Air Force Boxing Takes Down Army West Point

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Air Force Boxing captured an impressive 6-4 victory over Army West Point this evening (Oct. 31) during a special, service academy edition of Friday Night Fights in front of a packed Cadet Gym Boxing Room. The men paced the Falcons' victory, winning six of their seven contests – including four that were determined before the final bell.

Seniors Neo Takazawa and Thomas Kensinger secured the Falcons' victory, as they forced their respective opponents to abandon their contests before the second bell. Takazawa, fighting in the second 160-pound bout of the night, made sure Air Force would earn at least a tie in the team standings when he caused Liam Ludin to retire in the second round, while Kensinger closed out the night – and guaranteed the Falcons' 6-4 win – by forcing Army's coach to throw in the towel of his heavyweight bout with Jon Mathis.

Two other Falcons – junior Sebastyan Correa Rios and freshman Garrett Ford – also didn't use the full six minutes to claim a victory. A hard-hitting Correa Rios caused the referee to halt his 139-pound bout with Angel Acevedo in the third round, while Ford used a strong third-round comeback for a referee-stopped win over Markel Hickman in the first 160-pound bout.

The final two Air Force wins went to the judges' scorecards, but both featured unanimous decisions in favor of the Falcons. Junior James Burnias put Air Force on the board in the men's first bout, as he swept the votes in his 130-pound contest with Aaron Fuentes, while Brock Buak kicked off an impressive night by the freshmen with a 156-pound victory over Aarav Gupta.

Freshman Ayo Aweh also competed for the men, dropping a close split decision to Elijah Gates in a 168-pound contest. On the women's side, three Falcons toed the line in showdown that featured the last three NCBA national team champions (Army West Point 2023, 2024; Air Force 2025). In her return to the ring, junior Allyson Keel suffered a split decision loss to Austyn Kump in a 150-pound bout, while seniors Charlotte McPhee-Gillum and Elise Bell dropped their contests in the 125-pound (Ella St. Louis) and 138-pound (Haley Shaw) weight divisions.

At the conclusion of the night, Ford was captured the event's Outstanding Male Boxer award. Surviving an eight count in each of the first two rounds, Ford came out strong in the third, quickly sending his shorter opponents against the ropes in a flurry of hard-hitting shots that ultimately forced the referee to stop the contest.

Air Force is back in action on Nov. 7, when it competes at the Veterans Day Invitational in Reno.

RESULTS
125-lbs. [w]: Ella St. Louis [Army West Point] dec. Charlotte McPhee-Gillum [Air Force] UNAN
130-lbs.: James Burnias [Air Force] dec. Aaron Fuentes [Army West Point] UNAN
139-lbs.: Sebastyan Correa Rios [Air Force] rsc-3 Angel Acevedo [Army West Point]
150-lbs. [w]: Austyn Kump [Army West Point] dec. Allyson Keel [Air Force] SPLIT
156-lbs.: Brock Buak [Air Force] dec. Aarav Gupta [Army West Point] UNAN
160-lbs.: Garrett Ford [Air Force] rsc-3 Markel Hickman [Army West Point]
168-lbs.: Elijah Gates [Army West Point] dec. Ayo Aweh [Air Force] SPLIT
138-lbs. [w]: Haley Shaw [Army West Point] dec. Elise Bell [Air Force] UNAN
160-lbs. Neo Takazawa [Air Force] ret-2 Liam Ludin [Army West Point]
Hywt.: Thomas Kensinger [Air Force] ret-2 Jon Mathis [Army West Point]

Outstanding Female Boxer: Ella St. Louis, Army West Point
Outstanding Male Boxer: Garrett Ford, Air Force

Players Mentioned

Ayo Aweh

Elise Bell

Brock Buak

James Burnias

Sebastyan Correa Rios

Garrett Ford

Thomas Kensinger

Charlotte McPhee-Gillum

Neo Takazawa

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