(MAR 22) MANCHESTER, N.H. -
Last night's third and final stop on USA Boxing's 2018 USA vs.
Ireland Northeast Boxing Tour ended in a 4-4 draw at Downtown
Manchester Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire. Team USA won the
team tour title, 2-0-1.
Team USA had won the first two duals of the tour in Boston and
Springfield, respectively, by scores of 8-4 and 7-3.
"We learned from this tour that we're right up there with the
best teams in the world," Team USA head coach Billy Walsh said.
"Team Ireland is a very good, young team. We're going to have a
good team to send to Tokyo (2020 Olympics). I'm proud of my
team. They all worked very hard. We didn't have some of our best
boxers because some were competing in an International
tournament We do have a good crop of 18-19-20 year-olds who will
make up our 2020 Olympic team."
Team Ireland led last night's team scoring, 4-3, going into the
final match of the night, a super heavyweight rematch. The 2016
Youth World Championships bronze medalist Richard Torrez once
again defeated there-time Irish National Champion Dean Gardiner,
Third time was the charm for Brooklyn middleweight Nikita Ababiy,
who broke into the win column with a 3-0 unanimous decision over
Gerard French, keeping the Americans hope alive to deadlock the
final score with one match to go.
In a battle between southpaw welterweights, nine-time Irish
National Champion and World Championships bronze medalist,
Kieron Molloy took a 2-1 split decision over Freudis Rojas, Jr.,
a 10-time national champion and World Championships bronze
medalist.
Irish light welterweight Caoimhin Ferguson won a 2-1 split
decision victory over California light welterweight Charlie
Sheey to give Team Ireland a 3-2 advantage.
Eight-time Irish National champion and European Championships
bronze medalist Wayne Kelley won a 2-1 split decision versus
Cincinnati light welterweight Adrian Benton, the 13-time
national champion making his International match debut.
In his International debut, two-time USA Boxing champion James
Browning won a 2-1 decision over Irish lightweight Francis
Cleary, a nine-time Irish National champion and European
Championships silver medalist, in a very entertaining
lightweight match.
No. 2-rated American middleweight Leah Cooper dropped her
opponent, eight-time National Irish National champion and
European Championships bronze medalist Adolfe Burke, en route to
a 3-0 unanimous decision.
World Championship silver medalist Kellie Harrington defeated
lightweight Stacia Suttles for the second time on the tour by
the identical score, 3-0, giving Team Ireland its first lead of
the tour, albeit temporary, in last night's tour opener.
In a Special Manchester Lightweight novice class match, Michael
Correa (Manchester PAL) defeated Abhisek Thapa (Title Boxing)
when the referee stopped the contest in the opening round.
Complete individual & team results:
MANCHESTER RESULTS
(tour records in parenthesis)
SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS
Richard Torrez, Tulare, California, USA
UDEC (3-0)
Dean Gardiner, Tipperary, Ireland
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Nikita Ababiy (1-2), Brooklyn, New York, USA
UDEC (3-0)
Gerard French (0-2), Antrim, Ireland
WELTERWEIGHTS
Kieron Molloy (2-0), Galway, Ireland
SDEC (2-1)
Freudis Rojas, Jr. (0-1), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHTS
Caoimhin Ferguson (1-1), Antrim, Ireland
SDEC (2-1)
Charley Sheehy (1-1), Brisbane, California, USA
Wayne Kelley (1-1), Westmeath, Ireland
SDEC (2-1)
Adrian Benton (0-1), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
LIGHTWEIGHTS
James Browning (1-0), Tempe, Arizona, USA
SDEC (2-1)
Francis Cleary (0-2, Mayo, Ireland
WOMEN MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Leah Cooper (1-0), Ozone Park, New York, USA
UDEC (3-0)
Aolfe Burke (0-1), Dublin, Ireland
WOMEN LIGHTWEIGHTS
Kellie Harrington (2-0), Dublin, Ireland
UDEC (3-0)
Stacia Suttles (0-2), Bronx, New York, USA
USA: 4
IRELAND: 4
SPECIAL NEW HAMPSHIRE LIGHTWEIGHT NOVICE MATCH
Michael Correa, Manchester PAL, Manchester, NH
WRSC1 (1:41)
Abhisek Thapa, Title Boxing, Manchester, NH
