The Kaua‘i Police Activities League boxers made a successful debut at the State of Hawai‘i Boxing Championships, recently, earning a win, split decision, and dropping three matches by a single point each, states a release from K-PAL. The debut for
The Kaua‘i Police Activities League boxers made a successful debut at the State of Hawai‘i Boxing Championships, recently, earning a win, split decision, and dropping three matches by a single point each, states a release from K-PAL.
The debut for five K-PAL boxers came at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel on O‘ahu where Christoper Honorato, 17, battled not only a tenatious boxer weighing more than he, but a cold as well.
Honorato, 150 pounds, out of the K-PAL Central stable, was pitted against Nathan Abitbol, 23, weighing in at 159 pounds.
Honorato did a good job of masking the cold bug from both the pre-fight doctors and his own coach, Mark Ozaki, but following the first round and Honorato came back to the corner wheezing, Ozaki discovered the illness.
Ozaki was ready to call the fight, but Honorato protested.
“Coach, I didn’t train all this time for nothing,” the bronchitis-stricken boxer said. “Let me fight, I winning.”
Honorato went on to score a standing eight count behind left hooks and overhand rights to control the match at the bell.
Kona Graycochea, 18, also out of the K-PAL Central stable, has been training for two months, and after being unable to get time off from work, flew to O‘ahu to make his match.
The 148-pound boxer faced a big weight difference and was at an experience disadvantage against Gregg Ishikawa, 30, weighing in at 160 pounds from the Kawano Boxing Club.
Ishikawa entered the ring with two years experience this his sixth time in the ring compared with Graycochea’s first time boxing.
But that didn’t stop the debuting boxer who won the first round before giving up Round two.
The third round was even up until the final 30 seconds when Graycochea flurried with 10 unanswered one-two punches to Ishikawa’s head, staggering the experienced boxer to the neutral corner, ending the bout in a close and controversial split decision for Ishikawa.
Kevin Yago-Bernardo, 17 of the K-PAL Central stable, lost his bout to Rogelio Ricapor Jr., 25, by a point in another close match, Ricapor outweighing Yago-Bernardo, 139 pounds to 129 pounds.
Kaulana Kaui, 15, of the K-PAL Central stable faced off against Zack Domagalski, 16, a two-year veteran with more than 10 fights to his credit.
Kaui, training for just three months, also suffered a loss by one point following three rounds, that loss being so controversial, a rematch was granted for a second match.
The second match proved as close as the first with Kaui coming up a point short following three rounds of crowd-pleasing power punches and bombs that resulted in four standing-eight counts and a standing ovation at the end.
Neno Costales, 12, and Kainoa Simao, 12, were two boxers out of the K-PAL Westside stable and both came up a point short in their matches.
Costales, weighing in at 80 pounds, settled for the silver medal and the state runner-up crown in that division to Shaine Lono of the East O‘ahu Boxing Club.
Simao, weighing in at 80 pounds, dropped his match to Brennan Waialae, 13, 91 pounds, of the Waianae Boxing Club.
“The K-PAL boxers did extremely well, considering they’ve only been training for one to three months and their opponents were bigger, heavier and much more experienced,” said Dennis Bohner, coach of the K-PAL Westside Boxing Club.
Mark Ozaki, coach of the K-PAL Central stable, said he knew the boxers were ready and good enough to debut at the state championships.
The next tournament scheduled for the K-PAL boxers is in Hilo on June 30.
People interested in helping the team get to the Big Island for this tournament, or for more information on the K-PAL Boxing program can call 652-6999.
