http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120120/SPORTS03/701209879/1007/SPORTS
Bell rings on Gloves Saturday
By Chuck Clarino
Staff Writer - Published: January 20, 2012
BURLINGTON — The largest boxing show in Northern New England commences its three-Saturday run this weekend when the Vermont Golden Gloves Tournament opens Saturday at Memorial Auditorium.
Vermont boxing promoter Ernie Farrar is at work fashioning the opening night card and estimates 15 bouts will be on tap in the Novice and Open divisions. (A full card will run in Saturday’s Herald; the card is tentative depending upon fighters making weight and travel). The tournaments includes participants from Maine, New Hampshire and Upstate New York, in addition to Vermont boxers.
All boxers are certified by USA Boxing and regional representative Lori Purcell will be on hand to assist Vermont representative Ed Patterson with fighter registration and supervision of the fight books.
“This year USA Boxing passed a new rule that every fighter had to register online and there have been some problems with that,” Farrar said. “It has caused a lot of snags but it is for the safety of the boxers and between Ed and Lori they will get it straightened out.”
There is no boxing club currently operating in Rutland but amateur boxing is thriving in towns along the Connecticut River.
The Springfield Boxing Club, under the direction of head coach Bob Obdrzalek and assistant Jayson Flood, has a roster of 25 members, four of whom will box in the Golden Gloves.
The Springfield Boxing Club is headlined by 25-year-old, light heavyweight Matt Thibeault, who in November won the 178-pound novice title at the USA Boxing New England Championship in Portland, Maine. Thibeault (4-0) defeated Hayder Alfatlowi of the prestigious Manfredo Gym of Providence, R.I., to win the crown by decision. He was the lone Vermont boxer to claim a New England title.
“He fought a very smart fight,” Obdrzalek said. “He’s a southpaw and works very hard in the gym. He never misses practice and he’s still learning, but he listens to everything. He has speed and is tough; all he needs is experience.”
Rutlander Glen Bautista, 21, made a trip to the Vermont Golden Gloves two years ago when he boxed for Rutland coach/trainer Cal Josselyn Jr. Bautista lost the fight but gave a good account of himself against a fighter who eventually won his weight class. Bautista has only that one bout to his credit but has been training for the past four months for a return to the tournament.
John Janiszyin, at 31, is the oldest boxer in the Springfield club. He is also an open division boxer and a Vermont Golden Gloves veteran with a 9-5 record. This year, Janiszyin dropped from 178 to 165 and hopes to claim a title at the lower weight.
“John is an experienced fighter and Glen (Bautista) is not,” Obdrzalek said. “John’s a farmer and he’s very strong and a very good man in the ring. He told me that he missed boxing in the two years he took off and wanted very badly to get back.”
The final Springfield boxer is Ryan Sweeney, a super heavyweight from Manchester. Sweeney is a pretty green 18-year-old, who has dreams of boxing in the U.S. Army. But Obdrzalek said he is in good shape and is ready for what he will face in Burlington.
Matt Merwin is another local boxer who is currently unattached after his trainer took ill. Merwin is a 178-pounder boxer who once fought for Tim Bickford’s Bickford Boxing Club out of Mount Holly. Merwin is registered but is undecided about whether he will enter the tournament.
“I honestly don’t know; a lot of things have become difficult,” Merwin said. “I don’t have a trainer or corner men right now and if I was to box, I would have to grab a trainer up there and work with him cold.”
Two other boxers with a local link are 178-pound veteran Brayton Gillette, who returns after a year’s hiatus, and rookie 152 pounder Rob Ketcham of the Cornwall Boxing Club. Corwall’s coach/trainer Brian Gill never brings a large number of boxers but they are generally well prepared. A note of local interest is that Gill, whose gym is set up in a barn in a cornfield, bought all the equipment from Josselyn.
The tournament will continue Jan. 28, with the championship bouts scheduled for Feb. 4. Novice champions advance to the New England Novice Tournament in Lowell, Mass., Feb. 10 and 16, while the Vermont open champions advance to the New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, also in Lowell, Feb. 21 and 22.
Tickets are on sale at Mills & Greer sporting goods on Dorset St. in South Burlington and by calling 802-527-2936. Tickets will also be available at the door. The opening bell is 7:30 p.m.
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