Forward progress Traietti
dominates in ‘Brawl,’
targets McCreedy rematch

By Michael Parente

PLYMOUTH, Mass. –- The sweat from his brow had barely dried Friday before Chris Traietti began focusing on the next task at hand.

After disposing of Shawn Kirk in his first fight in 18
months at Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Brawl At The Hall” show at Memorial Hall, Traietti has his sights set on a rematch with Eastern Boxing Association (EBA) New England super middleweight champion “Irish” Joey McCreedy, who handed him his only loss in January of 2008.

“I stick to my word,” said Traietti, who offered bold predictions and harsh criticism for McCreedy prior to his victory over Kirk. “Like I told you earlier, I’ll do the rematch in 20 minutes.”

Traietti (8-1, 5 KOs) didn’t get his wish -- at least not that night -- but he got a much-needed test Friday in his first boxing match following a long layoff that included a brief foray into mixed martial arts. Kirk (4-4) proved to be a worthy opponent until a left hook to the body sent him to the canvas toward the end of the second round. Three knockdowns later, the referee mercifully stopped the bout 2:45 into the third.

“I really do feel as though my left hook to the body is as good as anybody’s –- not just on the local scene,” Traietti said. “I’m talking period.”

Even in victory, Traietti found plenty of room for criticism. He lamented his slow start, which he attributed to ring rust, and admittedly left the fight with enough holes to patch up before he even begins to consider a rematch with McCreedy.

“All in all, I give the performance a C-minus,” Traietti said. “In the first round, I was tripping over my own feet. In the second round, I started getting into the groove.

“I lunged a lot. That’s something 14-year-old kids in the gym do. They lunge with their jab. Instead of working, I was letting him tie me up or I was tying him up. I have to get my movement and angles going. A couple times he caught me as I was backing up and, let’s face it, that’s a guy you’re supposed to get out. Brian Macy got this kid out in a minute, 45 (seconds). It took me until the end of the third round to do it. That’s unacceptable if you’re going to take the next step forward.”

“Brawl At The Hall” featured five amateur bouts and five professional fights, including debut victories by heavyweight Jesse Barboza and light heavyweight Paul Gonsalves, but all eyes focused on Traietti. Even McCreedy bought a front-row seat to watch his rival in action.

“We can sit here and bash each other and trash-talk each other, but what good is it going to do?” Traietti said of McCreedy. “It seems like he wants it and I want the rematch. Joe’s active. That’s one advantage he has on me. I’m not impressed with the guys he’s fought and I’m not impressed with how he’s fought them, but, then again, I’m not impressed with the way I fought (Friday).”

Traietti’s equally unimpressed with McCreedy’s status as the reigning EBA champ. McCreedy is willing to put his belt on the line in a rematch, but Traietti wants no part of the title.

“I’m not going to fight him for that thing,” Traietti said. “I don’t want it because I don’t believe in it. I believe calling that a title fight for that belt is a farce. Those are the type of belts that kill boxing. It’s not a real belt. I’ve never even heard of it.

“Think about that. It’s one of those things that if someone says IBF then, ‘Boom!’ they know what it is. If someone says NABF they know. That thing? I could go buy one of those (World Wrestling Entertainment) belts and say I’m the North Quincy champion. If they want to do eight rounds and a title, it’s at least got to be a state title -- something people can recognize. I’m not going to go to a press conference and do interviews and say I’m fighting for the EBA title.”

Traietti may lack the stamina to fight McCreedy at this point due to his long layoff, but it’s clear he doesn’t lack confidence. Traietti fully expects to win if and when he and McCreedy meet again. Only time will tell how the rematch will turn out.

“Joe’s a tough kid. He comes with heart,” Traietti said. “I just feel like his ability is very limited, but he loves boxing and I admire him for that. I just question his ability and I definitely don’t recognize that belt at all. I don’t think anyone does.”

“Brawl At The Hall” began with five thrilling amateur fights, featuring victories by Rashane Doyle of Boston (160 points), Keenan Moses of Providence (154), Stephane Steeve of Winsor, Vt. (135), and 125-pounders Anthony Marsella and Davon Shelton -- both from Providence.

The pro portion of the show kicked off with Gonsalves, a Harwich, Mass., native, stopping Huston Crayton (0-5) in the fourth and final round of his debut. Gonsalves softened Crayton’s defense with body blows through the first three rounds and put him away for good with just 33 seconds remaining in the fourth.

“That’s coming from not being in the ring for so long and not taking my time,” Gonsalves said. “I had a lot of ring rust. I hadn’t been in the ring for four or five years, so I just wanted to get in there and get it out of the way.

“When I saw him staggering back after hitting him with overhand rights and hooks, I got over-anxious and threw wild punches without really sitting down on my punches and picking my spots. When I was hitting him I knew I was hurting him, but, like I said, it just comes from not being in there for so long. I got too over-anxious.”

Also making his pro debut, Barboza disposed of veteran Orion Sistrunk (5-25-1) at the final bell of the second round. The Barnstable, Mass., native caught Sistrunk trying to slip a weak jab and countered with an overhand right to end Sistrunk’s night.

“He was wincing the whole time,” Barboza said. “I knew he wanted to quit before that from the body shots. That hurts. When I was hitting him with those body shots, I knew I was going to get to him at one point or another.

With a vocal cheering section behind him, Barboza kept his composure and patiently waited out his opponent until he found an opening.

“You can’t be careless and sloppy with a guy who’s got that many fights,” Barbosa said. “People look at his record, but what they don’t realize is you’ve got to look at who he fought. He fought guys who are 32-1 and stuff. OK, so, yeah, he’s losing, but he’s not losing to cream puffs. Every time he fought someone of a lower caliber he beat them, so I was prepared.

“I was just trying to be sharp and I was trying to not let my own fans get to me by egging me on or getting me to do something careless, so I just tried to stay patient. I knew the knockout was going to come.”

The night of firsts continued with female middleweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (1-1, 1 KO) earning her first career win with a second-round knockout over Bessie Rowell, who dropped to 0-3 with the loss.

Lopes lost her pro debut in Plymouth on March 6, but looked much sharper and more aggressive against Rowell. She established her jab from the opening bell and dominated the fight until the referee waved it off at the 1:27 mark of the second round.

“I was very bummed out after the first fight,” Lopes said. “I didn’t agree with (the decision). I thought I earned a draw, but it was what it was. I went home and looked at the tape and I kind of tried to focus on things that didn’t look good to the judges because there’s a reason why the judges judge a fight the way they did.

“I really focused on stuff like how many punches I threw and how much ground I gave and, you know, there is so much room for improvement, so I really focused on those things to make sure I’d come forward in the next fight and engage first -– I’d start the fight first and I take my shots. I made a mistake in the first fight by jabbing on my back leg, which really takes its effectiveness away completely. When I follow through I have a 70-inch reach and I can really get my jab out there.

It works and it landed (Friday). I really trust it to land. I just have to put my foot forward and jab the way I’m supposed to.”

The crowd saved its biggest ovation for U.S. Navy veteran and Plymouth firefighter Benny “The Hornet” Lescarbeau, who improved to 4-0 in the super middleweight division with a unanimous decision victory over scrappy challenger Norman Johnson (1-5).

Lescarbeau scored four knockdowns, but Johnson continued to fight and actually staggered his opponent at one point before ultimately dropping a 40-33, 39-34, 39-34 decision -- much to the delight of Lescarbeau’s raucous fan base.

“The last time I was nervous and came out and had quick fights,” Lescarbeau said. “This time I was relaxed and a tough fight, so you never know what you’re going to get in there. He surprised me with how tough he was. I knew I hit him with good shots and I was hoping he was going to stay down, but he kept getting up. I’m proud of that guy.”
Prior to Friday, Lescarbeau hadn’t fought since 2006 due in large part to a hand injury. Is Friday’s victory the start of his second career?

“I pinkie-swore to my mom that this would be my last fight,” he said, “so I’ve got to get her permission to do it again.”

WEIGHTS FROM PLYMOUTH

Chris Traietti 174 ½ LBS.
Shawn Kirk 175 LBS.

Benny Lescarbeau 170 ½ LBS.
Norman Johnson 168 LBS.

Jesse Barboza 223 ½ LBS.
Orion Sistrunk 258 LBS.

Alexsandra Magdziak Lopes 153 ½ LBS.
Bessie Rowell 160 LBS.

Paul Gonsalves 174 LBS.
Huston Crayton 181 LBS.

AMATEUR BOUTS

ADAM MEDEIROS 154 LBS.
KEENAN MOSES 154 LBS.
TNT Kickboxing
Big Six Academy

ANTHONY MARCELLE 125 LBS.
CHRIS WRIGLEY 125 LBS.
Team Tillinghast Boxing Club
Gomes Boxing Club

KATE NICKLES 135 LBS.
STEPHANE STEEVE 135 LBS.
Gomes Boxing Club
Winsor Boxing Club

DAVON SHELTON 125 LBS.
MICHAEL BRIGGS 125 LBS.
Big Six Boxing Academy
Worcester Boys Club

RASHANE DOYLE 160 LBS.
NEIL SULLIVAN 160 LBS.
South Boston Boxing Club
Worcester Boys Club

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Shawn Kirk: “CES puts on great shows and I’m pleased to be here.”

Benny Lescarbeau: “I’d like to thank Norman for coming up here. I’m excited about this. I’d also like to thank Mark (trainer Vaz) for getting me ready.”

Norman Johnson: “I’ve heard nothing but good things about Benny. I’m excited about tomorrow night.”

Alexsandra Magziak Lopes: “I’m happy to be fighting here again. I had my first fight here and it was a lot of fun. We’ve had a great training camp. I’d like to thank my opponent for taking this fight. I’m ready and can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Bessie Rowell: “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Paul Gonsalves: “I want to thank CES for putting me on this show. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show tomorrow night.”

Huston Crayton: “I’ve been thinking about this fight long and hard. I’m going to try to hit him as much as possible without him hitting me. That’s my game plan.”

Jessie Barboza: “I know my opponent has come to fight, hot lay down for anybody. When he started boxing I was still playing with Ninja Turtles. I know he means business. I’m going to put on a good show.”

Orion Sistrunk: “This is a wonderful opportunity. I wish my opponent well. I’m going to put on a good show.”

Pro-Am boxing card to rock historic Plymouth
“Brawl At The Hall,” June 12 at Memorial Hall

PROVIDENCE (June 1, 2009) – Pro boxing returns June 12 to Plymouth as Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) presents a rare pro-am card, “Brawl At The Hall,” at historic Plymouth Memorial Hall.

“Brawl At The Hall” is the second of four shows in “The Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor Fight Series,” scheduled in 2009 at Plymouth Memorial Hall and exclusively promoted by CES.

Iraqi War veteran Chris Traietti (7-2, 4 KOs), a light heavyweight from Quincy, is in the 6-round main event. U.S. Navy veteran and Plymouth firefighter, light heavyweight Benny “The Hornet” Lescarbeau (3-0, 3 KOs), is back fighting in front of his hometown fans.

Also on the undercard in 4-round bouts are light middleweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (0-1), a Plymouth High graduate now fighting out of Marshfield, and a pair of pro-debuting boxers from Cape Cod, super middleweight Paul Gonsalves and heavyweight Jessie Barboza. Gonsalves, fighting out of Harwich, is a 2-time Southern New England Golden Gloves champion, while Barboza, of Barnstable, is a 3-time New England Golden Gloves title holder. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Five amateur matches featuring some of the area’s top non-professionals are also scheduled on the “Brawl At The Hall” card.

“We’re excited to be back in beautiful Plymouth and hope that people will enjoy a mini-vacation there with CES,” promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. “This will be one of the few pro-am shows ever held in Massachusetts. It’s so appropriate that an Iraqi War veteran (Chris Traietti), as well as a US Navy veteran and Plymouth firefighter (Benny Lescarbeau), are fighting on a card in ‘America’s Hometown,’ one of these most historic areas in this great country. We hope locals will support their fighters and tourists enjoy a different, entertaining night out after visiting Plymouth Rock, The Mayflower and so many other places of great interest in Plymouth.”

Tickets for “Brawl At The Hall” are moderately priced (includes $3.00 surcharge per ticket) at $38.00 (Bronze), $48.00 (Silver), and $78.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club). VIP tables of eight are also available. To purchase call CES (401.724.2253/2254) or go online at www.cesboxing.com.

Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) for more information. Doors open at 6:00 PM/ET, first bout at 7:00 PM/ET.