Air Force Academy
Wednesday Night Fights
Leif Nordhagen Earns Boxer Of The Week Honors
1/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
Jan. 29, 2004
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force boxing team completed its last weekly fight night of the season, hosting Wednesday Night Fights on Jan. 28, in the Upper Boxing Room of the Cadet Gymnasium.
Senior Leif Nordhagen (Sun Prairie, Wis.) was named the Academy's Boxer of the Week, after earning a decision in the 175-pound weight class. Nordhagen defeated senior James Mitchell in the sixth fight of the evening. It is Nordhagen's second honor of the season, as he was also named Boxer of the Week following a Friday Night Fight victory in October.
The two boxers faced off for a rematch of an earlier season bout in which Nordhagen also earned the desision. Although Mitchell had a score to settle with his classmate, Nordhagen used good jabs and a lead hook to keep him off-balance. Moving around, Nordhagen kept Mitchell from finding a hit with a big shot.
"Leif was very clever with his movement and ring presence," Air Force head coach Eddie Weichers said following the match. "It was an exciting, well-matched bout. Both guys showed good skills and maturity."
Several other boxers earned victories during Wednesday Night Fights. James Baker earned a decision in the 136-pound bout, while Michael Chua won in the 143-pound division. Darren Smith won the 125-pound title and Troy Mangum earned a decision at 163-pounds. Also competing in the 175-pound weight class was Evin Negron, who took the decision over Patrick Wanko. Dustin Mayne and Will Watson earned victories in the 185-pound and 198-pound divisions, respectively, while William Boyles won at 200-pounds and Joe Keller claimed the decision at heavyweight.
The Falcons will continue their busy week on Friday, Jan. 30, when 12 Air Force boxers take to the ring against competition from three National Collegiate Boxing Association schools. The Falcons will take on boxers from UNLV, Nevada and Cal-Berkeley at the El Dorado Hotel in Reno, Nev., with the first bout slated for 7 p.m.
Following the competition in Reno, the Falcons will begin to prepare for the 2004 Wing Open. The annual tournament begins with the preliminaries on Thursday, Feb. 12. The quarterfinals will be one week later (Feb. 19) and the semifinals will be on Wednesday, Feb. 25. All rounds leading up to the finals will be held at 4 p.m., in the Upper Boxing Room of the Cadet Gym. The finals of the 2004 Wing Open will be Sunday, March 7, at 5 p.m., in Clune Arena.
COMPLETE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
136-lbs. - James Baker (CS-34) dec. Joshua Park (CS-13)
143-lbs. - Michael Chua (CS-25) dec. Steven McGregor (CS-30)
125-lbs. - Darren Smith (CS-19) dec. Ezekial Ignaco (CS-05)
163-lbs. - Troy Mangum (CS-14) dec. Trevor Cook (CS-20)
175-lbs. - Evin Negron (CS-14) dec. Patrick Wanko (CS-34)
175-lbs. - Leif Nordhagen (CS-17) dec. James Mitchell (CS-32)
185-lbs. - Dustin Mayne (CS-36) rsc-1 Stephen Jimenez (CS-34)
198-lbs. - Will Watson (CS-06) dec. Felix Cole (CS-29)
200-lbs. - William Boyles (CS-05) dec. Chris Crouch (CS-09)
HYWT - Joe Keller (CS-25) dec. David Bullock (CS-10)
