I was in the building last night at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium with fellow ITR member Dakota covering “Down and Dirty Boxing 5” presented by Reyes Boxing. It was a great night of fights and we thoroughly enjoyed being in attendance. I want to thank Mike Reyes for taking care of us and making sure that we were accommodated properly. Here is a write up on the fight card from the opening bout to the final one, with photos courtesy of Dakota.

Carlos Gonzalez vs Trevathan Milatz, 4 Round Welterweight Bout

The night opened up with a four-round welterweight contest between Carlos Gonzalez and Trevathan Milatz. Milatz came out aggressive looking to put Gonzalez on the back foot right away. Both guys landed a few shots early, but Gonzalez was able to adjust to the pressure and scored three knockdowns in the first round, with the last one being the end of the fight. Gonzalez improves to 4-0, 4 KOs with the victory. Although he is still young in his career, Gonzalez showed a level of poise and explosiveness that can carry him far in the sport if he keeps at it.

Donnie Palmer vs Steve Vukosa, 10 Round Heavyweight Bout

Heavyweights were up next in an intriguing matchup. 6’5 Steve “The Gentle Giant” Vukosa was matched up with 6’10 Donnie “Big Nasty” Palmer in a ten-round heavyweight battle. Palmer used the jab early to try and establish range, while Vukosa looked to counter. Vukosa began having success pot-shotting Palmer, landing clean shots to the body. Round three was competitive, with both guys having moments of success when their opponent was against the ropes. For a guy who’s 6’5 and 250lbs, Vukosa moved really well, and Palmer had some struggles cutting the ring off as a result. The straight left and check right hook from the southpaw Vukosa were his most effective tools as he caught Palmer coming in repeatedly with them. Palmer began to attack the body in the middle rounds, hoping to slow down the movement of Vukosa. A right hand at the end of round five momentarily buckled Vukosa, but he was able to survive the round. The next few rounds were competitive with both guys landing their fair share of clean punches. Both guys were fatigued down the stretch, but Vukosa closed the show strong in the last few rounds landing sharp straight left hands as Palmer tried to work his way inside. Overall this was a really fun back and forth fight with both guys giving it their all. In the end “The Gentle Giant” was awarded the unanimous decision victory and improved his professional record to 14-1-1.

Hegly Mosqueda vs Ezequiel Alberto Tevez, 8 Round Featherweight Bout

The third bout of the evening was an eight-round feathweight bout between Hegly Mosqueda and Ezequiel Alberto Tevez. Mosqueda started off fast, using his crisp jab to set up his combinations. Tevez timed Mosqued a few times well and caught him coming in, but he was unable to sustain any consistent offensive work. Mosqueda found a home for the uppercut in round two as he landed a number of them and began to take the fight to Tevez. A double right hand dropped Tevez in the third round, but to his credit, Tevez recovered quickly. A right uppercut to the body sent Tevez to the canvas for the second time in the round. He did not make the count, and Hegly Mosquedo scored his 18th stoppage victory and improved to 23-0. The footwork and defense responsibility from Mosquedo really impressed me. He moved his head really well and caught most of his opponent’s shots on his gloves. He is someone to look out for at 126lbs; and, judging from what I saw tonight, I would not be surprised to see him get a big time opportunity in the near future.

Luke Iannuccilli vs Sergio Samuel Castellano, 6 Round Junior Middleweight Bout

Luke Iannuccilli and Sergio Samuel Castellano were up next as they squared off in a six-round junior middleweight contest. Iannuccilli started on the front foot, working both the head and body of Castellano. The explosiveness of Iannuccilli was apparent from the opening bell, especially when he let his hands go in combinations. Each time Castellano tried to get his offense going, he was met by a sharp counter punch. Castellano landed a few shots at the end of the third round when he had Ianuccilli against the ropes, but after his combination, he was hit with a straight right from Ianuccilli that popped his head back. Ianucilli utilized pivots really well and never put himself in a vulnerable position. For a guy who is so effective at closing distance, Iannuccilli was very sharp defensively, moving his head well and slipping the jabs of Castellano with ease. A right hand floored Castellano in the fifth, and though he was able to survive the round, the body work of Iannuccilli began to wear him down. It was a complete performance from Iannuccilli, as he moves to 5-0 as a pro with the shutout decision victory. His style reminded me a lot of former WBO 154lb champion Brian Castaño, with the way he applied economical pressure and made sure he was still defensively responsible in the process.

Harry Gigliotti vs Brandon Sandoval, 8 Round Junior Welterweight Bout

The ABF Atlantic Super Lightweight Title was on the line in this eight-round matchup between Harry Gigliotti and Brandon Sandoval. Gigliotti had success from range in the opening round, using his sharp jab to set up his power punches. Gigliotti began to time Sandoval more in round two, landing powerful straight right hands and check left hooks when Sandoval would attempt to close the distance. The more the fight progressed, the more Sandoval tried to rough Gigliotti up, but he stayed patient and didn’t let the holding and physicality of Sandoval deter him from his gameplan. A right hand from Gigliotti at the end of round six backed Sandoval up and had him shelled up until the end of the round. Sandoval got Gigliotti against the ropes a few times, but when he did, it was still Gigliotti landing the more effective punches. All in all, it was an impressive outing from Gigliotti. He became the ABF Atlantic Super Lightweight with the unanimous decision victory. Gigliotti has fought on multiple TV networks before, including ESPN, DAZN and Triller. Now that he is the ABF Atlantic champion, it is definitely a possibility that we will once again see him fighting on TV in the near future.

Alicia Pike vs River Tucker, 4 Round Super Bantamweight Bout

The women were the sixth fight of the night as Alicia Pike was opposite of River Tucker in a four-rounder. There was action as soon as the fight began with both women throwing combinations. This fight had the pace of an amateur bout. Neither women was willing to give any ground. Pike showed nice head movement avoiding most of Tucker’s offense early. Round three was Tucker’s best round, as she landed multiple straight right hands. Both women came out swinging at the beginning of round four, with Pike landing combinations to the head and body. This was a great action fight, and the crowd rightfully cheered the two as the bout came to its conclusion. In the end the fight was a split decision draw, a result that both women should because be proud of because they delivered a really entertaining fight.

Gabriel Morales vs Ryan Venable, 6 Round Lightweight Bout

The co-main event was a six-rounder between lightweights Gabriel Morales and Ryan Venable. Morales did some good work to the body early, landing multiple straight right hands downstairs on his southpaw opponent. Venable was awkward with his movement, giving different looks to try and throw Morales off. A combination from Morales scored a hard knockdown in the second round, and a counter right hand near the end of the round forced Venable to clinch. They both had offensive success in the third round, but the work of Morales was cleaner and more powerful. A check left hook from Morales in the fourth sent Venable back to the canvas, but Venable recovered well. Round five saw both guys have success, and Venable showed that he was no longer affected from the earlier knockdowns. Morales finished with a big round six to cap off a quality performance. He won via unanimous decision and is now 6-0 as a pro.

Jaydell Pazmino vs Stacey Anderson, 4 Round Junior Welterweight Bout

The main event of the evening was the pro debut of Jaydell Pazmino, and he was opposite the rugged veteran Stacey Anderson. Anderson has proven to be durable and go rounds against prospects in the past, but that was not the case in this one. Pazmino showed why he had so much attention on him coming out of the amateurs by stopping Anderson in the second round. Pazmino is now 1-0 as a pro, and is someone to keep an eye on as he continues to progress.