The Portland Boxing Club's professionals Casey "The Comeback Kid" Streeter and Wade Faria will be fighting at the Father's Day Classic at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, ME on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Streeter is stepping up a weight class to challenge current New England Middleweight champ Bernard Joseph for his New England title. Joseph, trained by highly regarded coach Mark DeLuca, brings an impressive 11-1 record to the bout. Streeter, 13-2-2, coming off an exciting eighth round stoppage of Joe Farina in Boston for the third defense of his title considers the weight jump to be insignificant for the bout, bringing speed and mobility to counter the strength of the champ.

Portland Boxing Club will also have will have several amateur boxers on the show. 

Congratulations to Portland Boxing Club’s amateur standout Ilyas Bashir on his graduation from Bates College! Bashir recently competed in his third consecutive National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. Bashir majors in Anthropology and is proficient in Mandarin and Cantonese. He is not only academically gifted but also a highly intelligent boxer.

James was pre-deceased by his wife Nancy and oldest son James E. Neales IV. James is survived by his sons Harold Neales and Kevin Neales, daughter Nancy Neales, four granddaughters Stephanie Nichols, Rachel Lira, Allison Neales, and Alicia Adams, great grandson Lincoln Gee, and great granddaughter Matilda James Lira. His absolute passion in life was the sport of Boxing. James began boxing while serving in the Maine Army National Guard and continued after he was discharged. He turned to coaching after his short career in the ring and found this to be his true calling. He coached the Sweet Science of Boxing to hundreds of youths in the Portland area. The joy he received from passing on his knowledge of Boxing to young fighters was immeasurable. He wanted nothing more for every fighter he trained to be successful and reap the benefits of a solid work ethic. James was a fixture at the Portland Boxing Club for nearly 35 years and was loved by all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life will be held for James on June 8th at Dolby, Blais, and Segee in Westbrook from 10 am to 1pm. Visiting hours will be from 10 am - 12:30 pm and a short service will be held from 12:30 pm to 1 pm. A private graveside service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Portland Boxing Club via their website at www.portlandboxingclub.org.

It was at Day’s Jewelers that he met Larry Butler who asked Skip to help with his boxing training, beginning Skip’s 65-year involvement in the Portland boxing scene. While training Butler, Skip was also a frequent sparring partner at Villacci’s boxing gym on Portland Street where Pete Riccitelli and “Irish Macka” Foley, popular Portland boxers trained. As a young man, Skip frequented the gym at Parris and Lancaster Streets, Silverman’s on Federal and Temple Streets, Micucci’s on India Street, the boxing gym on the fifth floor of the Jewish Community Center and the Portland YMCA.

Skip was front and center during the peak of boxing in Maine. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, promoter Sam Silverman ran shows at the Portland Expo every Thursday night. Skip was a fixture at these shows working the corner for boxers, including Portland legend Leo DiFiore.

During the late 1970’s and 1980’s, Skip ran a boxing club along with professional middleweight Tommy Butts. Due to financial constraints, the gym had to move through a series of locations including a storefront on Congress Street, the fifth floor of the Jewish Community Center on Cumberland Avenue, the basement of the Portland Expo on Park Avenue and the basement of Eddie Griffin’s famous Griffin Club in South Portland. It was at this gym in the Griffin Club that Skip first began training Jonny Webster, someone he helped train for nearly 40 years.

Tommy and Skip’s next location, which they ran through the mid-1980’s, was at the vacant Shailer School on North Street in Portland’s Eastern Prom. It was at the Shailer School gym where Skip first met Bobby Russo, forming a friendship that lasted the rest of his life.

After closing the Shailer School gym, Skip trained boxers at several other area gyms eventually ending up at Calazzo's boxing gym on Forest Avenue.

Skip volunteered at the Portland Boxing Club six days a week for 32 years until his health no longer allowed. Skip described his training style as “old school,” constantly pushing the boxers to work harder. One of his famous quotes, which was painted on the wall of the Portland Boxing Club for many years, was “Don’t leave it to the judges!”

Skip did whatever was needed around the gym – whether it was training, maintenance, cleaning or helping with the merchandise. He was the first person that many newcomers to the Portland Boxing Club met. He spent time with the hopeful boxers and made them feel welcome.

Skip was part of the fabric that made the Portland Boxing Club a special place. We are forever grateful to Skip Neals.

May 16, 2025 – Tulsa, OK

Portland Boxing Club's Ilyas Bashir and Kate Zehr represented New England at the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions held at the Arvest Convention Center in Tulsa, OK during May 2025. This marked Bashir's third consecutive participation in the Nationals and Zehr's fifth.

In his opening bout, PBC’s elite open 132-pound lightweight Ilyas Bashir from Auburn won a decisive 5-0 unanimous victory over Jeremiah Valerio of Antioch, CA. Following a measured first round, Bashir intensified his efforts in the second and third rounds to clinch the clear victory. Bashir advanced to compete against David Van Dyke, III of Des Moines, IA. Despite boxing well and landing clean shots, Bashir narrowly lost by a 3-2 split decision.

In the quarterfinals, PBC’s elite open 143-pound light welterweight Kate Zehr from South Portland achieved a 5-0 unanimous decision win against Ariana Avila of Norway, IA. Zehr proceeded to the semifinals where she faced Brianna Guila of Chicago, IL. Although Zehr effectively landed multiple body shots with left hooks and straight rights, Guila’s superior strength and reach ultimately led her to victory.

March 22, 2025 – Boston, MA

Portland Boxing Club professionals Casey Streeter and Wade Faria competed on March 22, 2025, at the Rumble at the Royale event held at the Royale Nightclub in Boston, MA.

In the main event, PBC’s Casey “The Comeback Kid” Streeter, a professional super welterweight from Raymond, Maine, fought for eight of the scheduled ten rounds against Joe Farina of South Boston, MA. This match was a rematch of their 2023 fight when Streeter won the vacated New England Super Welterweight title. The fight was closely contested after the first six rounds. Streeter began landing more jabs and straight rights in the seventh round, nearly closing Farina's right eye. In the eighth round, Farina’s left eye sustained damage, leading his corner to stop the fight. Streeter retained the title by TKO at 2:15 of the eighth round. Streeter’s record stands at 13-2, 6 KO’s. 

In a four-round feature bout, PBC’s professional super middleweight Wade Faria of Gorham, Maine, faced Jhony Rodrigo Dos Santos of Winchester, MA, by way of Brazil. Faria used a hard left jab throughout and dropped Dos Santos in the third round with a straight right hand. Dos Santos frequently held and clinched during the fight, making it difficult for Faria to gain room to strike. All three judges scored all four rounds in Faria’s favor, earning him the unanimous decision and improving his record to 3-0.

Streeter and Faria, along with undefeated Kansas boxing prospect Marco “El Tiburon” Romero and fan favorite Maine’s Brandon “The Cannon” Berry, will be featured at the Father’s Day Pro Boxing Classic at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on June 14, 2025.

March 6, 2025 – Lowell, MA

Portland Boxing Club’s fighters represented Northern New England at the All-New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at the historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA on February 30 and March 6, 2025. 

In the semifinals, PBC’s elite open Abbas Ngoboka, a 154-pound welterweight from Portland, lost a hard-fought split decision to Carlos Delgado Santos of Boston MA. Although Ngoboka had bursts of landing shots, Santos was the busier fighter throughout the bout. 

Also in the semifinals, PBC’s elite open Jordan Lindsay, a 198+ pound super heavyweight from Portland, came back after a year without a bout to lose a majority decision to Armani Dotson of Taunton, MA. 

PBC’s elite novice Idris Bashir, a 143-pound light welterweight from Auburn, won his semifinal bout with a unanimous decision over Christian Hellens of Stamford, CT. Bashir used his reach along with a stiff left jab and a powerful straight right to keep the strong but shorter Hellens at bay. Bashir won the finals by RSC in the third round over a very tough Joshua Folger of Fall River, MA. It was a back-and-forth fight until Bashir scored two knock downs in the third round before the stoppage with Bashir winning the All-New England Golden Gloves 143-pound title. 

PBC’s elite open Ilyas Bashir, a 132-pound lightweight from Auburn, won a unanimous decision over Michael Dos Reis of Whitman, MA in the semifinals. Bashir controlled the pace of the fight and kept Reis on the ropes and in the corners throughout. In the finals, Bashir won a split decision over Anthony Schurko of Medford, MA. Schurko was aggressive with some good moments but was outscored and out boxed by Bashir who was landing straight jabs throughout the bout. Bashir wins the All-New England Golden Gloves 132-pound title for the fourth consecutive time, the third time in the open class. 

PBC’s elite open Kate Zehr, a 143-pound light welterweight from South Portland, won her semifinal bout with a unanimous decision over Jessica Lampron of Dorchester, MA. Both fighters were busy; however, Zehr showed intensity with relentless body shots throughout all three rounds. In the finals, Zehr won another unanimous decision, this time over Kyana Williams of Providence, RI. Zehr fought non-stop for the entire bout to win the All-New England Golden Gloves 143-pound title. 

As open class boxers, Ilyas Bashir and Zehr advance to the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Tulsa, OK. This is Bashir’s third straight trip to the Nationals and Zehr’s fifth straight trip. Zehr recently moved up to the light welterweight class to face more competition. She won the New England Golden Gloves Outstanding Boxer Award.