“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 may have been higher. I went on the market and did what we labored on. I stayed relaxed and let the combat come to me as a substitute of going on the market and being wild,” stated the 2024 New England Golden Gloves champion and the event’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 speedy succession. Crain dropped to 0-5 and remained sitting on the canvas for a number of minutes, grimacing in ache earlier than he received up on his personal.
“I by no means let the nerves get to me, however I used to be just a little nervous due to all of the followers that got here to see me, however I beloved each second of it. I’m so grateful for all my followers for popping out to see me combat,” stated Willcox, who had your entire crowd loudly shouting and cheering him on. “I need to have one other combat inside the subsequent few months and attempt to keep as energetic as doable.”
Granite Chin Promotions promoted “Battle Evening 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 reside and can be posted this week on the Bridgewater (BTV) YouTube web page.
Granite Chin Promotions may have two extra boxing playing cards this yr. On November 1st on the DCU Middle 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 combat 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), nevertheless, he needed to accept an eight-round break up determination attract a combat 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 determination in June 2023, additionally on the Bridgewater Veterans Membership.
Baptiste, whose title was not on the road for this combat, managed this middleweight bout as he took the combat 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 linked on extra energy photographs, which prompted Clark’s face to be crimson and marked up by the tip of the bout. He opened up a deep reduce 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 reduce earlier than the eighth spherical however allowed the combat 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 break up determination 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 combat.
Raymond threw extra punches and landed the more durable photographs. He reduce Sostre’s lip within the second spherical, which bled for the remainder of the combat. Sostre additionally had a big welt on the left aspect of his face by the tip of the bout. Sostre, the previous New York State welterweight champion, was the extra correct, cleaner puncher and received the higher of the exchanges. His seventeen-bout shedding streak ended, though ten of these losses had been to undefeated fighters.
Brandon Sandoval defeated Stephen Davis through a four-round unanimous determination on the judges’ scorecards (39-37, 39-37, and 39-37). After a detailed first spherical, Sandoval dominated the following three rounds of their light-weight bout, as Davis appeared to tire and his offensive manufacturing dropped considerably.
Sandoval landed extra punches and linked on the exhausting photographs, particularly to the physique. The ringside physician took an extended take a look at Davis earlier than the beginning of the fourth spherical however determined that he may proceed to combat. Sandoval improved to 3-4, 1 KO. He has gained three of his final 4 bouts. Davis dropped to 1-4, 1 KO.
