(MAR 17) SPRINGFIELD, Mass. On March 16, 2018, Team USA defeated Team Ireland, 7-3, last Thursday on the second stop of the three-city 2018 USA vs. Ireland Northeast Boxing Tour, at MassMutual Center MGM Springfield in Massachusetts.

Team USA defeated Team Ireland in team scoring, 8-4, last Monday in the first dual and it also clinched the team title last night, holding a 2-0 advantage with one more match-up to go in the series.

Thursday night's final score was somewhat misleading, though, much more competitive than the final team score may indicate, as the first five matches ended in 2-1 split decisions, all in favor of Team USA.

Gifted California bantamweight Marc Castro won his second straight bout on this tour,defeating George Bates, 2-1, in the Fight of the Night.

Most Outstanding Boxer of the night, Virginia middleweight Troy Isley, the 2017 Elite World Championship bronze medalist, locked up the team victory and series clincher in the seventh match of the night with an up-close-and-personal unanimous decision over game Irish middleweight Gerard French.

The USA vs. Ireland Northeast Boxing Tour concludes Wednesday, Mar. 21 at The Manchester Downtown Hotel in New Hampshire. The action will commence at 7:00 p.m. ET for up to 12 world-class amateur bouts, which will all be live streamed, free of charge, on USA Boxing's website (www.usaboxing.org). Presented by Corona Premium and serving as a fundraiser for another partner of the show, the Manchester PAL Boxing Club, tickets are $20 for general admission, $30 for reserved ringside seats, and available to purchase on Seacoast Ticket Agency's website, www.seacoastticket.com, the official ticket distributor for the event.

Irish heavyweight Kiril Afganasev edged2017 US National bronze medalist Adrian Tillman, 3-0, for the second consecutive time on this tour. The taller Afranasov was too strong inside, once again, for Tillman.

American light heavyweight Khalil Coe decisioned six-time Irish National champion Caoimhin Hynes for the second time in a row by the identical scoring, 3-0, by effectively using his superior height and reach advantage.

Eight-time Irish National Champion Brett McGinty avenged his opening night loss, winning a 2-1 decision against National AAU champion Nikita Ababiy.

Southpaw Paddy Donovan gave Ireland its first win of the night, upsetting Cleveland welterweight Quinton Randall, a 2017 Elite World Championship team member, in the sixth match, by way of the first 3-0 unanimous decision of the evening.

2016 Youth World Champion Delante "Tiger" Johnson took a split decision from Irish light welterweight Caoimhin Ferguson, 2-1.

California light welterweight Charlie Sheehy kept the American freight train rolling, taking a split decision from eight-time Irish National champion Wayne Kelly.

In a rematch of last Monday's match, heavy-handed American welterweight Oshae Jones, a 2017 Elite Women's Continental Championships silver medalist, won a hard-fought split decision over Grainne Walsh for the second time in a row. Jones dropped Walsh in the opening round, but the Irish boxer battled back in another second spirited confrontation.

In the opening match of the evening, Virginia light welterweight Amelia Moore, in her first international bout, upset World Championships silver medalist lightweight Kellie Harrington, 2-1.

Complete individual & team results:


SPRINGFIELD RESULTS

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Kiril Afanasev, Dublin, Ireland
WDEC (3-0)
Adrian Tillman, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Khalil Coe, Jersey, City, New Jersey, USA
WDEC (3-0)
Caoimhin Hynes, Belfast, Ireland

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Brett McGinty, Derry, Ireland
WDEC (2-1)
Nikita Ababiy, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Troy Isley, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
WDEC (3-0)
Gerard French, Anrtim

WELTERWEIGHTS
Paddy Donovan, Limerick
WDEC (3-0)
Quinton Randall, Katy, Texas, USA

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHTS
Tiger Johnson, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
WDEC (2-1)
Caoimhin Ferguson, Atrium

Charlie Sheey, Brisbane, California
WDEC (2-1)
Wayne Kelly, Laois, Ireland

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Marc Castro, Fresno, California, USA
WDEC3 (2-1)
George Bates, Dublin

WOMEN WELTERWEIGHTS
Oshae Jones, Toledo, Ohio, USA
WDEC (2-1)
Grainne Walsh, Offaly, Ireland

WOMEN LIGHTWEIGHTS
Amelia Moore, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
WDEC (2-1)
Kellie Harrington, Dublin, Ireland

USA: 7 IRELAND: 3