Ladies Represent at the Mike Tyson Invitational III at Foxwoods

(OCT 26) Making its debut on the east coast Saturday night, the Mike Tyson Invitational crowned 21 champions at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Male and female boxers, ranging in age from 9 to 24, were extra motivated, not only because the event and the championship belts bear �Iron� Mike�s name, but also due to the pro-like production value, and the fact it was live streamed on Fight Sports, a streaming app for combat sports.

Photo: Candice DeJesus (left) Zuri "TooSlick" Coles (right)

�I liked all the scenery, the walk-out (which featured theatrical smoke), the way it made me feel,� said Candice DeJesus, who won a unanimous three-round decision over Zuri �TooSlick� Coles, in their 88-pound, 12-13 year old intermediate bout.

A day ahead of the Mike Tyson Invitational III, there was a financial workshop, a press conference, open workouts and face-offs, all in front of traditional and social media outlets. Tyson and top women�s fighter Katie Taylor pitched in, holding mitts at times for boxing�s future stars.

Eleven-year-old Alison Saucedo, out of the Ortiz Boxing Gym, in Bridgeport, CT, lost a three-round decision to the eventual female Fighter of the Night, Milany �Honey Bee� Moss Vasquez.

Photo: Milany "Honey Bee" Moss Vasquez (left) - Alison Saucedo (right)

Vasquez, who registered a standing 8-count in the second frame, used her height, reach, southpaw stance and greater experience � nine bouts compared to four for Saucedo �too ff set Saucedo�s efforts.

Photo: Alison Saucedo

�It�s a good thing though,� said Carlos Nieves, Saucedo�s trainer. �We went up against an experienced girl, which is just going to give her more experience.�

Nieves said the Invitational will help Saucedo for the future.

�It was the first time she�s ever fought in a big event,� he said. �We were supposed to go to the nationals (Kansas City Silver Gloves) last year. She had won the regionals, but because her parents couldn�t travel with me, due to work, I couldn�t take her to nationals, so this is really her first big event.�

Saucedo may have lost her bout (11-12, 70 lbs.), but she definitely wasn�t feeling down. She got to meet Katie Taylor, her favorite fighter, during the open workouts on Friday. And it wasn�t just a meeting, or a quick exchange of pleasantries.

Taylor held the mitts for her and also gave her some gloves she signed, as well as a Mike Tyson Invitational T-shirt.

�That was really big for her. She was so excited about that,� said Nieves.

In DeJesus� bout against Stokes, the first round was a toss-up, but then she seemed to earn rounds two and three. Her father and coach, �Loco,� told her after the opening round that she needed to step it up.

�She usually fights two minute rounds, but they made these rounds a minute-and-a-half,� he said. �She was kind of used to the two minutes, so going into the second round, I said, �You�ve got to let your hands go a little more.� More activity, that�s all.�

Photo: Coles (left) vs. DeJesus (right)

DeJesus, who was 9-1 going into the Invitational, was facing a much more experienced opponent, as Coles, who trains out of Rivera Boxing Club in Springfield, MA, was 18-1 heading into Saturday�s match-up.

�It was a good test for my daughter,� said Loco, who trains his daughter himself. �She passed the test. She did good and she won rounds two and three clear, and she stuck to the plan and did her job.

He added that DeJesus can best be described as a �great counter-puncher.�

�She has good timing. She knows her distance well. She�s more of a boxer counterpuncher. She�s not going to sit there and brawl and brawl, like Rock �Em, Sock �Em Robots,� Loco said.

DeJesus said the pro treatment gave her a �lot of motivation.�
�The tournament felt like an honor to me, to be here,� said DeJesus. �Especially meeting Mike Tyson, Katie Taylor, Oscar Valdez and others. So it really made me feel special, and kind of like I belonged here.�

A day after her big win, DeJesus and her family were celebrating at the casino pool, with plans to frequent Sugar Factory and possibly Seven Brew, a coffee shop known for its extensive drink customization.

DeJesus aspires to be a professional boxer one day, but� I really hope to be on the Elite team or the Olympic team, so that�s my goal right now.�

As for her final thoughts on the Mike Tyson Invitational, she said, �I�m just really grateful for the experience. I�m really happy that I was invited, and it�s just truly an honor to be here, and that I get to showcase my skills in front of Mike Tyson and a bunch of other famous boxers.�

Loco was impressed as well.

�This is one of the best shows I�ve been to, and we�ve been to seven other national tournaments,� he said. �This is my favorite. I pick this over the nationals.�

Photo: Tae'yonna Lawrence raises hand in defeat over Kimberly Zempoaltecatl

In other female action, 16-year-old Tae�yonna �Pitbull� Lawrence, of the New Generation Boxing Club out of Toledo, OH, won a unanimous three-round decision (114 lbs.) over Kimberly Zempoaltecatl, of Newburgh Hook Elite Boxing Club.

The two combined to create the Fight of the Night. There were moments of holding, as well as a wrestling takedown in the second round by Lawrence, but when punches landed, it was fireworks.

�I love boxing because it gives me an outlet,� said Lawrence, who added it was a �surreal feeling� fighting in front of the Mike Tyson.
�Five years from now I either want to be on the USA team or going pro,� she said.

Though Katie Taylor just retired, she remembers a time growing up in Ireland when young girls couldn�t become amateur boxers. In fact, she was involved in the first official female bout in that country, in 2001. She subsequently won Olympic gold in 2012, became a superstar professional and became a role model.

�Tonight was an amazing night,� said Taylor at the conclusion of the Mike Tyson Invitational III, of which she was part of the broadcast team. �To see so much young talent, it was phenomenal. These young girls are going to take over the world. These young girls are part of my legacy. I�m very, very happy with that.�

She added, �It�s amazing. The greatest part of this whole journey is seeing all these amazing female fighters, and the talent they showed tonight was the best I�ve ever seen, so I�m very excited about the future of women�s boxing.�

WBAN [womenboxing.com] would like to thank Mike Tyson�s staff (especially Jo Migs), local liaison Aurelia Bejenaru, of Cus Boxing Gym, and Foxwoods� Dayna Mendolia (Theater Manager and Entertainment Coordinator), for allowing and assisting us to cover this event, and for straightening out an e-ticket �Invalid� barcode matter at the box office.

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