CES Boxing lights up Mohegan – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter – with Thomas James Cook, and John Lang, photographer

Photo, top: Gonzalez, left – Morales, right

Burchfield’s Boxing road show lit up the Mohegan Suns arena on Saturday, June 15^th. The fighting Game may have been altered and rearranged throughout the years, but Jimmy Burchfield, really knows how to display the fine art of Boxing for everyone to see. The capacity crowd that showed up at the Mohegan Sun on Saturday, June 15^th was testimony that the sport of fighting is as popular as it has ever been.

The evening started with the amateur bouts of fighters who hope to climb the ladder to become professionals. USA Boxing’s sanctioned “Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Invitational” amateur boxing event featuring the future of boxing in New England. This under card warmed up the crowd before the pros took the stage. In this part of the evening’s card, most of the crowd consisted of friends and family members cheering on their fighter in hopes that the fighter would win their respected bout and advance their dream to become a professional. As the saying goes, “you have to start somewhere!”

The crowd grew as the professionals were about to take the center ring, and the buzz around the ring grew louder as supporters of each fighter entered the arena. In no particular order in the amateur bouts, fighters faced off with each other. For each, a victory will pave the way for them to continue their quest. A loss will present them time to reflect on their future and reevaluate if this is the best primary career path.

As the professional fighters took the ring, it was evident that these fighters were seasoned and came from all over the world. For some a victory would advance them up the ladder and the chance for larger pay-days and eventually a shot at a title bout.

The first of the eleven bouts of the evening was a Bantamweight, 4-round contest between Joseph Chisholm from Stamford, Connecticut, making his professional debut against Connor Clark from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who was also making his pro debut. Chisholm scored a TKO 47 seconds into the bout for his first professional career win.

The next bout was a 4-round Heavyweight fight that had Chad Leoncello (1-2-1 with one KO) from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts going up against Victor Hugo-Costa (1-2) from Woburn, Massachusetts. Hugo-Costa dominated the first round and ended the fight at the beginning of the 2^nd round with a TKO. In the third fight of the evening, the two fighters were Bantamweights that were going to have a 6-round bout. Taran Ward from St. Louis, MO (2-9 with one KO), was taking on Carlos Venegas Nunez from Port Chester, NY (7-1 with 6 KO’s), Venegas Nunez won the fight in the 3^rd round on a TKO. The evenings under card continued with a 200 lb bout between Stamford’s Slawomir Bohdziewicz (4-0 3 KO’s) stopping Revere, MA’s Lenoard Ladeira (4-10 4 KO’s) with a unanimous decision in a uneventful fight.

As each bout moved along toward the headliners and main event, the crowd continued to be entertained by the energy that each fighter brought into the ring. The 6-round Super Featherweight fight featured Iman Lee (10-0, 6 KO’s) from Yonkers, NY taking on St. Louis, MO’s Anthony Eliotti (4-1, 4 KO’s). Lee won the bout in the 5^th round due to 3 body punches that knocked Eliotti down to the canvas; at that point Lee was declared the winner. In the 142 lb bout, Waterbury, CT’s Mike Kimbel (6-0, 4 KO’s) facing of against Ian Garcia (3-1-2, 2 KO’s). Kimbel won the fight on a unanimous decision and didn’t allow Garcia to throw any combinations keeping his thrown punches to single wild punches or jabs. Next up was Tommy Hyde from Cork, Ireland who brought his (8-0, 5 KO) record. To take on Noah Kidd (8-9-2, KO’s) of Jefferson City, MO. The bout started off with both fighters going after the other aggressively. Hyde was able to end the bout in the final seconds of the 4^th round of their scheduled 8-round fight.

The final four bouts of this CES Boxing presentation, “Championship Jackpot 2024” were about to begin and by the crowd’s reaction, promoter Burchfield once again brought a quality product to every boxing fan that was in attendance. The 8-round Super Lightweight battle between Jeffery Torres (13-2, 6 KO’s) from New Haven, CT and Buffalo, NY’s Charlie Garner (6-3, 5 KO’s). The grip and grab bout was decided at the end of the 4^th round when Torres knocked Garner down twice with a left hook followed by a combination of punches. The second knock down ended the fight.

The next bout was between Kandi Wyatt from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (13-6, 3 KO’s) against crowd favorite Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt from Warwick, RI (25-7-2, 17 KO’s). The scheduled 8-round bout was ended in the 8^th round when Clampitt’s corner threw in the towel. Although the older Clampitt showed flashes of her younger glory days, the aggressiveness of Wyatt, and youth, proved to be too much for Clampitt.

The next bout was a 10-round Flyweight title fight for the NABF Flyweight Championship. The bout matched Angel Gonzalez (14-0, 7 KO’s) from Hartford, CT and Josue Morales (28-14-4, 10 KO’s) from Houston, TX. The fight was evenly fought throughout the bout. The action was consistent and lively, and the decision could have gone to either fighter. In the end it came down to the scorecards of the officials. The scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93 for the new NABF Flyweight Champion Angel Gonzalez who took home the championship belt.

The final fight of the evening had Brian Damian Chavez (14-5, 5 KO’s), from San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina taking on Chordale Booker (23-1, 10 KO’s) from Stamford, CT. in a 10 round middleweight fight. Booker won the bout by TKO. Scoring two knock downs in the second round and a third in the third round ending the fight.

As for the fighters on the evening’s card, there were dreams that would continue to live on for another day, another fight, and for others, maybe a dose of reality. But for each of the participants who laced up the gloves, climbed into the bright lights of the ring, and took their shot, whether they won or loss, each fighter stepped in that ring knowing that they took their shot and that’s all they could have asked for.

And the crowd appreciated all their skill and dedication to their sport.

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Thomas James Cook, and John Lang, photographer, both attended Cranston East. Cook played on East’s the winning football team with the 2006 Division II Championship. Lang played on the Cranston East Baseball team. Both are avid boxing and MMA fighting fans.

John Cardullo, Sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His Sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school Sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West Football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant Football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF Football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice” which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends on a weekly basis in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com.