Leather flew in flurries Friday inside the Coast Hotel ballroom.
The 29th installment of the Clash at the Cascades amateur boxing series featured 10 thrilling bouts which included a few young boxers who battled for the very first time.
The twin main event featured two matches in the newly created Classic Heavyweight Division.
This is for boxers who weighed more than 196 pounds, and up to 220 pounds, and both bouts were action packed, according to show matchmaker and organizer Dave Allison.
Dan Baxter of Nanaimo’s Tomari MMA took on Surrey’s Aaron Downey of World Kickboxing Academy in a three-round tilt.
The first two rounds went to Downey by a close margin, with Baxter coming back in the third.
However, Baxter’s third round rally was not enough and the judges saw the fight for Downey.
The second of the two heavyweight contests was a match between Colin Nicholson of Surrey, representing Suitela’s Martial Arts taking on Samuel Moses of Sargeant Boxing, a Vancouver club.
It was a see-saw battle that went the distance.
In the end, Nicholson had his hand raised.
The twin heavyweight bouts was indicative of a card that was chock-full of exciting back and forth battles, Allison said.
Very notable was the battle between Bisla Martial Arts’ Karn Brar and Jeremy Cooke from Maple Ridge’s Carlson Gracie MMA in a welterweight bout.
Cooke dropped Brar before Brar returned the favor in what was a war.
Cooke would prevail when he delivered a perfectly placed liver shot on Brar, causing the referee to put a halt to the bout.
The show opened with a very competitive junior bout involving Gavin Bisla of Bisla and Chris Fortham of Suitela’s in the 90 pound division.
“The bout ended in a draw and both boys will certainly see each other again with such a close match,†Allison said.
BIG DRAW AT DOOR
The 10 bout card had an attendance of about 350 fight fans and is the third card this year at the Cascades.
The next Clash at the Cascades card is set for Aug. 1 at the Coast ballroom.