Ortiz earns a standing 8 count in the third after a heavy right hand thumps against the face of Rodriguez; and then wow another 8 count!! Those each only count as a single blow landed but no doubt Jorge Rodriguez is one tough customer. You don’t see someone take that many solid body shots without showing any sign of being hurt. The decision is no surprise, Jeramias Ortiz of West Point wins and advances to tomorrow night's final. Army 2, Navy nothing, so far.

Bout 7, 132 pounders, Jacob Berggren of US Air Force Academy vs. Josh Lopez of UMASS, pitting southpaw vs. southpaw. It’s a close, mostly tactical first, both men looking for openings, feeling each other out. The second round belonged to Lopez who landed his straight left several times, snapping back the head of Berggren. Josh Lopez is the reigning US National champion and it looked like it as he dominated Berggren over the 3 round distance. Lopez advances to the Finals tomorrow where he'll defend his title.

Bout 8, 132 pounds, Kevin Jones of West Point versus Jared Santos of University of Nevada Reno. Wow, that was an action-packed first round, very close, both guys landed repeatedly, neither with too much power, lots of speedy shots. Jones is the quicker fighter but Santos' blows are heavier and he's landing better in 2nd. Jones is wasting energy bouncing; the 2nd belonged to Santos. Let me amend that: Santos landed the harder shots but Jones may have landed more often and that's all you need to win here; it’s about numbers not power. It’s a big 3rd round for Kevin Jones and he may have stolen it with sheer volume and clever angles; he kept turning Santos and stinging him with fast fists. Kevin Jones wins the decision and advances after a very close exciting bout that really could have gone either way; had it been a pro-fight Santos definitely wins.

Bout 9, 139 pounds, Dave Montz, of Penn State, versus Gabriel Sanchez, of San Jose State University. The relentless Gabriel Sanchez pressured Dave Montz throughout round one, driving him into a neutral corner and pelting him with either hand. Sanchez seemed to smother a lot of his own punches in the second, staying too close inside on Montz and without enough punching room. But he’s still leading in landed punches. The third is fought at close quarters and Montz did land a few decent blows in there but Sanchez dominated. The decision goes to San Jose State University's Gabriel Sanchez and he advances to the final.

Bout 10, 139lbs, Emmanuel Osei, of the US Military Academy at West Point, versus JJ Mariano, of University of Nevada Reno. Good action in round number one, these two boxers are well-matched but very different in physicality. Mariano has a leaner, slighter build, while Osei is more compact with a thickly-muscled torso. This is a very heated contest; Osei landed several heavy jolts, while Mariano is unable to use his slight reach and height advantage due to Osei's speed and attack. Mariano had a decent third, landing straight shots inside the wider blows of Osei, but was it enough to recover from rounds 1 and 2? When the decision is announced Emmanuel Osei of West Point comes away with the victory in by far the closest contest of the night so far. That's gotta be a heartbreaker of a loss for Mariano.

Bout 11, 147 pounds, the US Naval Academy's Mike Mourafetis versus the United States Coast Guard Academy's Norberto Perez. Mourafetis landed more often in round number one. Perez needs to get himself some punching room against his pressing, rushing opponent. There’s lots of grappling towards the end of the first. It’s a much better second round for Perez who scores with the best punch of the fight, a major league right uppercut to chin of southpaw Mourafetis. This crowd was really into that very close but ugly fight. There are big cheering sections here for both men. I have to think Perez may have squeaked out a win but we'll see… The Coast Guard prevails, much to the delight of the crowd here! Norberto Perez advances, and it’s a tough loss for Mourafetis who was in it from the start.

Bout 12, 147 pounds, Sebastian Mims, of West Point, against the US Air Force Academy's Glenn Miltenberg. In my notes yesterday this observer described Mims as looking "De La Hoya-esque". Granted those are big shoes to fill, but he showed a left-hook dominant speedy stand up boxing style with a masterful sense of measuring distance that looked very similar to the Golden Boy’s style. But tonight Mims is channeling a very different yet equally proficient style. Clearly he enjoys what he does as he lands bursts of shots and rolls away, scoring with either hand and making his opponent pay with sharp counters. Rounds one and two are all Mims and Miltenberg is trying hard but coming up short and paying for it. In the second Mims scores a standing 8 count and continues reddening the face of Miltenberg; Mims is the goods. In the final frame Mims lands the bolo shot with the right, he cracks Miltenberg with a left hook & gets another standing 8. Mims is speedy, elusive and dangerous and like West Pointer Ceon Harris he is another boxer with a possible future as a prize-fighter. The decision is another win for West Point and credit goes to Miltenberg for hanging in there under a pretty serious thumping from Mims.

It’s lucky bout number 13, 156 lbs, US Coast Guard Academy's Jamen DesCartes versus Noah Weintraub, of the US Naval Academy. At this weight when these fighters land it’s visibly and audibly different than when the smaller guys connect. In round one both men mean business and are landing heavy shots. The aggressive southpaw, Jamen DesCartes scores a standing 8 count and then the first knockdown of the night off a big right hook. There’s lots of blood coming from the nose of Weintraub, who clearly had his bell rung in the first. In the second the doctor is called up to look at the nose of Weintraub and he allows the fight to continue. This is the third Navy boxer showing an amazing amount of grit and determination despite a bleeding nose, reddening face and a big punching foe. If Weintraub finishes this bout versus DesCartes he's got a lot to be proud of; but he's actually mounting a rally here in round three. Could we be seeing a comeback?? Noah Weintraub may have just gotten himself back into the fight. He won the 3rd big and if he outlanded DesCartes overall he'll advance. He did! Noah Weintraub pulled it out! The judges see Weintraub as the victor. DesCartes just didn't do anything in round three and he left the door wide open for the gutsy Weintraub to sneak on through.

Bout 14, 156 pounds, Zach Hildebrandt, of the US Military Academy at West Point, versus Colin Schmitt, of the University of California Davis. Hildebrandt opens the first throwing mean hard shots, like all of these West Pointers, who clearly mean business and are here to do work. Hildebrandt is in control but Schmitt is still putting up a busy effort. Good action in that 156 pound contest, Schmitt controlled the third but it’s likely Hildebrandt did enough in rounds 1 & 2. Another win for West Point, Zach Hildebrandt gets the decision and advances to the finals tomorrow.

Bout 15, John Mejia, of West Point, versus Denis Vorobyov, of the US Air Force Academy, 165 pounders. This is a very close evenly-matched fight; Mejia is a bit shorter and Vorobyov is using his longer arms to keep Mejia just a bit out of range. Good action and busy fists from both guys through 2. Vorobyov, of the USAF Academy, had a big third and may have secured the win. When the decision comes Denis Vorobyov gets the win and moves on to tomorrow night's final.

Bout 16, 165 pounds, Sean Hunt, of the US Naval Academy, battles Josh Surgeon, of the US Coast Guard Academy in an all-Sea combat bout. Surgeon comes charging out of his corner and both guys scored standing eight counts in an explosive round 1! Josh Surgeon has a big cheering section and they were quieted by the end of the first. But the slugging continues. Hunt is able to land a big left-right that makes Surgeon hesitate outside just a moment in round two. Both men are landing big blasts. With the last round coming up the fight is on the table here for either guy... Surgeon’s a hooking machine! If things got dicey here at 1 of Foxwoods fine pubs or eateries the guy I’d want on my side is rough-and-tough, wild-swinging Josh Surgeon. His all action, pressuring, mostly throwing-haymakers style is a hit with the officials too and he advances to the finals.

Bout 17, 175 pounds, Josh Quintana, of West Point, versus James Kashmere, of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. And again we’ve got a thrilla of an action-fight! Good first round for the West Point boxer. Their team is really top notch.

There’s lots of blood from the nose of Quintana but it's not bothering him in the slightest. Kashmere still in this in the third but Josh Quintana is scoring with heavy hands. At the finish it’s clear that was a maximum effort from Quintana, whose mouth hangs open in exertion. But it looks like it probably paid off. Kashmere had his moments but not enough of them. And when the decision is read it’s another win for the gentlemen from West Point! Josh Quintana gets the victory and moves on to the finals.

Bout 18, 175 pounders, Taylor Tennyson, of the US Coast Guard Academy, versus Jourdan Looney, of the US Naval Academy. Tennyson blasts across the ring at the opening bell! These Coast Guard boxers come roaring out of their corners like their foes are speed boats full of contraband that need to be urgently commandeered. But by the end of the first Looney has gotten himself some distance and is scoring. Tennyson, the shorter, stockier fighter is pressing the action but the taller, wiry Looney is meeting his aggression with very good blasts of his own. The Coast Guard Academy, located nearby in New London, CT, has come out in force to support their team and they are letting TT hear them. After three closely contested rounds, both men are blowing, mouths wide-open, as they wait for the decision. And Taylor Tennyson picks up the victory sending his fans into loud paroxysms of applause after a very good close fight that went their way.

Bout 19, 185 lbs, Phillip Mays, of the US Air Force Academy, versus Josue Gaytan, of University of Nevada Reno. The intensity is a little less here, probably because these guys are both quick and strong and can do serious damage with each shot; Gaytan took the second round, the first was close. The University of Nevada Reno's Josue Gaytan gets the decision win in a close bout that really heated up in the final frame.

Bout 20, 185 pound, Liam Spellane, of Indiana University of Pennsylvania versus Jacob Conley of West Point. Liam Spellane seemed to get a few more punches to the target in round one but it was close. Conley landed a good flurry along the ropes toward the end of the 2nd but it's Spellane who is more consistent, using straight hard shots throughout. Conley probably took up some of the slack in the final round but it’s likely Spellane was far enough ahead. We'll see... When the decision is announced Spellane does what not many guys have done and that's defeat a West Point boxer. Liam Spellane advances to the finals

Bout 21, 195 pounds, Jon Maddux, of West Point, versus Gytenis Borusas, of US Air Force Academy. Jon Maddux landing more often and with power in the first round; he's bloodied the nose of Borusas in the second. That was a good one between two big men who can clearly do some damage. At the finish this observer is leaning towards the West Pointer although the USAF put up a really gritty effort. The officials see West Point taking another one, Jon Maddux advances in the 195 pound division.

In bout 22 we’ve got your big boys! Heavyweights, Olawale Lawal, of the USAF Academy, versus John Zemrose, of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Zemrose landed a nice shot to the belly of Lawal that made him grunt loudly in round number one. Good opening frame for the Indiana University fighter. Really exciting action here in this heavyweight contest and you don't usually see this many punches thrown in a pro-heavyweight bout, for sure!! Lawal had a much better second; both guys are fighting tall and using lots of hard straight punches. It’s a close contest and the US Air Force Academy's Olawale Lawal gets the win and advances in the Heavyweight class.

And fittingly it’s Army VS Navy again in the final bout of the evening, bout 23, Heavyweights, Max Goldwasser, of the US Naval Academy, versus Mikus Igaunis of West Point. Very good first round for the Navy boxer who gave Igaunis lots of movement and didn't let him set-up. Goldwasser needs to keep this up throughout. Igaunis is a good puncher but he can’t get to the target as the southpaw, Goldwasser really controlling the action through two rounds. Igaunis needs to rally in the third, but Goldwasser's intensity and focus are impressive. When it’s over it’s pretty clear Goldwasser just boxed the hell out of Mikus Igaunis who was never able to deal with the movement or the southpaw style of his opponent. Max Goldwasser is tabbed the official victor and he advances to the Finals tomorrow night. In the Army vs. Navy theme of the night, it’s 2-1 Army, overall.

Recap of Day One, Recap of Day Three