Coach Hal Chernoff: Salisbury boxers perform well on the road

By Coach Hal Chernoff
Posted 7/8/21

With the effects of the pandemic lessening, things are returning to normal in local amateur boxing.

Amateur shows that were non-existent for the last year are now getting rolling again. 

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Coach Hal Chernoff: Salisbury boxers perform well on the road

Posted

With the effects of the pandemic lessening, things are returning to normal in local amateur boxing.

Amateur shows that were non-existent for the last year are now getting rolling again. 

Although gym training is imperative and sparring will help a young boxer improve, it is the actual competition that is the real gage of how it’s all coming together.

The crowd, the judges, a new place and an unknown  opponent can work on a boxer’s nerves and affect their performance. But once in a while a young boxer thrives on the bright lights and the crowd and automatically steps up their game.

That happened recently when Main Street Gym took five of its young boxers to Dubois, Pa., to compete at the Dubois Country Club. Four of the five boxers were competing for their very first time.

In Main Street’s first bout of the evening, Jacob Daniels came out of at the bell landing a flurry of punches that backed Cheetah Blanchard -- boxing with the Cereal Killers -- to the ropes, where Daniels continued a barrage of various punches. The next two rounds were more of the same and Daniels was victorious in his unanimous decision.

Next in line was 10-year-old Jeremiah Lyons of Salisbury. He fought Sam Ojo out of Hillcrest Boxing in Washington, D.C. He used his foot speed and quickness to land scoring shots and then moved out of harm’s way.

Lyons is quick and a good athlete, with a natural sense of timing and use of distance. He won his boxing debut in fine style on points. 

Next in the ring was Jordan Trotter, who squared off with Travis Bradley of Elk River Boxing.  Trotter, 15, of Salisbury, has had seven previous fights.

A true battler, Trotter he loves to put constant pressure on his guys and put his punches together.

Trotter lost a split decision but performed very well. From my perspective in the corner, we felt we were ahead on points because Jordan was landing cleaner solid punches, but it can be difficult for judges to discern landed punches and blocked punches, in the midst of flurries.  

Jordan was landing good shots and his opponent’s punches were mostly blocked. Still the judges gave the nod to Trotter’s opponent.   

Dante Drummond, 9, of Lewes, was the next out. He matched up with Bryce Blasko of the Cereal Killers Gym.

He used his jab well and backed his opponent up through the entire match. He continued to let his hands go when he had his opponent trapped on the ropes and did a fantastic job. It’s icing on the cake when they start their amateur career off with a well-deserved win.

In Main Street’s last bout of the evening, 15-year-old Jesus Gomez made his debut against Aiden St. Claire of Diesel Boxing.

Gomex landed some good shots, but had difficulty getting inside of his opponent, who was 6 inches taller.  Although Gomez gave all he had for three rounds and fought well, he lost the decision in this valiant effort. 

Going 3-2 for the night is nice, but what’s most important is that the young boxers had a good experience in their fights. A win should make you want to get back in the gym to work harder and a loss should make you want to get back in the gym and work harder as well.

The kids made Main Street Gym proud and represented themselves and the gym well by winning the “Outstanding Team Trophy” for the night.

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