“The Tank,” “The Kid” and “The Governor” all rolled to impressive victories in last Friday’s Granite Chin Promotions (GCP) outdoor boxing card at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, Mass.
Undefeated middleweight Francis “Frank the Tank” Hogan improved to 15-0 with the 14th knockout of his career. The gifted southpaw from nearby Weymouth, Mass., needed just two rounds to dispatch Argentine Miguel “El Pirado” Angel Suarez [15-13, 9 KOs].
A 2020 USA Boxing Olympic Team alternate, Hogan floored Suarez in the opening round with a left hook to the body and a right to the head. Suarez was decked twice more in the second stanza after which the referee waved off the fight. Hogan traces his roots to Donegal.
"THE KID"
Galway product Thomas “The Kid” O’Toole captured the vacant USBF cruiserweight title with a first round stoppage of Scott “Bombs” Lampert.
In a reversal of monikers, it was O’Toole who came out throwing bombs at the first bell. The gutsy Lampert was dropped twice, and left shell shocked by the southpaw’s quick, blistering attack.
Lampert was unable to come out for the second round.
O’Toole, a 2019 Irish National Champion, upped his ledger to [8-0, 6 KOs]. Lampert dropped to 5-9 [4 KOs]
“THE GOVERNOR”
Super middleweight prospect Tommy “The Governor” Hyde out of Cork passed the toughest test of his young pro career. He effectively used his amateur pedigree against Polish veteran Robert Talerek en route to a six-round unanimous decision victory.
A three- time Irish National Champion, Hyde [6-0, 4 KOs] looked sharp, consistently blasting away at Talerek’s body, dropping the Pole with a perfect hook in the fifth round. Talarek [27-21-3, 18 KOs] is a former IBF European and IBO Inter-Continental middleweight titlist.
“As special as this night was for me, it meant even more to the fighters,” said GCP President Chris Traietti. “I couldn’t be prouder of all the fighters or more appreciative of the fans for their enthusiasm all night. I want to give my sincere thanks to all the city leaders and local businesses that supported this event for allowing a Quincy business to do something special in the greatest city on earth.”
CONNOR DEFENSE
At The Blind Tiger in Biloxi, Miss., this Saturday, Connor “The Kid” Coyle defends his North American Boxing Association [NABA] middleweight belt against the once-beaten Bryant.
A Derryman who fights out of Florida, Coyle [19-0, 8 KOs] is ranked #5 by the World Boxing Association. He hopes to fend off the challenge of the hard-hitting Bryant [17-1, 13 KOs] and continue his march to a world title shot.
“I’m excited for this fight and Connor will be sharp against a very hungry fighter in Joey Bryant,” said Coyle’s promoter Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Connor has been training extremely hard with [trainer and manager] Jim McLoughlin. This is the biggest fight of Bryant’s career, so we’re expecting a good challenge.”
“DONNYBROOK IN DUBLIN”
It’s back to Dublin for Bobby Maguire’s FDNY Bravest Boxing Club which squares off with its Garda rivals at the National Stadium on Aug. 25. In their last encounter in September, the FDNY side won 4-3.
Following are the matchups [FDNY boxers listed first]:
Danny Quinn v Paul Corcoran;
Sean Dillon v Jack McHugh;
James Gennari v Eoin O'Connor;
icole Malpeso v Christina Desmond;
Jeff Barreau v Eoin O’Neill; and
Jeremiah Ryan v Sam Ishola.
In two other all-Garda bouts, Kenneth Doyle meets Aodhan Byrne while Fernandez Badjeo faces Feidhlem Behan.
