“Showtime” Shea Willcox (1-0, 1 KO) made fast work of Travis Crain in the primary occasion with a dominating first-round technical knockout. Referee Jackie Morrell stopped the junior welterweight bout at one minute and forty-two seconds after Crain was dropped for the third time and was in no form to proceed combating.
Photograph: Emily Harney / Fightography
“My efficiency was good, however I might have been higher. I went on the market and did what we labored on. I stayed relaxed and let the struggle come to me as an alternative of going on the market and being wild,” stated the 2024 New England Golden Gloves champion and the match’s Most Excellent Boxer.
The twenty-three-year-old, who made his skilled debut, knocked Crain down from a left-right hook, a straight proper jab, and a proper hook – all in fast succession. Crain dropped to 0-5 and remained sitting on the canvas for a number of minutes, grimacing in ache earlier than he bought up on his personal.
“I by no means let the nerves get to me, however I used to be a bit nervous due to all of the followers that got here to see me, however I cherished each second of it. I’m so grateful for all my followers for popping out to see me struggle,” stated Willcox, who had all the crowd loudly shouting and cheering him on. “I wish to have one other struggle throughout the subsequent few months and attempt to keep as energetic as attainable.”
Granite Chin Promotions promoted “Battle Night time on the Vets Membership 2” with a sold-out crowd on the Bridgewater Veterans Membership in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The primary occasion and the three undercard bouts had been taped stay and might be posted this week on the Bridgewater (BTV) YouTube web page.
Granite Chin Promotions could have two extra boxing playing cards this yr. On November 1st on the DCU Heart in Worcester, Massachusetts, undefeated Denzel Whitley takes on one-loss Josniel Castro in the primary occasion in a battle of two of the very best tremendous welterweights in New England. Then, on November twenty seventh, the day earlier than Thanksgiving, unbeaten heavyweight Kevin Nagle will struggle in the primary occasion in Everett, Massachusetts, in his fifth bout of the yr.
Within the co-feature, Massachusetts middleweight champion Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste (7-4-1, 3 KOs) dominated Ryan Clark (4-6-1, 2 KOs). Nonetheless, he needed to accept an eight-round cut up choice attract a struggle that was not as shut because the scorecards indicated. Decide Joe Apice shockingly had it 78-74 for Clark, Decide Martha Tremblay scored it 77-74 for Baptiste, and Decide Robin Hayes had it 76-76. Baptiste is unbeaten in 4 of his final 5 bouts, together with defeating Clark through a six-round unanimous choice in June 2023, additionally on the Bridgewater Veterans Membership.
Baptiste, whose title was not on the road for this struggle, managed this middleweight bout as he took the struggle to Clark and aggressively chased him across the ring. He landed extra punches, particularly hard-stinging left-right hooks to the physique and stiff jabs to the top, to which Clark had no reply.
Baptiste additionally related on extra energy photographs, which induced Clark’s face to be pink and marked up by the tip of the bout. He opened up a deep lower above Clark’s left eye from a proper hook that started to bleed within the seventh spherical and all through the eighth. The ringside physician seemed on the lower earlier than the eighth spherical however allowed the struggle to proceed. Clark threw extra punches, however lots of them had been blocked by Baptiste, who displayed good protection.
Alfred “Keenan” Raymond (2-10-3) and Daniel “The Hudson Valley Child” Sostre (13-26-2, 5 KOs) battled to a hard-fought four-round cut up choice draw (Decide Hayes had it 39-37 for Sostre, Decide Apice scored it 40-36 for Raymond, and Decide Tremblay had it 36-36). This was an action-packed bout the place each fighters threw continuous punches all through their middleweight struggle.
Raymond threw extra punches and landed the more durable photographs. He lower Sostre’s lip within the second spherical, which bled for the remainder of the struggle. Sostre additionally had a big welt on the left facet of his face by the tip of the bout. Sostre, the previous New York State welterweight champion, was the extra correct, cleaner puncher and bought the higher of the exchanges. His seventeen-bout dropping streak ended, though ten of these losses had been to undefeated fighters.
Brandon Sandoval defeated Stephen Davis through a four-round unanimous choice on the judges’ scorecards (39-37, 39-37, and 39-37). After an in depth first spherical, Sandoval dominated the subsequent three rounds of their light-weight bout, as Davis appeared to tire and his offensive manufacturing dropped considerably.
Sandoval landed extra punches and related on the onerous photographs, particularly to the physique. The ringside physician took a protracted have a look at Davis earlier than the beginning of the fourth spherical however determined that he might proceed to struggle. Sandoval improved to 3-4, 1 KO. He has received three of his final 4 bouts. Davis dropped to 1-4, 1 KO.
