O’Connor-Silveira Final: O’Connor takes the fight by majority decision. Two judges gave him the fight, while the other called it a draw.
It was a deserved victory for O’Connor. He had a clear plan — stay aggressive and use his considerable strength to his advantage. The southpaw repeatedly punished Silveira with his powerful left hand.
Silveira was unable to find a level of consistency required to beat O’Connor in this fight. His performance fluctuated because he wasn’t the main protagonist over 10 rounds.
O’Connor’s professional approach and ability to manage the fight saw him past the determined Silveira.
That concludes our live coverage of TD Garden Night at the Fights. Check NESN.com later on for a further analysis of fight night.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 10: The tenth and final round was much like the ninth. Silveira looked to knock out O’Connor, but he was unable to land anything that really hurt his opponent.
O’Connor countered with his trusted left hand and even added a few jabs to the mix. He managed and won the round, as he did the overall fight.
We’ll wait for the judges to confirm the outcome.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 9: Silveira asserted himself in round nine, throwing and landing more punches than he did in any other round except for the fourth.
He didn’t inflict too much damage on O’Connor, who has made very few mistakes in the bout. Silveira may have won the ninth round, but not by much.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 8: O’Connor took yet another round in the eighth with a familiar aggressive approach and a few devastating overhand lefts.
At this point, Silveira must knock O’Connor out to win the fight.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 7: The fight has fallen into a familiar pattern, as O’Connor looks to impose his will on Silveira.
At one point, Silveira stumbled and touched the ground, but the referee thought he was pushed. Later on, O’Connor backed Silveira into the corner and landed a flurry of blows. The seventh round went to the aggressive O’Connor by a comfortable margin.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 6: O’Connor kept up the pressure in the sixth round, inflicting a bit of damage on Silveira. He landed power punches to Silveira’s head and body throughout the round.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 5: Silveira didn’t build on his fourth-round showing in the fifth. O’Connor reverted to the aggressive approach he showed in the first three rounds, and Silveira became more passive.
O’Connor didn’t carry the round with ease, but he threw and landed more punches, which should be enough to claim 10 points from the round.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 4: O’Connor expended a great deal of energy in the first three rounds, and Silveira capitalized on it in the fourth.
Silveira landed a mix of jabs and power punches to take the fight to O’Connor. The pendulum may have swung in his favor after a positive showing in the fourth round.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 3: The third round saw O’Connor step forward and take control of the fight. He hit Silveira with a number of punches. Silveira was hurt and might have gone down were he not saved by the bell. O’Connor took that round handily.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 2: O’Connor is trying to stay as close to close to Silveira as possible so he can negate Silveira’s height advantage. O’Connor remained the aggressor in the second round, but there was no decisive winner in the round.
O’Connor-Silveira Round 1: The start of this welterweight matchup was even. Neither fighter had a clear advantage, though O’Connor was more assertive for much of the first round.
O’Connor-Silveira prematch: Silveira enters the ring first. He’s got a sizable contingent of supporters in the crowd.
Now the bagpipes herald O’Connor’s impending entrance.
Local band Dropkick Murphys provide the soundtrack to O’Connor’s entrance. Their song, “The Boys Are Back,” powers O’Connor’s entrance.
Before the fight comes the national anthem, sung by Boston Garden and TD Garden legend Rene Rancourt.
It’s fitting that two local fighters will duke it out for bragging rights in the first boxing match at the Garden since 2007. Introductions are out of the way, so it’s time for the main event.
Hago-Kielczewski: Quincy, Mass., native Kielczewski made a brash and flamboyant entrance, which thrilled the adoring fans. It’s fitting for a young, undefeated professional fighter stepping into the ring on the biggest stage near his hometown.
Kielczweski took control of the fight early on, and even sent Hago to the mat at one point. He wasn’t credited with a knockdown, as the referee said he pushed Hago.
This fight comes to a stunning end 48 seconds into round two. Kielczweski knocked Hago down twice early on. Hago’s trainer stepped forward and waved the white towel, signalling the end of the bout. Hago was not at all happy with his trainer for doing so.
9:15 p.m.: A trio of New England boxing legends — Micky Ward, Vinny Pazienza, and Marlon Starling — step into the ring once again, but only to receive applause from the local boxing community and fans.
Traft-Powers: The big boys are coming out for the second of the night’s four professional bouts. Joe Powers and Billy Traft meet in a matchup of light heavyweights.
Traft, representing Dorchester, Mass., and the Boston Police Dept., drew by far the loudest cheers of the evening. Powers was greeted with boos from the partisan crowd.
Each fighter used the first of four rounds to feel out his opponent, and there was lots of movement, but little in the way of landed punches.
Round two saw the fight come life. Traft kept moving forward and landed a few power punches on Powers. Powers’ caution probably cost him, as he simply didn’t throw or land enough punches to take the round.
Round three extended Traft’s lead in the fight. His aggression and accuracy with right-handed power punches delighted the crowd. It probably won over the judges as well. Traft oozes confidence, as he looks to have full control of this fight.
Round four was more of a contest. Powers grew into the fight in the final frame. He attempted to land power punches and combinations, but he hadn’t yet established himself in the fight, and Traft was largely unhurt.
The judges unanimously give the fight to Traft, who took three of four rounds.
Viramontes-Lamour: The professional bouts start with a middleweight bout between Russell Lamour and Luis Viramontes.
The professional fight game has those features most fight fans are accustomed to: entrance music, entourages, no headgear and a lot more blood and thunder than the amateurs displayed.
Lamour and Viramontes are going toe-to-toe, but neither took hold of the fight in the first round.
Lamour stepped it up in the second round, landing more power punches and unsettling Viramontes.
The third round followed the same pattern as the second. Viramontes wanted to impose himself on Lamour and kept moving toward his opponent. But he met a boxer in Lamour, who has strength, balance and confidence. Lamour turned Viramontes away, landing jabs and counter-punches with damaging effectiveness.
Lamour slipped and went to the canvas in this fourth and final round, but it was clear there was no knockdown involved.
With all four rounds in the books, the judges will decide a winner. It should be Lamour, who was the better fighter for three-plus rounds.
As expected, Lamour takes the fight by unanimous decision. The judges scored it 40-36, awarding all four rounds to the winner. Lamour remains undefeated in his professional career.
Intermission: Talent and toughness were on display throughout the amateur bouts. One day, we could see a few of these fighters fight a professional fight at the Garden, as eight pugilists are about to do.
Schifone-Gray-Pitts: The fifth and final amateur bout sees Gerald Schifone of Brockton, Mass., fight Khiry Gray-Pitts of Worcester, Mass., in a 165-pound Senior Open Middleweight bout.
This fight has been a real clash of styles. Schifone has a brawler’s ethic, which is no surprise to see from a Brockton fighter. He’s determined to take the fight to Gray-Pitts, who has taken a more cerebral approach to the bout.
Gray-Pitts has used his superior quickness to land precise counter-punches against the advancing Schifone.
This fight was another tight one, and the judges will have the final say.
The fight goes to Schifone. He was more assertive than his opponent throughout the fight, which must have swung things in his favor.
White-Meuse: The next fight is in the 152-pound Senior Open Welterweight class between amateurs Ryan White and Joe Meuse.
Meuse has a large cheering section in the crowd. Chants of “Joe-ey”and “let’s go, Joe” are ringing out.
Two rounds have produced the most competitive fight of the night so far. Neither fighter dominated either round, and the third round will be the reckoning round.
The third round was another tight one, as White and Meuse controlled different segments of the round. The decision could go either way, so we’ll have to wait for the judges to name a winner.
Meuse is the winner.
Muniz-Loconte-Botis: The third bout has amateurs Luca Loconte-Botis and Marc Anthony Muniz meet in a 132-pound Junior Open Lightweight bout.
Muniz controlled the first round, backing Loconte-Botis to the ropes and unleashing a flurry of punches at one point. Loconte-Botis was hurt, but he was able to stay on his feet.
Dorchester, Mass., native Muniz controlled the second and third rounds. He out-fought and out-thought the taller Loconte-Botis. He should win it easily. We’ll see how the judges scored it.
Muniz is the winner.
Berry-Perez: The second bout has another pair of amateurs face off. Julio Perez of Hudson, Mass., meets Brandon Berry from West Forks, Maine, in a 141-pound Open Light Welterweight bout.
This match took a couple of rounds to come to life, but the third round has been action-packed. We’re waiting for a decision from the judges.
Berry takes the fight on points.
Ramos-Peioxto: The two lightweights warmed up the crowd with a competitive fight, and we’re waiting for the judges to deliver their verdict.
Peioxto takes it on points. It was a deserved victory for the Providence, R.I., native. He was the aggressor for most of the fight and inflicted more damage than his opponent.
7 p.m. ET: The first fight of the evening will see two amateurs face off. Timmy Ramos meets Elijah Peioxto in a 132-pound Senior Open Lightweight bout.
5 p.m. ET: Danny O’Connor is a man on a mission. He wants boxing to enjoy the popularity it once did, and he has set out to make it happen in his hometown.
On Saturday night, he’ll get a big chance to make a mark on the local sports by doing what he does best at the TD Garden.
The Framingham, Mass., native will showcase his skills at the region’s premier indoor venue. O’Connor will face Salem’s (Mass.) Derek Silveira in the main event at TD Garden Night at the Fights. That fight headlines a full slate of action that will see New England’s top amateur and professional fighters square off.
There will be nine matches on fight night. Five amateur fights precede four professional matches, as boxing makes its long-awaited return to the Garden. Local boxing legends Micky Ward, Vinny Pazienza, and Marlon Starling will also be on hand to sign autographs for fight fans.
Join us right here at 7 p.m., as we’ll live blog all the matches as they happen.
Photo via Facebook/Danny O’Connor Boxing
