Joseph wins super middle tourney

Reigning Massachusetts 168lb champion Bernard Joseph (8-1-1, 5 KOs) added another title belt to his growing collection, capturing last Saturday night’s inaugural “Granite Chin Box Off” super middleweight tournament, which headlined the “Rumble at the Rink” pro boxing event, presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP), in front of a packed Quincy Youth Arena in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The “Granite Chin Box Off” tournament was created by GSP president Chris Traietti, featuring four fighters in a pair of three-round semifinal matches, with the winners squaring off in the five-round main event.

In the semifinals, pure boxer Joseph used his quickness to upset pre-tournament favorite, brawler James “Pitbull” Perkins (13-2, 9 KOs), by way of three-round unanimous decision, in a classic match-up of contrasting styles, earning him a spot in the tournament final.

Tony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (6-3, 2 KOs) advanced to the championship final with a hard earned three-round split decision over a game Ryan Clark 4-6, 2 KOs). The two fighters pounded each other from the opening bell until the end in a non-stop action fight that could have been fought in the proverbial phone booth.

The championship final was fought in close quarters, more favorable to the always tough Andreozzi’s workmanlike style, but Joseph beat him at his own game, battling inside in an old-fashioned throw-down. The fight was awarded to Joseph by way of a five-round unanimous decision with scores of 50-45, 48-47 and 48-47.

Team Joseph celebrated after Bernard Joseph won the one-night tournament

The two finalists waited more than three hours between the end of their semifinal bouts and the grand finale. It didn’t bother Joseph at all.

“I just went with the flow,” Joseph explained. “The key was training, and I was ready for anything. I always work out twice a day, in the morning and at night, so it (the time between fights) didn’t bother me at all.

“Perkins is big, but he never fought anybody with my quickness. I knew I had a size advantage in the final and pushed back. I wanted to win this tournament to prove I‘m the best around in my weight class.”

In the co-featured event, undefeated Irishman Thomas “The Kid” O’Toole (10-0, 7 KOs) ripped rights and lefts to the head and body of his opponent, Russell Kimber (2-2, 0 KOs), consistently trapping Kimber in corners and on the ropes, much to the delight of the large Boston Irish crowd that were cheering and singing throughout O’Toole’s dominant display. The slick southpaw from Galway, who now fights out of Braintree (MA), hit Kimber with everything in his vast arsenal, flooring Kimber twice in the second and an amazing five more times in the third and final round. Kimber showed his courage, rising after each knockdown, and referee Melissa Kelly stopped the fight with one-second remaining in the third round. O’Toole captured the vacant Massachusetts Light Heavyweight title.

“I wouldn’t say this was the best performance,” O’Toole said after the fight, “but this was the best atmosphere in Boston I’ve fought in. I knew I could break him down and maybe I should have stopped him a little earlier. I’d like to get back in the ring again this summer and then a couple more times before the end of the year.”

Promising welterweight prospect Joe Bush (3-0, 3 KOs) only needed 2:52 to dispose of Tracey Coppedge (0-3). Bush, a 2023 New England Golden Gloves silver medalist, floored Coppedge with a right and then closed the show with a four-punch combination that knocked him down, after which referee Kevin Hope halted the action.

Supported by his fellow union Ironworkers, middleweight “Iron” Greg Bono (3-1-1, 2 KOs) dominated Tymar Miles (0-2), dropping him in the first and twice in the second. An overhand right sent Miles down but, to his credit, he beat the count. Bono jumped all over his fallen opponent, pummeling him with a barrage of unanswered punches, until he went to his knees leading referee Kelly to end the fight.

Undefeated heavyweight Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle (8-0, 7 KOs) passed the stiffest test of his relatively young pro boxing career, taking a one-sided, six-round decision from former world cruiserweight title challenger Santander “Cha Cha Azucar” Silgado (32-19, 26 KOs). Nagle, who floored his much more experienced opponent in the second round, was extended the full distance for the first time, he had never previously fought into the fourth round.

United States Boxing Federation (USBF) Middleweight Champion Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste (7-4, 3 KOs) successfully defended his title with arguably his career-best overall performance, attacking aggressively throughout the fight for a six-round majority unanimous decision over a game challenger, Ricky Ford (5-2-2, 3 KOs). A 2012 New England Gloves silver medalist, Ford buzzed Baptiste with a right in the third round, but other than that Baptiste, who is a former Massachusetts Middleweight Champion, controlled the bout.

Boston welterweight Jonathan de Pina (13-2, 6 KOs), a 2019 New England Golden Gloves Champion, stopping battle-tested Tyrone “Hands of Stone” Luckey (16-23-4, 12 KOs) in round three. Luckey hit the canvas three times in the third as de Pina dropped him, respectively, with a left to the body, left hook upstairs and left-right combination. Referee Kevin Hope waved off the fight immediately after the third knockdown. It was an impressive performance by de Pina, because Luckey has been in the ring with the likes of Ryan Garcia, Frank Martin, Jamaine Ortiz, Tyler Tomlin and Mykquan Williams.

Montreal junior welterweight Thomas Blumenfeld (4-0, 3 KOs) ruined Igor Santos’ pro debut. The Canadian southpaw dropped Santos late in the opening round with a straight left. Santos barely beat the 10-count, but referee Melissa Kelly waved off the fight for a technical knockout win for Blumenfeld, who was a 2019 Canadian National champion.

A portion of the proceeds was donated to the Quincy Youth Hockey program.

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