Air Force Academy
Friday Night Fights
Fresh Faces Highlight Falcons' Debut of Friday Night Fights
10/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
Oct. 8, 2010
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - There were several new faces in the ring this evening, as the Air Force boxing team hosted its first Friday Night Fights of the season. In all, 20 boxers stepped into the ring at the Upper Boxing Room on Oct. 8. In his collegiate debut, freshman Ryan Finkelstein-Diaz claimed his first Boxer of the Week award with a referee-stopped-contest in the first round.
"The boxers looked good for the first set of Friday Night Fights this fall," the coaching staff of Eddie Weichers and Capt Blake Baldi said. "The hunger was evident, but the key will be conditioning. The transition from one-minute to two-minute rounds was obvious and a definite wakeup call for the rookies."
Competing in a 128-pound bout against Simon Duong, Finkelstein-Diaz was aggressive from the start and landed some hard shots that forced the referee to stop the contest in the first round.
The 10-bout showcase opened with senior Joe Silvio, who claimed his second win in as many weeks, taking a 167-pound decision from Elliot Battle. Classmate Mike Dunn rebounded from a tough loss last week with a convincing win over Craig Spranger. Dunn showed good poise and experience, as he out-boxed his opponent.
Matt Coates decisioned Phil Patchoski at 205 pounds, before Finkelstein-Diaz claimed his win. In the next bout, Denis Vorobyov became the only freshman to win a bout against an upperclassman, as he claimed a decision over Cooper Zielinksi in a 185-pound bout. Using good movement and a strong right hand, Vorobyov forced the referee to step in three times for standing-eight counts before earning the judges' decision at the final bell.
Like Vorobyov's bout, the final five matches went to the judges for a final decision. Anthony Vahling won a 215-pound bout over David Baumeister, while Chris Eby earned a victory over Andrew Munoz at 144 pounds. Jason David defeated Anthony D'Errico at 170 pounds, before Justin Grant claimed a 140-pound win over David Rasfeld. Nolan Hebein closed out the night with a 160-pound decision over Zach Schrock.
The Falcons return to the gym next week (Oct. 15) for another round of Friday Night Fights. The month continues with Friday Night Fights on Oct. 22, a competition against UNLV and Nevada-Reno in Las Vegas, Nev., (Oct. 23) and the annual Service Academy Classic in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 29.
Bout Results
167-lbs.: Joe Silvio (CS-21) dec. Elliot Battle (CS-09)
152-lbs.: Mike Dunn (CS-01) dec. Craig Spanger (CS-31)
205-lbs.: Matt Coates (CS-14) dec. Phil Patchoski (CS-39)
128-lbs.: Ryan Finklestein-Diaz (CS-15) rsc-1 Simon Duong (CS-34)
185-lbs.: Denis Vorobyov (CS-06) dec. Cooper Zielinski (CS-19)
215-lbs.: Anthony Vahling (CS-17) dec. David Baumeister (CS-28)
144-lbs.: Chris Eby (CS-34) dec. Andrew Munoz (CS-02)
170-lbs.: Jason David (CS-14) dec. Anthony D'Errico (CS-09)
140-lbs.: Justin Grant (CS-03) dec. David Rasfeld (CS-13)
160-lbs.: Nolan Hebein (CS-26) dec. Zach Schrock (CS-26)
Players Mentioned
