DUNMORE — It was a familiar opponent and the same result for JP Hale’s second visit to Northeast Pennsylvania.

The native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, earned a victory on points in an amateur bout over Abel Lucas of Camp Hill in the main event of Mother’s Day Boxing in front of a sold out crowd of 650 at the Holiday Inn Scranton East on Saturday.

The pair also matched up at the same venue Nov. 1 with Hale coming out on top on points.

“I tried to box him a bit more this time and I kind of got bored of it because I think I’m more of a fighter,” Hale said. “I kind of already knew the outcome of the fight; I just wanted to make sure it was more sustainable.”

Lucas came out attacking Hale to the body in the first round, but Hale answered with a left hook upstairs and a right hook to the body. After a nice combination from Lucas, Hale countered with a stinging right hook to the head and a left hook to the body.

“I think I have a good guard,” Hale said. “Especially because he’s smaller, he’s going to go to the body. I just hunched over and used my body to gas him and then threw over the top.”

Lucas scored with a good left hook early in the second round and then went back to the body. Hale landed a combination with Lucas on the ropes and then connected with four rights in a row upstairs and then a straight left.

In the third round, Hale backed Lucas against the ropes and landed a few hard shots upstairs and then a big right with Lucas in the corner.

“It’s more that I can read his body language and I knew he couldn’t keep up with my fitness so it was more I was using my boxing and I jumped on him when I could,” Hale said.

It’s the continuation of a busy stretch for Hale, who fought in Scotland and Turkey in the last few weeks and will compete in Holland next Saturday.

“It’s unreal,” he said. “It’s a boxer’s dream. Just constantly busy. This is what I love doing. It’s just been my whole life.”

Thriller from Thunder

Jayden “Thunder” Aquino entered the ring dressed like Michael Jackson with “Beat It” playing on the speakers. When the music stopped, the show really began.

The 13-year-old who trains out of Scranton’s Irish Boxing Club connected with stinging punches to earn a win on points over Caesar Vega.

The southpaw Aquino landed a nice straight left hand in the first round and scored with a short right as Vega, 12, tried to get inside. Vega connected with a good left hook near the end of the first round.

With both boxers on the defensive in the second, Aquino won the round with another good straight left.

“I’ve been working on it all the time,” Aquino said. “The left is my best punch.”

Vega charged out of the corner to start the third round and the boxers traded shots. After the fighters were separated, Aquino rushed in and landed a left. Then, with Vega backed into a corner, Aquino scored with another straight left.

“I was locked in physically and mentally so when he came in it was like, OK he’s going to come in because it’s the last round so I stayed calm, he came in swinging, I weaved it and I started getting active,” Aquino said.

Break the hold

Zach Venesky’s opponent Bryce Byrd was warned several times throughout the fight for holding behind the head, but Venesky used the holding to his advantage to earn a win on points.

“I felt like when he was holding me he was leaving himself open to body shots, so I was just digging underneath because he had his arm there so he gave me an opening,” Venesky said. “I felt like he was trying to pull me down, but I was too strong so it kind of worked out.”

In the first round, Venesky pushed Byrd against the ropes and landed a few body shots. Byrd landed a short left with Venesky trying to jab. Venesky was also trying to go the body, fighting as the shorter boxer for one of the few times in his amateur career.

“I’ve fought a few guys that had an inch or two on me,” said the 6-3 former Valley View and Rutgers football star. “It does make it a little different because with the height difference you’re throwing the jab up a little higher and focus on the body more, so it was a little bit of an adjustment for sure.”

Venesky landed a right to the body and a left-right combination upstairs with Byrd in the corner in the second round. Venesky went back to the body in the third round to earn the win.

“Coach Gene (Reed), day in and day out with the workouts, he gets us ready,” Venesky said. “Any adversity we face we’re prepared for it.”

Results

103 pounds: Micah Harris def. Mekhi Flowers on points.

168 pounds: Haaziq Morrow def. Gabriel Hunter on points.

152 pounds: Jonathan Lumpkin def. Jesse Burke by referee stoppage because of injury in Round 2.

148 pounds: Martin Tinoco def. John Gilligan on points.

140 pounds: Alexandel Orosco def. Stephon Caple on points.

135 pounds: Giannmarco Beltran def. Eduardo Rodriguez on points.

80 pounds: Jayden Aquino def. Caesar Vega on points.

150 pounds: Anye Robinson def. Caleb Young on points.

146 pounds: Abass Rabo def. Jordan Gonzalez on points.

147 pounds: JP Hale def. Abel Lucas on points.

Heavyweights: Zach Venesky def. Bryce Byrd on points.

185 pounds: Robin Taylor def. Kasim Lewis on points.

160 pounds: Verdo McTeer def. Yaniel Salome on points.

143 pounds: Jarrod Thomas def. Joey Salvia on points.

218 pounds: Jeremiah Mateo Valdez def. Jahzivelo Lopez on points.

145 pounds: Johnathan Levine def. Randy Soto by TKO in Round 3.

140 pounds: Jon Henriquez def. Pedro Tapia on points.