Irish fighters reach Gloves semis

The Morris Park BC teammates will fight for semifinal berths in their respective weight divisions on March 12 at the Manhattan PAL, 441 Manhattan Ave., at 119th Street. The show starts at 8 pm.
O’Regan, a quarterfinalist at 178 pounds two years ago, led the Irish charge with a superb boxing display against Anton Williams that earned him a 5-0 nod over the muscular Jamaican in their 165-pound novice class bout at the Brooklyn PAL last Wednesday.
The following night at Glen Cove High School in Long Island, Power knocked down the beefy Reginald LaCrete en route to a 4-1 decision in a brutal 178-pound bout.
“I’m from Limerick and I’m proud!” the exhausted Power yelled after using his vaunted left hook to great effect once again.
O’Regan’s performance was a major improvement over his first match in the 2004 Golden Gloves last month, when he showed a lot of rust while eking out a 3-2 result over William Rosinsky.
Against Williamson, the 28 year-old Yonkers carpenter was much sharper and fluid, while showing a good defense. Despite spotting Williamson more than a couple of inches, the 5-foot-11 inch O’Regan pressed his man relentlessly behind a left jab, while frequently mauling him on the ropes.
A big and intimidating figure coming into the ring, Williamson was shown up for skill despite bloodying O’Regan’s nose with looping right hands. To his credit, Williamson, who was representing Brooklyn’s Zaragoza BC, took all of O’Regan’s best shots and never gave up the fight.
“He had wild punches that made him awkward. He was a strong kid,” said O’Regan, who was deemed an easy winner by all five judges. “I caught him a few times and he came straight back with punches. I didn’t want to run into anything.” O’Regan’s left shoulder, which had bothered the fighter since his win over Rosinsky, wasn’t a major factor on the night.
“It felt alright [although] the jab wasn’t coming out as fast as usual,” he said.
Trainer Wendell Williams and his assistant Brian Dowd both gave their charge top marks for his performance.
“He boxed very well and he listens; that’s why I like him,” Williams said.
Dowd lauded O’Regan’s fitness, saying: “He’s the best conditioned fighter at Morris Park. He trains Spartan-like.”
At Glen Cove High School, Power’s steely determination and awesome left hook were the difference in a grueling fight against the brawny LaCrete of Gleason’s Gym, who was touted by some to win the 178-pound Gloves.
Power, 5-foot-10, started off jabbing against the taller LaCrete, but once he found a target for his left hook on his opponent’s temple, it was bombs away.
The two fighters then went to war with LaCrete occasionally countering Power’s hook with right hands of his own. However, he could not match the 24-year-old Irishman’s power, a fact underscored midway through the second stanza when he was flattened by a booming left hook to the jaw during a fierce exchange.
But Power slowed down noticeably as the round progressed and was docked one point for holding. He was forced to dig into his reserves in the final heat as LaCrete refused to take a backward step.
“I wasn’t training as much the week before because I’d hurt my elbow. I was running a lot but not sparring,” Power, a construction worker, later explained his lack of conditioning.
He said the injury was probably the result of throwing too many combinations in the gym and lifting heavy objects at work.
At any rate, four of the five judges were impressed by Power’s handiwork and scored the fight for him, with one official giving it to LaCrete.
Power was a 5-0 points winner over Hassahn Gordon in the first round last month.