Founded in 1982, the New York Fire Department's Bravest Boxing Team has been involved since its inception in staging charitable fundraisers, the most popular of which have been their annual 'Battle of the Badges' slugfests against the New York Police Department's Fighting Finest. Last night in Rockaway Beach, the FDNY presented the seventh in a series of showdowns opposite the Irish Garda National Police Team called the 'Thrilla in Camilla.'
Named for the St. Camillus Church on 99th Street in back of which the outdoor ring is erected every July, this event benefits the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was begun in honor of Stephen Siller. A firefighter for Brooklyn's Squad 1, Siller ran in full gear through the closed-off Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center on 9/11 and perished while rescuing civilians that fateful day.
As the sun accelerated its descent near 7:30 in the smoky sky, the evening got under way with both squads filling the ring for a ceremonial ten-count in tribute to their fallen comrades. The action commenced shortly afterwards with a heavyweight grudge match won by Issa Abed of the MTA over Lee Wong representing the FDNY's Engine Co. 152. Each bout on the card was three rounds in duration.
Female flyweights were up next, with the Irish Garda's Eva Byrne forced to take a pair of standing eight counts in the third round at the hands of the winner by unanimous decision, repeat New York Ringmasters champion Zinnat Fersous.
The remaining fights preceding intermission all ended in split decisions, with Irish Garda light-heavyweights coming out on top in two of the three verdicts. Eoin O'Connor took a highly questionable decision from Engine 257's Adrian Maldonado and Jack McHugh had his hand raised despite a late rally from James Gennari of Ladder Co. 124. FDNY middleweight Fabian Zaval from Ladder Co. 6 defeated Senan Morris, thanks in part to a standing-eight count administered to the Irishman in the bout's closing moments.
Among the celebrity guests introduced to the standing-room only crowd were former middleweight contender Ireland's John Duddy, whose action-packed 2006 scrap with Yory Boy Campas was one huge reason for making him the fan-friendly fighter he will always be remembered as, and three-division world champion Iran 'The Blade' Barkley, the only boxer to earn two victories over the great Thomas Hearns. Four-time Golden Gloves champion and former women's heavyweight world champion Sonya Lamonakis was sitting ringside in an official capacity, overseeing the event for USA Boxing Metro.
Irish Garda's Dan Hoolahan won a unanimous decision over unaffiliated George Kantzian to kick off the second half, but the FDNY would close the main portion of the show with three straight wins. In a pair of light-heavyweight bouts, crowd favorite Danny Quinn scored the night's only stoppage with a first-round technical knockout of Hugh O'Connor at the 1:19 mark, and Engine Co. 283's Sean Dillon outworked Paul Corcoran to get the unanimous nod on the judges' scorecards.
In between these male bouts, Staten Island welterweight Nicole Malpeso of FDNY Engine 76 lived up to the description given to me by her coach Susan Reno as "fun to watch in the ring and a blast outside the ring" by showing up for fight night with her hair dyed blue and toughing out a unanimous decision over Kaci Rock, who has trained with fellow Bray native Katie Taylor. Reno, a New York Golden Gloves champion who went on to a pro career as a flyweight, worked Malpeso's corner, as she did for roughly half the fighters Friday night, with her husband Mike, head trainer for the FDNY's Bravest Boxing Team.
Kudos to everyone involved in putting on a fun night of boxing on Rockaway Beach which raised a good deal of money for an excellent cause. The FDNY squad will travel to Ireland in August to take on the Garda Siochana Boxing Club at the 'Donnybrook in Dublin.'
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