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NYPD pugs primed for visit by Garda

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

“We’re looking to avenge our defeats there on St. Patrick’s Day,” Packtor, president and head coach of the NYPD team, said last week. “We lost 7-2 and we hope we can win 7-2. We also hope to raise a lot of money.”
Ten bouts, nine of them pitting Garda fighters against NYPD opponents, are lined up on the “Heroes and Legends . . . a Night at the Fight” dinner show whose proceeds will benefit Tuesday’s Child, a charity that supports children orphaned by the 2001 terrorist strike on New York.
The matchups are (Garda fighters listed first):
Welterweights – Henry Coyle vs. Brian O’Neil (114th Precinct) and David Barrett vs. Lumpia Rashim (75th pct.); junior middleweight Ian Roche vs. Flavio Rodriguez (48th pct.); middleweights – Niall Kennedy vs. Julio Orozco (105th pct.), Pierce O’Sullivan vs. Jonathan Troncoso (46th pct.), and Seamus O’Callaghan vs. Freddy Ortiz (46th pct.).
Also, light heavyweights – Donal Barrett vs. Willy Massonette (48th pct.) and Brian Tehan vs. Greg Trager (Bronx narcotics), and heavyweight Tom Murray vs. Mike McGee (52nd pct.).
In a special feature bout, NYPD sergeant Jean Martin, who missed out on an all-time record sixth New York Daily News Golden Gloves title when she lost in the women’s 154-pound final two weeks ago, takes on 138-pound Golden Gloves winner Desiree Mistretta, a Long Island carpenter.
Roche, O’Callaghan and Tehan will be involved in rematches of their St. Patrick’s Day contests — Roche and Tehan having defeated Rodriguez and Trager, respectively, while O’Callaghan lost to Ortiz.
“They were more like grand larcenies,” Packtor said kiddingly.
In all, seven of the NYPD men, including O’Neil and Julio Orozco who got sick before his match with Dave Conlon, briefly of New York but now a Mayo fireman, were in the squad that fought in Ireland.
A retired officer whose mother hailed from Kerry, Packtor thanked Gleason’s Gym proprietor Bruce Silverglades for allowing the police team to train there.
The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour followed by dinner and the fights from 7-11 p.m. Call (212) 319-3988, ext. 22 for ticket information.

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