It wasn\u2019t a pretty fight, but, in Sub-Novice boxer Luis Molina-Hadgu\u2019s words, it \u201cgot the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening the second half of the card for the 2026 Central Pennsylvania Golden Gloves over the weekend, Molina-Hadgu confronted Capital Punishment Boxing Club\u2019s Michael Combs for the 143-pound championship.<\/p>\n
When Combs climbed into the ring the cheers of the crowd reached the balcony.<\/p>\n
\u201cUh oh, he\u2019s got a whole fan club down there,\u201d one spectator said.<\/p>\n
But at West Art in Lancaster, Molina-Hadgu had coach Barry Stumpf, of Lancaster\u2019s Finefrock & Stumpf\u2019s Golden Gloves Center, in his corner. Also with him ringside was his father, Jorrell Owens, who also trained with Stumpf and took home both regional and state Golden Gloves titles as a super-heavyweight between 2010 and 2013.<\/p>\n
Molina-Hadgu worked with his father when he was young, but only began training seriously about eight months ago.<\/p>\n
That commitment showed up in the ring Saturday, with Molina-Hadgu working his jab and at the 10-second bell firing off a combo that connected.<\/p>\n
Round two was fast and furious, with both young men launching punches \u2014 Molina-Hadgu favored targeted rights and right hooks \u2014 and near-grappling at times. Combs got called for holding, and took a standing eight.<\/p>\n
The chaotic energy escalated in the final round. Molina-Hadgu drove Combs into the corner and pounded on him, hard. The two fell to the ground and boxing became brawling.<\/p>\n
Molina-Hadgu got the W and the championship. But, he said, \u201cI felt like I could have boxed better.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also admitted to feeling \u201cfrustrated … a lot of arm-grabbing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molina-Hadgu\u2019s record is now three wins and zero losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got to learn to control his temper,\u201d Stumpf said, adding, \u201cI\u2019m proud of him, he\u2019s just got a lot of energy locked up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he fought well. Lots of growth from his first fight \u2014 great win to open the tournament,\u201d Owens said.<\/p>\n
It was in front of a sold-out house, Saturday, that Lancaster boxers including Molina-Hadgu won championships, lost for the first time, and advanced to their next fight in the tournament.<\/p>\n
The night started with a pee-wee match up between Lancaster\u2019s Omarion Hogue, 8, of Ground Zero Boxing Club and Jenson James, 9, who trains at East Reading Boxing Club.<\/p>\n
There was nothing pint-sized about the fight, or the boxing skills the two brought to the ring. Hogue landed a left in round one that set the pace for the rest of the round \u2014 a pace that went right up to the bell. By mid-round two it was clear that this wasn\u2019t a chaotic clash of kids, but actual boxing, with Hogue putting up a solid defense against James.<\/p>\n
Hogue moved fast in round three, taking ring center and driving James onto the ropes, but it wasn\u2019t enough to win the night. Amateur boxing is a game of points, and the judges ruled for James, (1-3).<\/p>\n
It was the first loss for Hogue, now 2-1, and James\u2019 first win according to East Reading coach Andres Acuna.<\/p>\n
Sweat dripping off him, and unshed tears bright in his eyes, Hogue kept a brave face and said he felt good about the bout. He thought the last round was his best and, given the chance, would fight James again.<\/p>\n
The first championship match of the night pitted Columbia against Lancaster City.<\/p>\n
Christopher \u201cBaby Goat\u201d Lugo Jr. (50-16), of Lugoats Boxing Gym in Columbia and Amir Bernadin (11-6) of Lancaster City Boxing Club competed for the 101-pound Intermediate championship.<\/p>\n
After three full rounds, the win went to Lugo.<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2019s got the skills\u2019<\/p>\n
Said Bernadin\u2019s coach, Will Torres, \u201cRight now we\u2019re in a spot where we\u2019re giving up size, but he\u2019s got the skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spot Bernadin is in was evident as soon as he and Lugo squared off.<\/p>\n
Lugo had the height and the reach, and used both to land multiple punches in the first round. Bernadin\u2019s first solid shot, a hard right, was in round two where his defense also came into play.<\/p>\n
With his feet fully under him and shouts of \u201cLet\u2019s go Amir,\u201d coming from the crowd, Bernadin kept his hands up and held his own in round three but Lugo\u2019s near furious attacks kept coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of him on this victory,\u201d Lugo\u2019s father and coach, Christopher Lugo, said after the fight. He also offered some praise for Bernadin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like he did good and came prepared to fight,\u201d coach Lugo said. Then he added, \u201ceven with the loss he left with his head up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bernadin\u2019s teammate, Jerimiah Munoz, 19, (47-20) redeemed Lancaster City\u2019s rep, defeating Reading\u2019s Mathew Frias (18-7), who trains at Unconquered Boxing.<\/p>\n
If a loud crowd counts as hometown advantage, Munoz also had that. He had round three \u2014 when he finally worked Frias\u2019 body first tapping out a combo and then banging one out. That may have balanced out the hard-to-score wrestling and holding that went on in round two, and the haymakers Munoz threw in round one.<\/p>\n
Torres attributes Munoz\u2019s win to the third round. \u201cHis body work was amazing in round three, he finished strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of Frias, Torres said, \u201cthe kid\u2019s no slouch, not an easy opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frias had little to say about the match, except \u201cI\u2019m good,\u201d and that his split lip was from a headbutt.<\/p>\n
Open class fighters, like Munoz, have a chance to advance far past the local tournament. Winning central means a chance at state, where a victory puts him at the nationals.<\/p>\n
Coach Buddy Mellott, of Mellott Boxing Club, in partnership with Claudie Kenion III, coach and founder of UNITE Central PA, is responsible for bringing the Golden Gloves back to central Pennsylvania and Lancaster.<\/p>\n
Mellott\u2019s lone boxer at Saturday\u2019s event was 13-year-old Carlos Zaragoza. The athlete stepped into the ring to face Conor Welch, 14, of East Lebanon Boxing.<\/p>\n
With Mellott in Zaragoza\u2019s corner yelling the mandatory basics including, \u201cone-two Carlos!\u201d and \u201ckeep working \u2026 stay busy, Carlos,\u201d Zaragoza grew confident in the ring and tightened up his timing.<\/p>\n
In round three he took a hit to the head, but got Welch in the corner and against the ropes. Zaragoza did himself, and his coach, proud, winning the fight and bringing his record up to one and one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018It was a great fight\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c(Welch) gassed out on the third,\u201d Mellott said, without taking away from his own boxer\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great fight \u2026 a little sloppy but for two kids with two fights \u2026\u201d Mellott was then called away from the conversation, and disappeared into the crowd.<\/p>\n
The team from Jinji\u2019s Boxing Club, under coach Jinji Martinez and Jessica \u201cMrs. Coach\u201d Martinez, took home two wins and a loss in the second half of the night.<\/p>\n
Abdullah Ali Nassif, 19, went up against Joshua Tricoche, also 19, of 5 Stones Fight Club in a 132-pound Novice, battle.<\/p>\n
Nassif snapped out jabs while Tricoche proved he could both take a hit and try to work into the inside. Nassif nailed Tricoche with a left hook in round two and got an eight over him.<\/p>\n
Tricoche recovered fast enough from a second standing eight, in round three, to use the ropes and propel himself back into the fight. But Nassif\u2019s straight right to the head while Tricoche was in the corner caught him hard and the ref stopped the fight.<\/p>\n
Nassif won and advanced to the championships on March 28.<\/p>\n
Nassif\u2019s teammate Jonas Aruanno, 18, debuted in a 154-pound Sub-Novice contest against Colton Mattus (record unknown) of Cameron Street Boxing. Possibly affected by continuing headgear issues, Mattus took a standing eight in round three and lost.<\/p>\n
Aruanno, a senior at Garden Spot High, has been boxing for about a year. He\u2019s tried multiple sports, but, he said, \u201cI\u2019m pretty bad at all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boxing is clearly an exception.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love this, yeah,\u201d he said, adding that his team is the best part. And, he said, winning felt good.<\/p>\n
Coach Jinji Martinez said Aruanno\u2019s been sparring with \u201call my top guys,\u201d which set him up for victory, but the real goal for his boxers is to have fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he had a lot of fun,\u201d Martinez said of Aruanno\u2019s fight.<\/p>\n
Aruanno will advance to the next round of the tournament and, along with several other Lancaster boxers, have a chance to fight, and have fun, on March 14 at UNITE Central PA, in Harrisburg.<\/p>\n
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