From the moment the opening bell sounded, fans packed into the sold out I-5 showroom in Tacoma knew they were in for a night to remember. With six incredible matchups on the card, Battle at the Boat 100 lived up to the hype. Mixing some razor thin decisions with brutal knockouts, Battle at the Boat lived up to it’s reputation as the premier boxing showcase on the west coast.
Headlining this historic night of fights was Mike “Imagine Me” Gavronski (17-1 11KO’s) taking on Maurice Louishomme (8-2-1 4KO’s) in a 10-round bout. Both men came to fight, as they immediately marched to the center of the ring and began exchanging blows. Back and forth they went, with each fighter scoring a knockdown in the 2nd. As the fight wore on, Gavronski began to find his groove, landing stiff jabs followed by huge right hands to the head. After wobbling his opponent to end the 5th, Gavronski ended things in the very next round, sending Louishomme to the canvas for the final time. The fight marks Gavronski’s third win in row, all coming at Battle at the Boat events.
In the semi-main event of the evening, undefeated Buckley native Jeremy McCleary (6-1) was unable to keep his unblemished professional record alive as he took on heavy-handed Oregonian, Marcello Gallardo (5-1-2 2KO’s.) McCleary was quick on his feet and fluid with his hands, but was unable to fully recover after taking multiple hard shots from his opponent. Eventually, the hard charging style of the more experienced Gallardo proved too much for McCleary, as the referee was forced to step in and stop the fight only 11 seconds into the 4th round.
Also featured on this incredible card was the pride of Toppenish, Washington, Marcelino Pineda (5-1 5KO’s.) Coming off his first loss as a pro, Pineda was eager to bounce back and regain his winning formula against the much more experienced Paul Mpendo (8-13-4 4KO’s.). It took Pineda a couple rounds to get into a rhythm, with the crafty veteran working him over with crisp jabs to the head and body. But by the time the bell sounded for the 3rd round, Pineda came alive. With a beautiful flurry followed by a thunderous left, Mpendo found himself through the ropes, only halfway still in the ring. The referee began his 10-count, but Mpendo’s corner could see that their fighter wasn’t getting up, and proceeded to throw in the towel before the ref could reach 10.
Three undercard bouts rounded out the incredible action inside the Emerald Queen Casino on Saturday night. Those results are as follows:
Andres Reyes (3-0) def. Ricardo Maldonado (4-3) via Unanimous Decision (All three judges scored the bout 39-37)
Daryl Gardner (2-5-1 2KO’s) vs. Jason Davis (12-10-2 3KO’s) ends in a Majority Draw (39-37 Davis, 38-38, 38-38)
Sean Gee (1-0) def. Omar Avelar (3-12 2KO’s) by Unanimous Decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37)
Next up from Brian Halquist Productions, Super Fight League 40, live from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma on Saturday, April 25th at 7:00PM. Tickets are on sale now at the Emerald Queen Casino Box Office as well as all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, visit www.halquistproductions.com and both the Cagesport MMA and Battle at the Boat Facebook pages.
