Saturday Feb. 7, 2009

What an exciting night. Great opening for the 2009 year celebrated at the Black Eye Brantford Boxing Club's fight show. Terrific crowd...a little rowdy & very supporting to the hometown boxers, but terrific just the same.

The smiling volunteers with the Black Eye Boxing Club were there working their usual posts. Nice to see Pro boxers Paul Watson, Isaac Maich & Dan Slezsak, along with coaches Jack Armour & heard the voice of Duncan Amos & of course, coaching from the corner was Bill Williams. Course, he's always fighting the boxer's fights in the corners. Former Canadian Pro boxer Mario Lechowski & current reigning Canadian Pro Heavy Weight Champion, Raymond Olubowale were there supporting the OBA as usual. OBA shows always bring out the best of the best. It was great to see Primetime coach & boxer there, keeping Mike's dream alive.

The opening match had Hamilton's Namah Daghir in the 105 lb division displaying his ability with King Street's Nicholas Ritchie. Namah "The Charger", was a good opponent for Ritchie who was just a little shy until it came to Nicholas getting used to the crowd. These young fellas were a great introduction for the remainder of the fights.

Bout 2 featured hometown's Amber Williams in the 130 lb division against Natalie Grguric from Lakeview in Goderich. Amber is a fine technician & Natalie knows no reverse. Natalie is a strong opponent who shows improvement each time she boxes.

Bout 3 featured 2 new-comers. Counter Punch's Anna Dabrowska from Toronto against Boomerz/London, Anne Shannon in the 130 lb division. These ladies were non-stop punching from the sound of the bell to the ending of the bout. They just kept punching even though neither could barely lift their arms. Salute to them for their endurance & great performance. Two good girls that we should hear a lot more about.

Bout 4 featured Derek Charbonneau from Golden Tiger in Hanover at 130 lbs. against Bland's Bryan Terreberry from Fort Erie. This bout was action filled with neither boxer giving an inch. Each vied for the gold & used every technique they could muster. Both very strong & durable boxers.

Bout 5 showed Phil Assuncio from the host club against Ralf Numsen from Bland's in Fort Erie. Talk about trimming up & gaining a physique, well just look at Phil who has lost & shifted weight to now support a sleek physique. Now, as for the bout...this was nothing short of a slug fest. A bloodied nose made the bout the messiest bout of the night but didn't stop the boxer. Ralf showed great determination throughout. The winner had to really work for that win.

Bout 6 featured Scott "The Bullet" Eliott from Primetime, Oakville against Steve "Lionheart" Rainford from Boomerz, in London. Scott used his speed & dynamic combinations against the power of Steve who has the heart of a lion. Steve is fairly new to the boxing scene & has shown some good power and a good contender.

Bout 7 had Loyalist, Belleville's boxer Jesse LeRiche in a bout against Old School's Anthony Kuznik. Anthony, an active strong boxer used his skills in a lesser mode to work with Jesse in his debut. Jesse was able to use his skills with the help of Anthony. This was a great learning experience for both. Good job.

Bout 8 Brett Boyko from the host club returned to the ring after a 2 year absence & matched against the game Allan Rogers from Golden Tiger in Hanover. This bout went back & forth & each boxer did his best to secure the win. The well matched bout was action filled & a rematch could be held .

Bout 9 was a judge's nightmare. If only there could have been a draw. The judges all agreed that the bout was dead even, absolutely even, but they had to make a decision. Dave Swash from Hamilton against Bobby Sullivan from Golden Tiger in Hanover. What a bout! Neither boxer gave an inch but each kept up the pace to the last second of the 3rd round. A rematch may not solve anything. This bout was even!

Bout 10, the main event featured the tall home town Darren Fletcher, with the frame of a light heavy boxing against Jeremy Abbot from Boone's in Niagara Falls. The ability of both boxers was similar along with hitting power but size may have been a factor. Both boxers displayed their skills to try to secure the win.

Great night! Good bouts! Lots of happy spectators. Good canteen! Great announcing from Gentleman Geoff. The prominent Dr. Joe Falleta from Hamilton with his expertise in boxing is always a bonus for the OBA. Great get together for the coaches & boxers. The officials were: Director of Officials, Bill Hardy; Ref & Judging; Brodie Boone & Raymond Olubowale; judges; Sherry Boone; Shawn Barclay & Jen Barnai.