(APR 8) Day 1 of the 84th
Daily News Golden Gloves finals was held before a near capacity
crowd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Two bouts, the
176-pound Women’s Final and the 176+ Pound Women’s Final, were
held on March 25th. Both winning boxers were ceremoniously
issued their golden glove necklace before the night’s
festivities were initiated.
Each below bout was four rounds of two minute duration.
176 lb:
Alicia Napoleon (Mendez Boxing) over Zoe Bennett (Far Rockaway
BC) decision
176+ lb:
Naralie Pacheco (Juan LaPorte BC) over Shanell Mathes (K-2
Boxing) • Previous winners: 2010- Shanell Mathes, 2009-
Sonya Lamonakis
106 lb:
Brittany Delgado (Veterans Memorial) decisions Natalie Gonzalez
(Main St. BC)
The 106-pound women’s final was the first bout scheduled, but
this fist-flying affair should have been the main event. Natalie
Gonzalez, New Rochelle, started fast with combination punching
off of Delgado misses. Brittany Delgado started slowly and
struggled to find her range during the first round. She enjoyed
better success in the second and fourth as she was successful in
cutting off Gonzalez’s movement causing her to exchange along
the ropes and in the corners. In the middle of the ring,
Gonzalez had more success. In the end, the judges awarded it to
Delgado, but the decision was in doubt until the announcement.
• Previous winners: 2010- Laura Ramirez 2009- Ruth O’Sullivan
119 lb:
Misato Kamegawa (Atlas Cops N Kids) decisions Lindsay Tolpa
(Main St. BC)
The night’s second bout featured two boxers with contrasting
styles. Lindsay Tolpa, with an aggressive straight-line attack,
tried with earnest, to force her opponent, Misato Kamegawa, into
close-range exchanges, but enjoyed only spotty success. Kamegawa
countered Tolpa with three punch combinations and efficiently
evaded any return by Tolpa with lateral movement. Tolpa had her
best round in the second when she held battle at close quarters
and finished the round strongly. Kamegawa won the others and
gained the nod from the judges.
• Previous winners: 2010, 2009- Christina Cruz
165 lb:
Christina Jensen (Veteran’s Memorial) decisions Jennifer Egan
(Gleason’s Gym)
In a match featuring the two previous winners in the 165-pound
weight class, Christina Jensen, the 2009 and 2008 winner,
defeated the 2010 winner, Jennifer Egan via decision in an
exciting four. Similar to the 119-pound final, one boxer sought
after close range exchanges whereas the other wanted a long
range boxing match. This time, the in-fighter won out. Christina
Jensen won her third 165-pound title in four years by frequently
slipping inside Egan’s range and landing heavy punches to the
body and head. Egan had her moments on the outside and caught
her overzealous opponent with heavy jabs and occasional right
uppercuts. The final decision was awarded to Jensen, but the
bout was very close. • Previous winners: 2010- Jennifer
Egan, 2009- Christina Jensen
132 lb:
Bertha Aracil (Atlas Cops N Kids) decisions Camille Currie
(Gleason’s Gym)
A star is born! Bertha Aracil, a very smooth operator in the
ring, combined speed, timing, and an extreme sense of range into
an impressive winning effort against the skilled and
experienced, Camille Currie. Both fighters are similar in style,
but Aracil had a significant length advantage and she knew how
to employ this trait. After a rather convincing first round by
Bertha Aracil, Currie increased the pressure in round #2, but
enjoyed only limited success in that round and the remainder of
the bout. There was little doubt when the decision was awarded
to Bertha Aracil.
Bertha Aracil displayed excellent ring generalship employing all
of the above along with subtle boxing skills that are only
learned from superb teaching such as feinting, drawing, and
turning an opponent into punches. She is 28 years of age, but I
think her boxing career will be bright. She has a textbook
amateur style. • Previous winners: 2010,2009- Julie Anne
Kelly
125 lb:
Sylvia Yero (Willis Ave BC) decisions Heather Hardy (Gleason’s
Gym)
Sylvia Yero, 18 years of age, looked like a hurricane for the
first round in a half before her conditioning was challenged
which allowed Heather Hardy to maul her way back into the fight
with a very effective right cross. Hardy appeared to change
tactics after a tough first round that witnessed Yero hit her
flush with numerous multi-punch combinations. Hardy appeared to
feint and follow Yero closing the gap in Yero’s ambushing style
disallowing her long-range position. This maneuver achieved
success during the second and third rounds which witnessed Yero
troubled on occasion by Hardy’s right cross. Yero overcame
fatigue and landed well in the fourth and final round, but did
absorb a fair share of punishment herself. The decision was
awarded to Sylvia Yero, most likely due to her success in rounds
one and four, but Hardy had a shot and the crowd knew it.
Previous winners: 2010- Jody-Ann Weller 2009- Melissa Roberts
Mark A. Jones
