NJ/NY boxers score five KO wins in Greenland
NUUK, Greenland —The first American boxing team to ever compete in Greenland scored five knockout victories on Saturday, May 4, thrilling the crowd at Godthabhallen in the capital city of Nuuk with their skill and strength.
Sebastian Mazeneth, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Carlos Lizardo, 25, of Newark, N.J., Joshua Rodriguez, 18, of Staten Island, N.Y., Corina Shirk-Harris, 17, of Atlantic City, N.J. and Nolan Hill, 34, of Edgewater, N.J. all scored dominant knockout wins, while Andriy Lishchuk, 15, of Linden, N.J., Quamaine Futrell, 27, of Hillside, N.J. and Timothy Hardy, 19, of Neptune, N.J. lost competitive decisions.
Seven of the local boxers were from Fight Club Nanoq, the only boxing gym in the sparsely populated autonomous territory, while the eighth boxer is from Denmark.
Mazeneth, a welterweight boxer and junior at College of Staten Island, scored the biggest win of his career, dropping amateur standout Mads Bejder Christensen four times in two rounds to force a stoppage. Christensen had previously been rated no. 4 in the nation of Denmark and had won the prestigious Hancock Box Cup and Hvidovre Box Cup tournaments in Denmark.
Lizardo, who was this year’s N.J. Golden Gloves sub-novice champion at 147 pounds, made quick work of Daniel Jensen, firing away nonstop combinations to get three standing eight counts to end the bout in round one.
Hill, a former basketball player for the William Paterson University Pioneers, scored a highlight reel knockout in round three, using body punches to walk Philippe Kuitse Andersen into a right hand that put the local fighter down and ended the bout in round three.
Shirk-Harris didn’t take long to make her impression on Denmark’s Clara Bjerregaard in the second round, scoring three eight counts to stop the bout.
Rodriguez, who had previously won the New York Boxing Tournament and Ring Masters Championships, used his range and power to drop Aputsiaq Didriksen three times, forcing the towel to be thrown in the third round. Rodriguez was a late replacement to the team, receiving his passport the day before the flight was set to depart.
Lishchuk battled back from a first round knockdown to outwork Luca Sikemsen but lost a decision. Futrell boxed a smart fight against the larger Paalu Johansen and was barely hit, but still lost a decision to the hometown fighter. Hardy fought valiantly against the more experienced Anguteeraq Petersen but lost a decision.
The event brought out several hundred fans, including Peter Velasco of the United States’ Consulate in Nuuk. It was the first international bout for all of the American boxers, as they got to listen to their national anthem performed for them in the ring before the fights.
The team was led by trainers Ryan Songalia and Percy Gayanilo, with trainer Jacklyn Atkins accompanying her boxers Shirk-Harris and Hardy.
After the fight, the boxers visited Fight Club Nanoq for a joint training session, sharing their boxing knowledge with their hosts.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the boxers for stepping up to the plate in their opponents’ home country and performing to the best of their abilities,” said Ryan Songalia, who organized the event with Fight Club Nanoq owner/trainer Mahmoud Minaei.
“We are grateful for the hospitality here in Greenland and hope that our visit helps spark more interest and opportunities for the local boxing scene. The boxers in Greenland are true warriors, they just need more experience. The only way to get better is to box better opponents, so we applaud how they chase greatness.”