Main Street Boxing’s three finalists in this year’s New York Golden Gloves tournament all fought for the title on Thursday, April 7 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Anthony Pegues raised the title belt after three hard fought rounds, becoming the first Golden Gloves winner in Main Street Boxing Clubs brief existence. Natalie Gonzalez lost an extremely questionable decision, while Lindsay Tolpa gave a spirited and respectable performance in her losing effort.
Anthony Pegues (profiled 1/3/2011) was matched against Robert Fischetti in the 178 lb. Novice Division. In the first round, Pegues came out with a determination, according to Head Coach Ryan O’Leary, “to get the job done.” The round was a rather close yet uneventful one. Anthony missed with a significant percentage of his punches, as Fischetti was surprisingly crafty. Fischetti landed a few glancing blows, and his extraordinary power “moved Anthony’s whole body.” For the remainder of the fight, Anthony focused on landing his left jab. His third round dominance allowed Pegues to pull out a close but clear 3-2 decision. According to O’Leary, Anthony likely will compete later this month against the touring Irish national team, followed by the Eastern Regionals tournament. Should he emerge victorious in those, he will qualify for the Olympic trials.
Natalie Gonzalez (profiled 11/25/2010) fought Brittany Delgado in the 106 lb. Division. Natalie established clear domination in the first three of the four two-minute rounds. She landed her hooks both to the body and the head, up to five at a time. By the fourth round, Natalie began to demonstrate fatigue and Brittany landed more than a few flurries to win the final round. At the conclusion of the fight, everyone, including Yussel the Dybbuk, expressed their outrage at the 3-2 decision for Delgado . O’Leary felt it was the worst decision that Main Street has received, and there have been several heists (see article of 2/8/2011).Natalie remained stoical afterward, as many in the audience came afterward to congratulate her performance and express disappointment at the verdict. Gonzalez will compete in the Nationals in July and, if successful, will proceed to the Olympic trials. As there is no 106 lb. division in the Olympics, she will move up to the 112 lb. division.
Lindsay Tolpa (profiled 1/30/2011) faced Misato Tamegawa in the 119 lb. Division. The fight had a similar pattern throughout the four rounds. Lindsay pursued Misato, occasionally landing with a combination, but often missing by a few inches. The more experienced Tamegawa would stop long enough to land a quick left-right combination, and then dance out of range. After four rounds, Tolpa was on the short end of the 5-0 verdict. O’Leary has been impressed by Lindsay’s rapid progress and looks to match her in local shows over the next few months with the goal of returning to next year’s competition.
To inquire about the various exercise programs at Main Street Boxing and Fitness (310 Main Street, New Rochelle), please call 914-632-2811. As well, contact owner Michael Stellate at Michael@mainstreetboxing.com or Ryan O’Leary at ryan@mainstreetboxing.com.
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