Erie boxer Anthony Bizzarro wins main event in Clash at the Casino
Mike CopperFriday's disappointment gave way to Saturday's celebrations for Erie's First Family of Boxing.
Anthony Bizzarro capped the Clash at the Casino with a win in the main event at Presque Isle Downs and Casino. An estimated crowd of 1,800 watched some or all of the hybrid boxing/mixed martial arts card, according to promoter Ernie Bizzarro.
Preview:Nick Bizzarro to become 11th member of Erie's First Family of Boxing to make pro debut
An MMA cage and boxing ring were set up in the outdoor patio area between the casino and its thoroughbred racing track.
Anthony Bizzarro, a lightweight, upped his professional record to 4-0 with an unusual technical knockout of Cleveland's Shawn Rall.
The bell for the bout's third round could still be heard when the referee sent Bizzarro, 22, to a neutral corner. The referee and the ring doctor then converged on Rall, who never left his.
Not liking what they saw from Rall (2-6), the fight was stopped and Bizzarro declared the winner one second into the round.
“I think he was hurt,” Bizzarro said. “I was (connecting with punches) to his body really hard. I was sitting on my shots and really digging them in there whenever I went to the body. A lot of guys, you can't stop them (with punches) to the head. But the body shots, you'll get them out of there.”
Anthony Bizzarro originally was to be the second family member who fought Saturday.
Nick Bizzarro, a cousin, was to make his professional debut as a heavyweight. He was to face Jon Tuxford of Lancaster.
Tuxford, though, was a no-show for Friday's official weigh-ins. When a last-minute substitute couldn't be found, Nick Bizzarro, 25, was forced to wait to become the 11th family member who's boxed at least once as a professional.
“Nick was upset,” Anthony Bizzarro said. “I was upset, too, because he worked his butt off in the gym. He really wanted to perform (Saturday) and we wanted to share this moment together. But everything happens for a reason.”
Antunez also denied pro debut
The Bizzarro-Rall bout was the last of four boxing matches on Saturday's card. It also was the second of only two that officially counted.
The first two were amateur exhibition bouts, with no scoring conducted.
Maria Antunez, like Nick Bizzarro, was supposed to make her professional boxing debut. That was scuttled when her scheduled opponent was injured while training last week.
Unlike Nick Bizzarro, Antunez did compete Saturday. The 30-year native of Honduras, who played women's soccer for Mercyhurst University in the early 2010s, got in a three-round workout against Pittsburgh's Brittany Bickhart.
“This was heartbreaking because there was a lot of training that went into this,” Antunez said. “But I still had so many of my family and friends here to support me that, even with the (professional bout) cancelled, this still means the world to me. I want to stay as active as possible.”
Antunez gave an emphatic "yes" to the possibility her pro debut could now happen come Ernie Bizzarro's traditional Thanksgiving eve card at the Bayfront Convention Center.
Former District 10 wrestlers in action
The card's 12 MMA bouts included five featuring fighters with Erie connections.
An enthusiastic hometown crowd, though, didn't mean much when it came to the outcomes. The only victor among those five was welterweight Jordan Frey, who won by unanimous decision against Mercer's Zack Previty.
Former Strong Vincent wrestler Edwin Taylor and Caprice Hall, a 2019 Erie High graduate, each lost their amateur fights.
Hall made his amateur debut as a middleweight. Bret Huffman beat the former Royal in a three-round unanimous decision.
“That's not the way I wanted it to go,” Hall said, “but you don't get everything that you want in life. Wish I could have done more out there. I know how to wrestle, but I've got to do more on my feet and avoid takedowns.”
Peyton Hearn, another former District 10 wrestler, also made his MMA amateur debut. The 2019 Conneaut graduate recorded a three-round unanimous decision in his lightweight match vs. Pittsburgh's Val Caruso.
Hearn went 135-30 as a wrestler for the Eagles. He competed in two PIAA Class 2A tournaments and was a state medalist as a junior.
No wrestler, though, prepared Hearn for the depression he said experienced throughout the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A shout-out to (Ohio's) Gracie Orwell Jiu-Jitsu Academy,” he said. “I was in a deep, dark spot. I ballooned up to 180 (pounds) and felt lost. I just wasn't here.
“These guys, (Orwell instructors) Cody Lewis and Brad Bukovics, they took me in like I was their son. They've treated me like family ever since.”
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
Results for the Clash at the Casino at Presque Isle Downs & Casino
MMA
Amateur
Middleweight (185 pounds): Bret Huffman def. Caprice Hall, unanimous decision
Catchweight (140): Juan Perez def. Tim Bailey, split decision
Welterweight (170): Jordan Frey def. Zack Previty, unanimous decision
Lightweight (155): Peyton Hearn def. Val Caruso, unanimous decision
Welterweight: Paul Bortnick def. Byron Norwood, tapout, rear-naked chokehold 1:13 third round
Featherweight (145): Logan Fink def. Drew Landefeld, technical knockout 1:59 third round
Bantamweight (135): Stephanie Lehecka def. Brittany Fromyer, tapout, armbar :51 first round
Catchweight: Tyler VanTassel def. Connor Cyphert, technical knockout 1:35 of first round
Heavyweight (205): Darryl Booker def. Edwin Taylor, tapout, armbar 2:06 first round
Bantamweight: Joshua Perreira def. Tony Lichtenberger, unanimous decision
Welterweight: Charles Payne def. Josh Visokey, tapout, guillotine hold 1:42 first round
Professional
Flyweight (125 pounds): Freddie Rodriguez def. Victor Guarriello, technical knockout after first round
Boxing
Professional
Super lightweight (140 pounds): Mike Vega def. David Boria, unanimous decision
Lightweight (135): Anthony Bizzarro def. Shawn Rall, technical knockout :01 third round
Note: Two amateur exhibition matches were held, but not scored. Mitch Geles fought Matthew Acosta and Brittany Bickhart fought Maria Antunez.