Regional Favorites: Booker & Paullino win, Gonzalez upset & Walsh struggles at CES Boxing’s Winter Brawl: Results from Mohegan Sun Arena

by Alex Pierpaoli

CES Boxing returned to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT last night, with a 10 bout fight card featuring lots of regional talent. The fistic action continued late into the night and credit is due not only to the combatants but also to the matchmakers, Brian Dillon and Patrick Sullivan.

Bout 1: Light heavyweight Gabriel Costa, of Woburn, MA scored a revenge 4 round split decision victory over Chad Lioncello, of Brockton, MA in the first bout of the night. Costa applied steady, albeit, sloppy pressure and plenty of leather to the face of Lioncello throughout the four rounder. Lioncello was credited with a knockdown in round two that looked more of a grazing shot on the shoulder to this observer. Costa’s work rate over the next two rounds, especially in the third where he appeared to stun The Lion Lioncello more than once, scored him the decision on two of the 3 official scorecards.

Costa picks up his first win in 4 fights, now 1-3 while Chad Lioncello drops to 1-1-1.

Bout 2: Stevie Jane Coleman, 134lbs, of Columbia, CT thrilled the crowd with a majority decision win over Michaele Nogue of Egg Harbor, NJ. Coleman went right to work behind a jab-right hand to open the first round aggressively and Nogue answered back. Both women stood and traded quick, stinging shots to both body and head. The skill difference between bouts one and two was rather startling, as Coleman and Nogue feinted at each other, fired and landed combinations to body and head. Coleman’s bold, orthodox boxing was just enough to control Nogue’s bold, slugging style. A six round rematch between these two would be a delight for fans.

At the end of 4, the officials scored the bout 38-38, overruled by two scores of 39-37 in favor of Stevie Jane Coleman, now 4-1 (1). Michaele Nogue dropped to 2-3.

Bout 3: Mitch Charles, of Boston, MA, scored a surprise stoppage win over Josniel The Gorilla Castro, of Boca Raton, FL. From the start Castro tried muscling his way inside, as his nickname would suggest, but was foiled repeatedly by Charles’ long, speedy bolts to the head. Charles kept his foot on the gas throughout, busily crafting an upset win by landing repeated straight rights to the noggin of Castro. In the fourth with Castro becoming more and more desperate to land something to change the tide of the bout, Charles cracked him with a long right. Castro went down hard, catching his head on the bottom rope. Ref Johnny Callas counted him out as Castro seemed to be talked to the ref instead of trying to get up. The fight was stopped at 1:56 of round 4.

Mitch Charles goes to 7-3-2 (4) with the upset kayo win and Castro falls to 9-1 (7).

Bout 4: Kendrick Ball, 174lbs, of Worcester, MA, battled every second of six rounds to hold off the spirited Victor Hugo Exner, 174lbs of Argentina. Ball didn’t have the power to keep Exner off and in a place where he’s more comfortable. Exner kept Ball fighting defensively and in retreat all night. Ball was the more skilled fighter here and often landed the technique-heavy, sweeping shots but it was Exner’s consistent, pressuring and short chopping shots that forced the action and electrified this crowd.

At the end of six it looked to this observer that the Argentine had pulled off the upset but the officials saw it differently, at 58-56, overruled by two scores of 58-58 for a majority draw. Ball’s record goes to 19-1-4 (12) while Exner walks away at 9-12-2 (3).

Bout 5: Mike “The Savage” Kimbel, 141 1/2lbs, of Waterbury, CT made a successful pro debut in stopping Robert Banks, 141lbs, of Hempstead, NY. The speedier Kimbel opened up in the second half of round two, hammering Banks with power shots along the ropes and controlled the game Banks throughout. Early in the fourth, Kimbel nailed Banks with a short straight right to the chin the sent him reeling backs on legs of rubber. Kimbel opened up with both hands and Ref Johnny Callas waved off the bout at 1:54.

Kimbel is now 1-0 (1) and Banks drops to 0-2.

Bout 6: Kevin Walsh, 130lbs, of Brockton, MA, defeated Christian Otero, of New York, NY. Walsh put Otero down with a right hand in the first. Scores were 57-56 Otero, overruled by two scores, of 59-54 and 58-55, for Walsh. Walsh improves to 7-0 (4) and picks up the New England Jr Lightweight Championship, Otero fell to 4-3 (2).

Bout 7: Chordale Booker, 154lbs, of Stamford, CT held off the aggressive and durable Angel Hernandez, 154lbs, of McAllen, TX. Hernandez did exactly what he was here to do, rebuild Booker’s confidence and he did, forcing the CT fighter to engage in exchanges and keeping him on the move. Both fighters slugged away in Hernandez’ corner for the last minute of the bout, to the delight of the remaining fans.

The officials saw it in favor of Chordale Booker by scores of 79-73 and 80-72 x 2. Booker returns with a victory, now 18-1 (7) while Hernandez returns to Texas at 17-18-3 (11).

Bout 8: Lightweight Ryezimmon Ford, of Alliance, OH battled Alejandro Paulino, of New London, CT. Paullino put Ford down hard in the 3rd. Ford beat the ref’s count but was steady on his feet only after the bell. Ref Danny Schiavone must not have heard the bell as he signaled the bout to continue. Paullino charged in hoping to finish Ford off as the timekeeper hammered at the bell until Schiavone realized the round was over. Schiavone waved off the bout in round 5 after Paullino blasted Ford with a left uppercut followed by a hard right. The official time was 1:17.

Paullino improves to 12-0 (10) and Ryizeemmion Ford drops to 8-4 (6).

Bout 9: John Gotti III, of Oyster Bay, NY stopped Alex Citrowske, of Coon Rapids, MN at 2:59 of round number one. Ref. Johnny Callas waved off the bout after Citrowske was dropped for the third time. Gotti III improves his record to 2-0 (2) while Citrowske drops to 1-2-1 (1).

Bout 10: Irvin Gonzalez, of Worcester, MA, battled Dannis Arias of the Dominican Republic, in the Main Event of the night which may have looked more like the walkout because it didn’t start till 11:37pm . Arias fought like a man possessed in round two. Both fighters may have stunned each other that round but right before the bell Arias rocked Gonzalez and sent him back to the corner on stiff legs. Later it appeared that perhaps it was in this round that Gonzalez injured his knee. In the aggressive fury Arias brought to this fight, even Ref. Johnny Callas took a shot from Arias as he was stepping in to call a knockdown on Gonzalez in round 3 when it appeared only the ropes were holding him up. Arias finished things early and he did it in style with a single shot knockdown in round 4. Ref Callas waved the fight off without a count at 2:04 of the 4th. Afterwards it appeared Gonzalez had badly injured his right knee. Paramedics were called to the ring with a stretch but he insisted on limping out on his own, with the help of one of his supporters.

Dannis Arias picked up the WBC Silver Featherweight Title with the victory and improves to 20-12 (16). Gonzalez was stopped for the second time and is now 15-4.

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Columbia, CT’s “Coyote” Coleman fights Saturday night

By Alex Pierpaoli

Stevie Jane Coleman, lightweight boxer, out of Columbia, CT looks to pick up her fourth victory in a five fight career this Saturday night at Mohegan Sun. Coleman scored her first stoppage win as a pro in her last fight at the Uncasville venue back in August when she toppled debuting Jesenia Rivas in just :39 seconds.

“I feel great,” Coleman smiles. “I feel like this has been my best camp so far.”

Coleman, 22, sparred twice a week for Saturday night’s bout, 6 rounds each session.

With just one week left to go she spars six hard rounds with veteran Jaime The Hurricane Clampitt at CT’s Manchester Ring of Champions Society. Coleman practices her jabs, attempting to keep the shorter, pressuring Clampitt from boring inside and banging her ribs. They circle, feinting, exchanging hard combinations. These days, Clampitt, now 46, serves as both an inspiration and an invaluable resource to young female boxers. Coleman’s trainer, Paul Cichon, watches from outside the ring and shouts instructions. This is the laboratory where boxers experiment with new and different things, and the results of experiments gone wrong is logged in pain and black and blue.

“Switch southpaw!” Cichon shouts. Coleman does and Clampitt retaliates immediately, closing the distance and blasting her with a hard right to the chest. Coleman switches right back to orthodox. Coleman has learned a lot in just five years of competitive boxing.

“I had my first amateur fight at seventeen years old. I turned pro at twenty.” Coleman had ten fights as an amateur and became New England Golden Gloves Champion in 2020. She lives at the family’s sheep farm, along with about fifty rabbits and fifty chickens.

In Connecticut, one thing that goes along with rural settings is the proximity and potential interaction with local wildlife. Coleman experienced her own version of When Animals Attack while out running just last year.

“She called me and said she got attacked by a dog,” Cichon recounts. “I said ‘well does it have a collar?’ She said ‘it took off, but it looked like a maingy german shepherd.'” Cichon laughs. “I said ‘you got attacked by a coyote!’ It’s funny now, but it wasn’t funny then.”

“It was like a week out[before a scheduled fight], maybe a little more,” Coleman recounts. She had been doing her roadwork when the coyote came up behind her and knocked her over. She balled up, reflexively, but was bitten on the hand and ear. Not knowing whether the coyote was rabid and considering it was atypical behavior for the species, Coleman went through the required battery of rabies shots and was forced to pull out of a fight scheduled for last April.

She runs a different route these days and part of this week’s fight will be with the scale as this bout takes place at 135lbs, the lightest of her career.

“I’m two pounds away,” Coleman says. With six days to go she’s not worried about making the weight and can focus on her opponent.

“I know she comes out fast…I’m looking forward to that.” She smiles. “I’m looking forward to a good fight.”

Coleman fights on the undercard of a scheduled ten bout fight card promoted by Rhode Island based Classic Entertainment and Sports. Tickets are still available through their website or at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office.