Cubs boxers ready to fight
Seven Butler Cubs fighters will be on the card Saturday night when the Cubs Hall hosts a night of amateur boxing.
There will be 10 to 12 total bouts with the show scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
“These are all good kids, good adults,” Cubs boxing trainer Bill Wolfe said. “These guys work hard in here and they're coming to fight.”
Wolfe's son, Billy Wolfe III (39-10) will take on Ray Moore of Ellwood City in the main event. The bout will be a rematch of their 144-pound Pittsburgh Golden Gloves final, won by Wolfe via split decision.
“We're good friends and I have a lot of respect for him,” Wolfe III, 16, of Worthington said. “That was a close fight and it will probably be that way again.
“I treat every fight like it's important, but this one is very important to me because it's in my hometown. I only get to fight here once a year or so.”
Wolfe has been an amateur boxer since age 8. He has already fought in Cuba, Washington D.C., Virginia, Detroit and Philadelphia. He plans to turn pro in a couple of years.
Other Cub boxers on the card are Kieran Mason, Lucas Adams, Ralph Graham, Brian Mowry, Cody Redfoot and Dillon Weston.
Mason, 10, is making his amateur debut against Matt Demore (1-1) of Route 51 boxing.
Adams, 21, is 15-15 as an amateur in the 175-pound Open class. His opponent has yet to be named.
Graham, 34, is 1-1 and will be fighting Brian Walker of the James 5:16 gym in the 138-pound division.
Mowry, 22, is 6-2 as an amateur in the heavyweight division and will be facing Roman Mims of Altoona.
“That guy's making his pro debut, so I know he's going to come out swinging,” said Mowry, a Knoch graduate. “I should be able to take advantage of that.”
Still unsure of what direction he wants his fighting career to go, Mowry said “I just want to experience as much as I can in the ring right now.
“I weigh 215 and that's a little light for a heavyweight. I could stand to gain another 25 pounds and develop more punching power.”
Redfoot, 27, will be fighting in the 155-pound division against Anton Kotok of Erie. Redfoot is 2-0 as an amateur boxer, but has not had a match in 13 years.
“He was really good as a kid, then got away from it. Now he's back in the gym and wants to give it a go,” trainer Wolfe said.
Weston, 24, is a former Butler High School wrestler who is 4-0 in MMA amateur fights. He will face Sage Hicks of Boyce AC Saturday night.
Weston recently won the Bizzarro Promotions featherweight amateur title in MMA. He will be making his boxing debut.
“I like boxing and I wanted to challenge myself with another form of fighting in the ring,” Weston said. “This is a different tempo and distance than MMA.
“In MMA, you get in tight with a guy, you clench, throw him down and wrestle him. Now I'll have to throw punches. It's going to be different.”
Three other Cubs boxers had hoped to be on the card, but are unable to participate. Nick Brackett broke his thumb while training, Vince Rodgers has a bad back and Brad Regis has been unable to train due to work commitments.
Admission to the event is $15. Tickets are available by calling 724-355-9107.
