Team Photo – CHB vs. Aquinas 2014

Congratulations to the Cincinnati High School Boxing Team on its most successful competition against Aquinas Institute ever!  The team traveled to Rochester, NY on Feb 7-8 to take on Aquinas in the 11^th annual competition between the two boxing programs.  The trip was a lot of fun and a great experience.  There were 18 total matches, with CHB going 15-3 overall!  This was by far the most successful CHB has been in this competition, as the two programs have been fairly equal the past several seasons.  Aquinas has a young team and we know they’ll be training hard for us next year.

The show opened with 6 girls’ matches.  In the opener was Reagan Hassler (freshman, Badin).  Reagan’s opponent came out strong and bloodied Reagan’s nose in the 1^st round.  Despite blood running down her face, Reagan got more aggressive in the 2^nd, coming forward non-stop and knocking her opponent down several times.  Reagan took the victory by TKO after the fight was stopped in the 3^rd following another knockdown.

In the 2^nd match, Hailey Snow (sophomore, Colerain) fought hard but was giving up about 20 lbs to her opponent.  Hailey hung in there all 3 rounds, but the size was too much and Hailey lost by decision.  Next up, Hannah Basil (freshman, Oak Hills) took on a junior.  Hannah used her always strong fundamentals and a stiff jab to win the decision.  In the 4^th match, Ragan Wilson (sophomore, Colerain) won a hard fought victory.  Both first year boxers competed hard, but Ragan’s power was a little too much.

Next up came the experienced girls on both teams.  First, Mara Cash (junior, Walnut Hills) used her outstanding footwork to move to angles and pick her opponent apart with long straight punches.  The CHB coaches thought Mara put on a boxing clinic, showing how to use movement to avoid punches while landing her own.  Elle Bisbee (senior, Madeira) saved her best for last.  Elle fought by far her best match ever, using great head movement to get inside of her taller opponent to land clean, crisp combinations to take the win.  With a performance like that, the coaches would have loved to have Elle back next season.

Gold Medals: Elle Bisbee and Mara Cash

After such an impressive display by the girls, going a combined 5-1, the boys had a hard act to follow.  But they lived up to it.  Starting off was Brandon Adams (freshman, St. Xavier).  Brandon has one of the best jabs on the team and used it to win a tough fight.   Keanu Barnes (sophomore, Oak Hills) was next.  Due to a late replacement, Keanu, at just 113 lbs, had to fight an opponent who weighed 134 lbs.  Despite the weight difference, Keanu was game for the fight and competed hard.  However, the bigger opponent was able to trap Keanu in the corner a couple times and took the decision.  Keanu will learn from this and use his quickness and athleticism better next time.

Next up came of string of 8 wins in a row for CHB!  First, Jake Harrington (junior, Madeira) won a very close decision.  The first round was rough, with a lot of holding and wrestling.  However, in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, Jake slowed things down and used much better boxing technique to earn the win.  Jake listened to his coaches well and made a nice mid-fight adjustment to outbox his opponent.  Ben Leonardi (sophomore, Walnut Hills) was boxing in his father’s alma mater, as his dad actually boxed for Aquinas.  Ben dominated the first round getting several standing 8 counts and then controlled the last two rounds to win by decision.

Next came one of the most enjoyable matches of the show.  Sjors Verhaak (sophomore, Walnut Hills) was taking on a shorter opponent and a southpaw named Spencer Ramos.  Sjors controlled the early parts of the first round, however, the tide turned when Spencer landed a hard left to Sjors body right on the liver.  Sjors was visibly hurt by the blow and Spencer followed it up with several more body shots.  The referee looked like he was close to stopping the fight as Sjors was bent over in pain.  In the corner between rounds, the coaches told Sjors to keep his right elbow tight against his body and to circle to his left to avoid more body punches to the liver area.  Sjors listened and executed to a tee.  He kept his right elbow glued to his ribcage and started using his reach advantage to keep his opponent at a distance.  Spencer did sneak in a few more body shots, but Sjors showed great toughness to gut through them and came on strong late to win the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds and take the decision.  It was a great mid-fight adjustment and comeback by Sjors and the coaches were really excited by his performance.

SCPA Duo: Javier Gresham and Darius Brown

Next was one of CHB’s best boxers, Darius Brown (junior, School for the Creative and Performing Arts).  Darius has been on a roll lately, winning several USA Boxing amateur matches.  Darius kept his undefeated streak going with another hard fought win here.  His opponent was very game, but Darius used his speed and power well.  Darius was probably looking for the one-punch knockout a little too much and will let his quick combinations fly better next time.  Javier Gresham (junior, School for the Creative and Performing Arts) fought probably his best fight.  Javier used big hooks and a monster right uppercut to hurt his opponent to control the entire match and take the victory.

Eddy Gilfilen (junior, Madeira) won another decision in the next bout.  Eddy, a first year boxer, was fighting a slightly more experienced opponent.  However, Eddy showed good toughness to land more effective shots and take home a solid win.

Alec Pleatman (senior, Moeller) was fighting his final match for CHB in his 4^th year on the team.  Nobody has improved more than Alec has over the past 4 years.  Alec was bothered by a recent back injury, but didn’t let that slow him down in his match.   A southpaw, Alec used his typical good angles and combinations to win a hard-fought match.

Next up was not only the Fight of the Night and Fight of the Season, but probably the best fight ever between CHB and Aquinas.  John French (sophomore, Walnut Hills) took on freshman Damon Burton from Aquinas.  This match was an all-out war that had the crowd on their feet yelling the entire 3 rounds.  The first round was back and forth with both fighters landing bombs.  However, John just got stronger as the fight wore on.  As his opponent started to tire late, John kept up a relentless pace and gave his opponent no time or space to relax.  John used a great jab in the third round to stay right on top of Damon and take a convincing victory.  Congratulations to both John and Damon on an amazing match.  Just a sophomore and freshman respectively, these kids are going to be tough to beat the next couple seasons!

Moeller Crusaders: Alec Pleatman and Aaron Webb

Aaron Webb (senior, Moeller) was also fighting his last match for CHB, a rematch against his opponent from last year, Dan Ketterer (senior, Aquinas).  These kids had a tough act to follow after the fight that preceded it, but both used extremely sound boxing technique to put on a good match of their own, with Dan Ketterer taking a close decision for Aquinas.  Despite the loss by Aaron, the Aquinas coaches were very impressed by Aaron and thought he had the most sound boxing technique on the team, selecting him as the CHB Fighter of the Night.  The CHB coaches felt the same about Dan and selected him as the Aquinas Fighter of the Night.  Congratulations to both boxers!

Walnut Hills Eagles: Sjors Verhaak, John French, Mara Cash and Kevin Blount

In the final match of the night, Kevin Blount (junior, Walnut Hills), a fist year boxer, was giving up a lot of experience to his opponent, a 4^th year boxer.  However, Kevin was more than game for the fight and boxed maybe the best single round of the night in the 1^st round, using good movement to land clean straight punches to both the head and body.  Kevin then went on to almost get stoppages in both the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, with his opponent just being saved by the bell in the 3^rd.  Kevin, who also plays quarterback for Walnut Hills, performed great, but also learned that boxing, despite only being 3 short rounds, is every bit as tough as going 4 full quarters in football.

Thus capped an amazing day of fights and a great season for CHB.  The Aquinas team, coaches, officials, parents and volunteers hosted a great event as always.  We thank them for their hospitality and sportsmanship and wish them luck in their upcoming Mission Bouts!  CHB got the better results this season, but we have no doubt Aquinas will train hard and come back strong next year.

We hope all the kids on the CHB team had a fun season and a great experience in New York.  The coaches are very proud not only of their results, but even more by how every single one of them boxed and competed and how they represented the team.  We’re already looking forward to next season!

The Cincinnati High School Boxing Team will travel to Rochester, New York to box against Aquinas Institute on Feb 7-8.  This is the 11th annual competition between the two teams.  For all parents and team members, below is information about the trip:

Itinerary & Details

Friday February 7

• 11:30am – Meet at Cincinnati Fitness & Boxing, bus departs at Noon (Executive Charter) (students will need to arrange to be dismissed early from school)
• 6:30pm approx. – Stop for Dinner
• 9:00pm approx. – Arrive Hotel. We will be staying at:  Comfort Inn, 1501 West Ridge Road West, Rochester NY, 14615, Ph: (800) 228-5150

Saturday February 8

• 7:30am – Breakfast at hotel
• 8:30am – Leave Hotel and drive to Aquinas High School  (Aquinas Institute, 1127 Dewey Ave, Rochester, NY 14613, (716) 245-2020 ext. 1011)
• 9:30am approx. – Boxing Show
• 2:00pm approx. – Aquinas will serve us lunch in their cafeteria
• 3:00pm approx. – Leave for Cincinnati
• 12:00am approx. – Arrive Cincinnati. On the way back, we will stop a few hours from Cincinnati to eat and to call home for an update on our arrival time.

What to Bring:

• Snacks for bus ride
• Money for dinner during drive up and back
• Boxing wraps, mouthpiece & cup
• Towel and shower supplies for after the match
• CHB T-Shirt and/or Hoody
• Uniform (jersey & shorts)

 We will take as many boxers as possible on the trip.  Bouts against Aquinas are made based on age, weight, experience and skill level.  We do our best to match as many boxers as possible.  However, it is not guaranteed that all boxers will get a bout if a fair match-up cannot be made.

 Boxers are responsible for their own meals (breakfast and lunch on Feb 8 are free.) Parents are responsible for making their own hotel reservations, mention the group name JEFF PERRY BOXING to get the discounted rate at the Comfort Inn.

 Emergency Contact Numbers:

• Coach Kenny Christo: 513-515-6397 (cell)
• Coach Jeff Perry: 513-417-2463 (cell)
• Coach Tim Back: 513-253-8461 (cell)

The teams put on another really fun show this past Friday night in their second intramural show of the season.  There were 16 matches in all, pitting team members against each other.  The team motto this season is, “More Sweat Now, Less Blood Later”, but that definitely didn’t apply here.  There were more bloody noses and lips than we’ve ever had before.  This is a result of the intensity being higher this time with the fights being judged and also shows us that we need to work more on our defense over the next couple weeks.  The kids didn’t seem to mind the blood at all and showed great toughness and heart fighting through it.  The coaches almost had it worse, having to clean the ring after each fight.

There were many candidates for “Fight of the Night” and “Fighter of the Night”.  The coaches chose Alec Pleatman vs. John French as the “Fight of the Night”.  Both of them boxed really well and landed clean, crisp combinations.  Alec has improved a lot this season, winning “Fighter of the Night” at the first show and now contributing to the “Fight of the Night” here.  But John French used his fast hands to land a few more shots and took home the close decision.  All three judges scored it the same, 29-28, with John winning the first two rounds and Alec fighting back to win the 3rd.

Runner-up for “Fight of the Night” was Elle Bisbee vs. Hannah Basil.  Both showed really good technique in their match, with Hannah winning by split decision.  There were many other really good matches, as evidenced by many split decisions on the night.

All of the team members should be proud of their performance, but “Fighter of the Night” goes to Darius Brown.  Darius used his quickness, fast combinations and good power to win his match over John Hautz via corner stoppage after the 2nd round.  The fight was stopped as the corner couldn’t stop the bleeding, although John was game to continue.  Darius has been on a roll lately, winning several amateur USA Boxing bouts as well.

There were other strong candidates for “Fighter of the Night”.  As previously mentioned, John French boxed great in a really tough match.  Aaron Webb boxed by far the best he has in his 4 years on the team, winning a close split decision in a tough match against Shane Thompson.  Some of the 1st year boxers looked really good as well.  Brandon Adams showed a great jab to keep the shorter Nate Todd from getting inside against him.  Lydia Snow showed tremendous improvement from her first match.  Kenny Blount came out strong and aggressive in his match, pushing the pace in a tough fight against Jake Harrington.  Many others also fought great and should be proud of their performance.

Thanks to all who came out and supported the kids.  The High School Team now has two weeks of practice left before heading to New York on Feb 7-8 to take on Aquinas Institute.  Based on their showing tonight, we have high expectations heading into that competition.

The Cincinnati Amateur Boxing Club will have it’s second intramural boxing show of the season on Friday Jan 24 at 7:00pm.  Members of the Cincinnati High School Boxing Team and UC Boxing Club will be competing against each other in 16 matches.  The first show in December was a lot of fun and the boxers all competed very well.  Now, with another month of training and the experience of the prior show, we’re hoping they can step it up another level.  This is the final show on the Road to Rochester as the High School Team builds towards their season-ending competition against Aquinas High School in Rochester New York on Feb 8.

The fights are open to all friends and family who want to come out and support the team.  Cost is $5 at the door to support the team’s trip to Rochester in two weeks.  Matches will start at 7:00pm and go until approximately 9:30pm.  The show will be held at Cincinnati Fitness & Boxing at 2929 Spring Grove Ave.

Tentative Bout Sheet

The Cincinnati High School Boxing Team and UC Boxing Club put on their first intramural show of the season on Friday, Dec 20.  Team members competed against each other in 16 matches, showing off the skills and technique they have learned over the past month and a half.  All of the team members should be proud of their performance, as they put on a great show.

Three matches stood out as “Fights of the Night”.  Mara Cash vs. Hannah Basil was a fun contrast of styles, with Mara exhibiting great footwork and movement and using her reach and jab to manage distance while Hannah looked to get on the inside to land her combinations and power punches.  A good all round display of boxing technique by both girls.  Sjors Verhaak vs. Javier Gresham pitted two returning team members against each other in an action-packed fight.  Sjors was the busier of the two fighters, landing more punches, but Javier was countering with some big power shots.  Finally, Kevin Blount vs. Ben Leonardi was a slugfest between two of the bigger kids on the team and two good friends from Walnut Hills.  Kevin showed good movement and landed a lot of solid 1-2 combinations but Ben, while bloodied up, showed great heart and kept coming forward.

The coaches’ choice for “Fighter of the Night” went to Alec Pleatman, a senior at Moeller, for his performance against John Hautz.  A crafty southpaw, Alec demonstrated very good boxing technique, slipping punches and sliding to angles to land 3 and 4 punch combinations.  John has a powerful right-hand and landed some power punches of his own, but Alec did a great job of making John miss and then landing his own combinations and then moving to an angle before John could fire back.

There were many more great performances and matches but those above got the slight nod.  We were very proud of the sportsmanship shown by all the team members.  It’s always fun to see two kids fight their hearts out on the ring, but then smile and embrace afterwards.  Looking forward to seeing how much all the kids improve before their next show in mid-January.  Thanks to all the coaches and to everybody else who both helped the team get ready for the show and who helped out at the event.

The Cincinnati Amateur Boxing Club will have it’s first intramural boxing show of the season, “Christmas Chaos”, on Friday Dec 20 at 7:00pm.  Members of the Cincinnati High School Boxing Team and UC Boxing Club will be competing against each other in approximately 18 matches.  With a  focus on technique and skill, members of the teams will compete in “friendly” matches as they get in the ring in front of a crowd for the first time this season.  This is the first step on the Road to Rochester as the High School Team builds towards their fights in their season-ending competition against Aquinas High School in Rochester New York.

The fights are open to all friends and family who want to come out and support the team.  Cost is $5 at the door and matches will start at 7:00pm.  The show will be held at Cincinnati Fitness & Boxing at 2929 Spring Grove Ave.

Tentative Bout Sheet

The boxing season for the Cincinnati High School Boxing Team and the UC Boxing Club started as of Nov 4.  We had a very good turnout, with approximately 50 kids across both teams coming out to the first week of practices.  We have a lot of returnees from last season’s team but also a lot of new team members.  On the High School Boxing Team we have team members from Moeller, Walnut Hills, Elder, SCPA, Taft, Madeira, St. Ursula, Badin, Colerain, St. Xavier, Oak Hills, Princeton and others.

The first week of practice was spent mostly going over boxing basics including stance, footwork, jab, cross, head movement, defensive moves such as catch and parry and basic conditioning.  The intensity will pick up soon as we get into bag work, focus mitts, harder conditioning and eventually sparring.

CHB Team Member Darius Brown won his 2nd official amateur boxing match on Saturday, Oct 26 against a boxer from the University of Michigan Boxing Team.  Although Darius is only a junior in high school at The School for Creative & Performing Arts, he competed in this season-opening National Collegiate Boxing Association event at the Cincinnati Athletic Club.  Despite taking the fight on short notice, Darius beat his opponent by unanimous decision to improve his amateur record to 2-0.