BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (February 26, 2024) – Heavyweight Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle remained undefeated, improving his professional boxing record to 7-0 with seven knockouts, as he headlined for the first time on last Saturday night’s “Fight Night at the Vets Club” card, presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP), in front of a packed house at cozy 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. Go to www.ffefinc.org for more information.
Fighting out of Scituate (MA), Nagle not only headlined for the first time, he also was in his first scheduled six-round fight, only a month after his previous bout. It was appropriate for a military veteran who was deployed overseas twice and works at the Brockton VA hospital in Brockton (MA) as a psychiatric nurse to shine at the Bridgewater Veterans Club.
Nagle immediately established his strength advantage, using his 287 ½ pound frame to punish his opponent, Mexican Alfred “Concho” Trevino (9-11-1, 1 KO), right from the opening bell. Trevino hit the canvas in the first round from a powerful right to the body and Nagle closed the show in the second round, stopping Trevino with a pair of right-handed punches that both landed on the button.
Nagle explained after the fight that he and his head trainer, Steve Vukosa, worked hard on being quicker in this fight, moving his feet along with his punching at a more accelerated pace than in his past fights. He even looked nimbler than before, cutting off the ring to consistently trap his opponent on the ropes and in the corner.
Marshfield welterweight prospect Joe Bush (2-0, 2 KOs), a silver medalist at the 2023 New England Golden Gloves Tournament, had the largest group of supporting fans in attendance. They stood and cheered as the 26-year-old Bush outclassed veteran Rakim Johnson (7-23-1, 5 KOs). Bush dropped the game Johnson four times, displaying accurate punching with good pop, until the fight ended in the third round after a double left-hook.
In the Fight of the Night, Medford (MA) super middleweight Greg “Iron” Bono (2-1-1, 1 KO) and Brazilian Bruno Dias (1-13-1, 0 KOs) fought to a thrilling four-round majority draw in which Bono won on one judge’s scorecard (39-37). The other two judges scored the entertaining fight, 38-38, and the momentum went back and forth between the two fighters during the entire four rounds.
Former Massachusetts Middleweight Champion Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (5-3, 1 KO) was in action again for the first time in more than a year, fighting off early rust against Brazilian Igor Pessoa (0-8) for an impressive second-round technical knockout, one year to the day after his first surgery. In his previous fight, Andreozzi shattered the tip of his fibula into pieces and completely severed a few ligaments when he attempted to walk it off. Tony had two surgeries and had a plate inserted, as well as five screws and a bolt that resulted in a bone infection.
New Hampshire middleweight Ricky Ford scored two wins in one fight. He looked sharp against Erick Alves (0-2), who was decked in the corner at the end of round one by an overhand right. He took a knee in the second round after getting hit by a wicked body shot and the end came in the following round, the result of a sweet left hook. After the fight, Ford dropped to a knee in the middle of the ring to propose marriage to his longtime girlfriend who happily accepted.
In the opening bout of the evening, relentless New Hampshire middleweight Ryan Clark (4-5, 2 KOs) pressured Jay Gregory (0-10-1) from start to finish in their rematch enroute to a shutout decision as he won all four rounds on each of here judges’ scorecard (40-36 X3).
Bridgewater TV taped the entire show live for viewing this week.
Granite Chin returns March 23rd in Worcester (MA) with “Pandemonium at The Palladium 3.”