BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (November 11, 2023) – It only seemed appropriate that a U.S. Army veteran, Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle (4-0, 4 KOs), was the star of last night’s “Friday Fight Night” card, presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP) on Veterans Day eve, at Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
GCP partnered with the Bridgewater-based charitable organization, Fire For Effect Foundation, which honors and empower veterans, first responders and their families by providing essential resources, support and community-building initiatives that foster resilience, restore hope, and strengthen the fabric of our community.
Nagle, fighting out of Scituate, was deployed in Iraq and Kosovo. He is a disabled veteran who works at the VA Medical Center in Brockton (MA). Weighing in at nearly 300 pounds, he took advantage of his size and power advantages over the 213-pound Max DaSilva (0-2). Heading into the third round, Nagle’s cornerman, Steve Vukosa, instructed Nagle to put his three-punch combination together. “Big Gulp” did just that, hurting DaSilva with a right uppercut, followed by a left-right combination to close the show.
Coming off his first loss as a professional, Lynn (MA) super middleweight James “Pitbull” Perkins (13-1-1, 10 KOs) rebounded strongly against tough Saul “The Spider” Almeida Braga. Perkins dropped his opponent in the opening round, and it appeared that this fight wasn’t going to last long. Braga, who is a veteran MMA fighter, persevered and gave Perkins much needed rounds.
Like Perkins, New Hampshire middleweight Ryan Clark 2-6, 2 KOs) is a come forward, fan-friendly fighter. Last night his non-stop, aggressive style paid off as his contact pressure broke down a game Jay Gregory and closed the show in the third round when the referee halted the fight.
The most gifted boxer in action last night was undefeated Cuban lightweight Armando Rabi (10-0, 9 KOs), the 2015 Cuban National Champion, who faced battled-tested Brazilian Aldimar Silva (22-25, 14 KOs). After a few minutes of strategic maneuvering, Rabi fired a perfectly placed straight right that immediately dropped Silva, who had been laying on the ropes, unable to beat the count at the 2:46 mark of round one.
Revere super middleweight Travis Gambardella (8-2-2, 4 KOs) attacked journeyman Juan Celin Zapata from the opening bell, cracking Zapata with an overhand right last in the opening round that sent the Honduran to the canvas. The referee waved off the fight when Zapata reacted wobbly.
New Bedford super middleweight “Vicious” Anthony Vieira improved to 3-0 with his third knockout, dropping pro-debuting Milton Noleto three times. The first came in the opening round via a body shot. In the third and final round, the well-schooled Vieira sent his opponent sprawling from a punch Noleto felt was an illegal shot to the back of his head. Noleto never recovered and an overhand right to the head soon floored him again. At that point, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.
Complete results below:
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Kevin Nagle (4-0, 4 KOs), Scituate. MA
WKO3 (2:11)
Max DaSilva (0-2), Woburn, MA by way of Brazil
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS
James Perkins (13-1-1, 10 KOs), Lynn, MA
WDEC6 (60-53, 60-53, 59-54)
Saul Almeida Braga (1-19-4, 1 KO), Framingham, MA
Anthony Vieira (3-0, 2 KOs), New Bedford, MA
WTKO3 (2:00)
Milton Noleto (0-1, 0 KOs), Woburn, MA by way of Brazil
Travis Gambardella (8-2-2, 4 KOs), Revere, MA
WTKO1 (2:42)
Juan Celin Zapata (7-24-2, 5 KOs), Bronx, NY by way of Honduras
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Ryan Clark (3-5, 2 KOs), Barrington, NH
WTKO3 (1:41)
Jay Gregory (0-9-1), Auburn, NY
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Armando Rabi (10-0, 9 KOs), Havana, Cuba by way of UAE
WTKO1 (2:46)
Aldimar Silva (22-25, 14 KOs), Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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