Portland Boxing Club News and Events

2022 News and events

All-Star Boxing

November 12, 2022 - Portland, ME

The Portland Boxing Club hosted its 107^th event in its 30-year history on November 12, 2022. A sold-out crowd of nearly 3,000 people packed the James A. Banks Exposition Building to see boxers from Portland Boxing Club win two championship belts.

In the main event, PBC’s Jason “The Fighting Fireman” Quirk from Scarborough, Maine faced Anthony Hines of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Both boxers put their perfect record of 9-0 on the line in this 8 round match up for the ABF/USA Middleweight Title. Although this was only Quirk’s second fight in 5 years, he did not show any ring rust with back-and-forth exchanges with Hines in a terrific battle for all 8 rounds. Quirk landed cleaner punches and controlled the action, in a much closer bout than what the unanimous decision indicated.

In the co-feature event, PBC’s Jorge “Mantequilla” Abiague from Portland, Maine was clearly the aggressor over the first five rounds to defeat Eder Clervoix of Montreal to win the Northeast Regional Super Bantamweight Title. Clervoix suffered a hand injury and refused to come out for the sixth of the scheduled eight rounds giving Abiague the win by TKO.

Brandon “The Cannon” Berry, a welterweight from West Forks, Maine, overwhelmed Miguel Angel Suarez from Buenos Aries, Argentina with a punishing body attack scoring five knock downs. The referee called a halt to the action at 2:03 into the fifth round.

On the undercard, Cristiano Pedro, a cruiserweight from Lewiston, Maine, won a unanimous decision over Jimmie Levins of Buffalo, New York in a slow moving four-round bout that featured a lot of holding. Jahyae Brown, a junior middleweight from Schenectady, New York won by knockout over Jader Alves de Oliveria of Framingham, Massachusetts at 2:43 into the first of the six scheduled rounds. Xavian Ramierz, a junior welterweight from Morrill, Nebraska, won a unanimous decision over Mike Fowler, of Madison, Wisconsin, in a four-round bout.

The evening started with two amateur bouts featuring Portland Boxing Club boxers. PBC’s Zordan Holman, a super heavyweight from Westbrook, Maine, won by TKO over Joseph Jones, of Sharon, Massachusetts, at 1:36 into the second round. PBC’s Wade Faria, a middleweight from Gorham, Maine, looked impressive winning a unanimous decision over Bopol Tshiunza, of Lewiston, Maine.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Alan “Hooker” Johnson was introduced. Johnson is the recipient of the Defense Medal of Freedom and the Secretary of Defense Medal of Valor. Portland Boxing Club president and head coach Bobby Russo was awarded a Veteran’s Choice Award for his continued support of veteran’s causes.

Special guests were James “Buster” Douglas and Rob Ninkovich who signed autographs and took photos.

USA Boxing New England Championships

October 8, 2022 - PORTLAND, ME

Portland Boxing Club had seven boxers participating in the 135th annual USA Boxing New England Championships September 24 through October 8, 2022.

In the semi-final round of the tournament, PBC’s Wade Faria, an elite 165-pound middleweight from Portland, ME, won a unanimous decision over Gio Daley of Methuen, MA. Faria’s relentless body attack wore down Daley winning a clear-cut decision. Unfortunately, Faria was not allowed to participate in the final round due to a citizenship issue. The opponent that he defeated went on to win the tournament.

PBC’s Zordan Holman, a novice 203+ pound superheavyweight from Westbrook, ME, defeated Kiefer Rivera, of Worchester, MA by RSC in the second round. Rivera was given two standing eight counts before the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.

In the final round of the tournament, PBC’s Franco Decilla, a 110-pound youth novice from North Conway, NH, lost a hard-fought fight to Melvin Garcia of Lawrence, MA.

PBC’s Max Kennedy, a 138-pound junior novice from South Portland, ME, was way too much for Pedro Rivera of Manchester, NH by RSC in the second round.

PBC’s Tiger Diaz, a novice 132-pound lightweight from Brunswick, ME, won a unanimous decision over Jayden Weyant of Taunton, MA in a back-and-forth battle.

PBC’s Lindsay Kyajohnian Fracois, an elite 141-pound light welterweight from Gorham, ME, lost a razor-close split decision to Jessica Lampron of Boston, MA.

PBC's Zordan Holman defeated Joseph Jones, of Sharon, MA by RSC at 34 seconds in the first round of the bout. The fight got off to a quick start exchanging blows when Holman landed a right hand scoring a standing eight count. Jones was clearly unable to continue, and the referee stopped the bout.

PBC’s Jordan Lindsay, an elite 203+ pound superheavyweight from Portland, ME, lost a split decision to Gilbert Kabamba of Boston, MA. Kabamba edged out Lindsay in the third round to win a close decision.

Winners in the final round were awarded USA Boxing New England Championship titles.

Special Guests for All-Star Boxing

Portland Boxing Club announces that James “Buster” Douglas and Rob Minkovich will be the special guests at this year’s All-Star Boxing event at the Portland Expo on Saturday, November 12, 2022. Douglas and Minkovich will appear at the Portland Expo to sign autographs and take photos with fans from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

The card will feature local pro boxers including Jason "The Fighting Fireman" Quirk who faces Anthony Hines for the ABF/USA Middleweight Championship and former National Golden Gloves Champion and New England Super Bantamweight Champion Jorge “Mantequilla” Abiague who faces Eder Clervoix for the vacant Northeastern Super Bantamweight Championship.

Also on the card is the popular welterweight Brandon "The Cannon" Berry and other up-and-coming professional boxers from around New England. The show will open with several amateur bouts featuring Portland Boxing Club's rising stars.

Former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, Buster Douglas scored one of the most shocking upsets in sports history in 1990 when he knocked out the previously undefeated and seemingly unbeatable World Heavyweight Champion, Mike Tyson, in Tokyo, Japan. Buster put on a masterful display of boxing ability, totally out-classing Tyson who was a 40-1 favorite. Although there were some rocky moments during the bout, including having to survive a knock-down, he got back on his feet and took the fight right back to the champion – knocking out Tyson in the 10th round. He was the last heavyweight champion to hold the undisputed title.

Rob Minkovich played 11 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Purdue University, he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints, and he played for the Miami Dolphins, but he is best known for his 8 seasons with the New England Patriots – winning two Super Bowls.

Douglas and Minkovich are appearing in support of Portland Boxing Club’s grass roots boxing program. They will be available to take pictures and to sign gloves/photos with all proceeds going to the Portland Boxing Club.

Tickets to the event are on sale at Bruno’s Restaurant and online at www.portlandboxingclub.org

Annual Networking Event

September 22, 2022 - PORTLAND, ME

Over 100 business professionals from around southern Maine attended the fifth annual Portland Boxing Club Networking Event on September 22, 2022. This is a major fundraising event for the Portland Boxing Club with all proceeds going directly to serving area youth. Thank you to our event sponsors:

Lead sponsor - Wipfli LLP
Food sponsors - Cowbell Burger and Pizzaolo
Beverage sponsor - Definitive Beverage Company
Store promotion - Ralph Hendrix

National Golden Gloves Hall of Fame

August 2022 - TULSA, OK

Portland Boxing Club's president and head coach Bobby Russo was inducted into the National Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in August in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In addition to leading the Portland Boxing Club for 30 years, Russo is National President of Golden Gloves of America and the Executive Director of the New England Golden Gloves. He was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

National Golden Gloves

August 2022 - TULSA, OK

Portland Boxing Club's Kate Zehr, an elite 125-pound open class female, of South Portland, ME, represented New England at the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Tulsa, Oklahoma in August.

In the quarterfinal round of the tournament, Zehr lost a razor close split decision to Hainite Tuitupou who was representing Michigan. The fight had non-stop back-and-forth action for all three rounds that could have gone either way. In her first round of the tournament, Zehr won a split decision over Linglong Schoh who was representing Nevada.

All-Star Boxing Returns to the Expo

The Portland Boxing Club will present its 107th event on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at the Portland Expo featuring two title fights.

Headlining the pro portion of the event will be Jason "The Fighting Fireman" Quirk who meets up with Anthony Hines of Dorchester, MA This eight-round bout will be action-packed as Quirk, who is 9-0 6 KO, faces Hines, who is 9-0 5 KO, for the ABF/USA Middleweight Championship.

The co-feature will be the return of PBC fan favorite former National Golden Gloves Champion and New England Super Bantamweight Champion Jorge “Mantequilla” Abiague. Abiague will face Eder Clervoix of Montreal, Quebec by way of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This eight-round bout is for the vacant Northeastern Super Bantamweight Championship.

Also on the card is the popular welterweight Brandon "The Cannon" Berry from West Forks, Maine and other up-and-coming professional boxers from around New England. The show will open with several amateur bouts featuring Portland Boxing Club's rising stars.

The special guest for the event will be announced soon. Tickets go on sale on October 1, 2022 at www.portlandboxingclub.org and at Bruno’s Restaurant, 33 Allen Avenue, Portland, as well as at the door the night of the event. Ticket prices range from $25 to $100.

An Evening of Amateur Boxing

August 6, 2022 - SOMERSWORTH, NH

Portland Boxing Club's Franco Decilla, Max Kennedy and Zordan Holman fought in Jass Boxing's An Evening of Amateur Boxing at the Tri-County Christian Academy in Somersworth, NH on Saturday, August 6, 2022.

Decilla, a 110-pound junior, from North Conway, NH lost a split decision to Melvin Garcia of Lawrence, MA. This hard-fought fight was very close and could have gone either way.

Kennedy, a 139-pound novice, from South Portland, ME, won a unanimous decision over Rainy DeJesus of Lawrence, MA. Kennedy was the more aggressive of the two fighters and dominated DeJesus throughout the fight.

Holman, a novice super heavyweight from Westbrook, ME, won by referee stopped contest (RFC) in the first round over Tom Curtis of Waterville, ME. Holman's body shots made quick work of Curtis. After giving Curtis a standing eight count, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.

PBC Little League Team

The team sponsored by Portland Boxing Club won the Portland Little League 2022 AAA Championship! Many of this year's players were on the little league team that won only one regular season game last year, but made an unlikely playoff run that ended in a lopsided loss in the championship. They were determined to get back there this season and were able to finish the job. The team lost their opening game this season, then didn't lose again, winning 13 straight games!

Jason Quirk Returns to the Ring

July 16, 2022 - BRAINTREE, MA

Portland Boxing Club's pro middleweight Jason "The Fighting Fireman" Quirk, of Scarborough, ME, won a unanimous decision over Heinrich Caceres, of Asuncion, Paraguay. Quirk shrugged off five years ring rust being his first fight since 2017. Quirk remains undefeated with this win over a very durable opponent. He won every round unanimously with all three judges scored the fight 40-35 in favor of Quirk.

603 Night of Fights

June 18, 2022 - HAMPSTEAD, NH

Portland Boxing Club went 4 for 4 with very impressive wins at Southpaw Boxing's 603 Night of Fights on June 18, 2022 at Phan Zone Sports Center in Hampstead, NH.

Ilyas Bashir, an elite 139-pound open class male, of Auburn, ME, scored a win over Anderson Blanco, of Lynn, MA. Bashir showed great technical skills, outboxing Blanco for the unanimous decision.

Kate Zehr, an elite 125-pound open class female, of South Portland, ME, won a 3-2 split decision over Alyssa Pike, of Salisbury, MA, the reigning New England Champion. Both fighters had a similar busy, aggressive style in this close and hard-fought battle.

Jordan Lindsay, a 203+ pound novice class male from Portland, ME, came back after a year away from competition to score a win over Matthew Polovick, of Naples, ME. Lindsay dominated Polovick from the start scoring a knock down early in the first round and another knock down at the end of the round. Lindsay continued to land punches throughout the second round until scoring a knock out at 2:47 into the round.

Wade Faria, an elite 165-pound open class male of Westbrook, ME, earned an upset win over Adrean Gedney, of Gloucester, MA. Faria looked good in every round clearly outboxing southpaw Gedney, the reigning New England Champion.

Thrive VIII

May 7, 2022 - LONDONDERRY, NH

Portland Boxing Club's Max Kennedy, Ilyas Bashir and Zordan Holman competed in Thrive VIII on Saturday, May 7, 2022 in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

Max Kennedy, a 139-pound novice male from South Portland, ME won a unanimous decision over Exavier Gomez of Lawrence, MA. In this great match-up of two sluggers, Kennedy's better boxing skills earned him the win over the aggressive Gomez in this war of a fight.

In what was declared the Fight of the Night, Ilyas Bashir, a 139-pound elite male from Auburn, ME, outboxed Michael DiDino of West Warwick, RI clearly winning the split decision.

Zordan Holman, a 203+ pound novice male from Westbrook, ME, showed a nice jab in his unanimous decision win over Kiefer Rivera of Springfield, MA. Holman outclassed his game opponent throughout the fight.

Gettin' Gritty in the City

April 9, 2022 - LEWISTON, ME

Portland Boxing Club's Wade Faria, Ilyas Bashir and Max Kennedy all showed good skill at Gettin' Gritty in the City 2 - USA vs Canada on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Lewiston Armory in Lewiston, Maine.

Max Kennedy, a 139-pound novice male of South Portland, ME lost a very close split decision to Matthew Nguyen of Springfield, MA. The entire fight was a back-and-forth battle in Kennedy's debut fight.

Abbas Ngoboka, a 152-pound youth division male from Portland, ME won a surprising split decision over Jaquan Davis of Springfield, MA. Ngoboka dominated his opponent looking very impressive in his first fight after recovering from a high school football injury.

Wade Faria, a 165-pound elite male of Portland, ME, stepped up to 170 pounds to face Orion Clachar, of Stratford, NH. Faria won a unanimous decision, clearly out-boxed the heavier Clachar, who is the New England Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Champion. Faria was awarded Outstanding Fighter of the event and this bout was also named Fight of the Night.

Ilyas Bashir, a 139-pound novice male of Auburn, ME, won by RSC at 2:07 into the second round over Riley Varlan of Oromocto, New Brunswick. Bashir was very impressive, clearly dominating the former Junior Canadian Champion with vicious body attacks.

All-New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions

March 10, 2022 - LOWELL, MA

Portland Boxing Club's Wade Faria, Ilyas Bashir and Zordan Holman represented Northern New England at the All-New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA on March 3 and March 10, 2022.

In the165-pound elite male semifinals, Wade Faria, of Portland, ME, lost a razor close split decision to Jhon Devers, of Worcester, MA, who was representing Western New England. This hard fought bout cold have gone either way.

In the novice male 139-pound semifinals, Ilyas Bashir, of Auburn, ME, won by RSC over Nemesio Ferrer, of New Bedford, MA, representing Southern New England. Bashir dominated Ferrer with a non-stop relentless attack throughout the three rounds before the referee stopped the fight with 20 seconds left in the third round. In the finals, Bashir lost to Josue Maisonet, of Southbridge, MA, who was representing Central New England.

In the novice male 203+ pound semifinals Zordan Holman, of Westbrook, ME, won a split decision over Zackary Chick, of Buzzard’s Bay, MA, representing Southern New England. Holman used a steady jab and combination punching to pull off the decision. In the finals, Holman lost to Gilbert Kabamba, of Boston, MA, who was representing Central New England.

New England Golden Gloves Action

February 17, 2022 - LOWELL, MA

Portland Boxing Club’s Ilyas Bashir and Wade Faria stayed busy taking part in special non-tournament bouts at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, February 10, 2022. Ilyas Bashir, of Auburn, ME, defeated Nathaniel Seng, of Lowell, MA, and Wade Faria, of Portland, ME, defeated Berny Obas, of Medford, MA. In another special non-tournament bout on February 17, 2022, Wade Faria won a unanimous decision over Douglas Marroquin, of Stamford, CT.

In the novice male 139-pound semifinal round of the All-New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on February 17, 2022, Ilyas Bashir, representing Northern New England, won by RSC over Nemesio Ferrer, of New Bedford, MA, representing Southern New England. Bashir dominated Ferrer with a non-stop relentless attack throughout the three rounds before the referee to stopped the fight with 20 seconds left in the third round.

In the novice male 203+ pound semifinal round of the All-New England Tournament of Champions on February 24, 2022, Portland Boxing Club’s Zordan Holman, of Westbrook, ME, representing Northern New England, won a split decision over Zackary Chick, of Buzzard’s Bay, MA, representing Southern New England. Holman used a steady jab and combination punching to pull off the decision.

The New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions continues with Finals on March 3 and 10, 2022.

PBC Wins Two Northern New England Golden Gloves Championships

January 22, 2022 - SOMERSWORTH, NH

In the semi-final round of the Northern New England Golden Gloves tournament, Portland Boxing Club’s Ilyas Bashir, a 139-pound novice division light welterweight from Auburn, Maine showed superior boxing skills winning a unanimous decision over Tristan Harvie of Essex Junction, Vermont. In the finals, Bashir earned a unanimous decision over Michel DiDino of Manchester, New Hampshire, to win the championship. In Bashir’s toughest fight to date, DiDino used questionable tactics unsuccessfully trying to slow Bashir’s relentless attack.

Bashir was awarded outstanding boxer of the tournament, winning both this award and the Northern New England Golden Gloves novice light welterweight championship two years in a row.

In the semi-final round of the tournament, Portland Boxing Club’s Zordan Holman, a 203+ pound novice division super heavyweight from Westbrook, Maine, defeated Tom Curtis, of Spruce Head, Maine, by RSC (technical knock-out) 49 seconds into the first round of the fight. Holman started fast against the much larger Curtis. His jab found the target quickly, followed by right hands that had Curtis in trouble from the start. After 49 seconds of Holman battering his opponent without any offense from the other side, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. In the final round of the tournament, Holman defeated Abdul Sumah, of Bangor, Maine, by RSC 1:20 into the first round of the fight. Sumah, who had a significant weight advantage, was clearly outmatched.

Bashir and Holman advance to the New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Lowell, Massachusetts starting on February 17, 2022. In addition, Portland Boxing Club’s Kate Zehr, a 125-pound elite featherweight from South Portland, Maine and Wade Faria, a 165-pound elite middleweight from Portland, Maine, advance to this tournament by walkover. Portland Boxing Club fighters have won 223 championships in the organization’s 30-year history.

2022 News and events

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