Locals strut stuff at Amateur Fight Night III

It was fight night Saturday in southern Lafourche Parish.

More than 50 amateur boxers from all across the Gulf South gathered together and entertained a crowd of a few hundred people at the Cut Off Youth Center.

Both boys and girls, ranging from as young as 10, to as old as 32 were featured on the 27-fight-card, which was titled Amateur Fight Night III.

And after more than five hours of hard-hitting and sometimes bloody boxing, Damien St. Pierre with the Bayouside Boxing Club touted one thing about the show – entertainment.

“I think we’re really getting ourselves together, because this event keeps getting better and better every time,” St. Pierre said. “The first time, we had a real good show. The second time, we kind of dropped the ball a little bit. But this time, we had some real good fights. We’re starting to know our fighters a little better. And we’re starting to make matches for them a little better … It was a very good night.”

With no money on the line, St. Pierre said the amateur fighters are more willing to lay everything on the line in the ring, which makes for a more action-packed fight.

In several of the three-round bouts, the crowd gave each fighter a standing ovation to applaud their effort.

That was the case in one of the opening fights of the night when Bayouside’s own Nigal Borne earned a thrilling victory against Shaquille Adams with the Future Champs boxing club.

Borne fell to the mat early in the fight thanks to a swift right hook from Adams. But the younger brother of South Lafourche High School standout athlete Rusty Borne fired back and sent Adams to a standing eight count three times in the final round to earn the win.

“I just got aggressive,” Borne said. “I got knocked down, got back up, and just decided that was over, and it was time for me to see what I could do the rest of the fight … I just came out swinging.”

Another fight that was a fan-favorite was a mid-card bout between Kaleb Bruce with Bayouside, and Dylan Blanchard with the Larose Boxing Club.

Fighting in the first fight of his amateur career, Bruce won a close decision in a back-and-forth fight that left both fighters bleeding heavily from their noses and lips.

The fight went three, 90-second rounds. Bruce said he didn’t know if he would have enough stamina to finish the fight on his feet, but he gave it all he had in the ring.

“Hours,” Bruce said when asked how long a 90-second round feels like. “I was out of breath, but I just kept going. I didn’t know I had that much in me, but I got tired, and just kept going. I had just enough in me.”

The climax of the night came in a three-part main event that showcased some of the best local fighters in the area.

In the first main event, Devon Adams with the Larose Boxing Club won a dominant decision against Malik Broussard with the Crowley Kiwanis.

In the second slice of the main event, the action picked right back up, and Travis Billiot won a tough decision against Payton Guidry.

Like Borne’s victory, both fighters hit the mat in the three-round bout, but Billiot was the last man standing when the judges made their final verdict.

It was a grudge match of sorts for the two, because they had fought once before at a previous Amateur Fight Night, with Billiot also winning a close decision.

“It was a great fight, man,” Billiot said. “He stood there, and we drew back and forth. He got the best of me a couple of times, but I was able to pull it off … I just told myself that I had to keep pushing it. All I’ve got, all my heart, just keep pushing it … and I was able to do that and get a win.”

In the final main event of the night, Casey Adams put on amateur gloves for the final time, and scored a unanimous decision against Randy Cheramie.

A heavily Pro-Adams crowd chanted “Casey,” throughout the fight as Adams, 19, will now turn professional after a very decorated amateur career.

“I had to go out as a winner,” Adams said. “That’s all I was thinking about. This was a very exciting fight … and I can say, it was probably the best amateur fight I’ve ever been through.”

The boxer will now move to the professional ranks. His first fight as a pro will be on July 10 at the Hollywood Casino in Mississippi.

In the month leading up to that time, Adams said there will be plenty of training, because he knows where he is now is not where he needs to be.

“Everything,” he said. “I need to be better at everything. I need to work out harder, spar more rounds. Hit the big bag more rounds, hit the speed bag more rounds. I need to run a lot more … Just become a more all-around fighter.”

Listed below are the results for all 27 fights:

Trevon Louis def. Bailey Marquez

Skylar Davis def. Kendall Bourg

Regina Whittle def. Tassie Eckerle

Tyrese Cormier def. Brandon Falcon

David Rodriguez def. Joseph Bargeman

Israel Medina def. Jailan Hawkins

Darrien Simmons def. Justin Gaillory

Hector Edmond def. Luis Escudero

Dexter Pierre def. Joshua Jackson

Ethan Scott def. James Nata

Gregory Alexander def. Jaime Rivas

Daniel Ross def. Andre Sinegal

Kaelon Winters def. Chad LeBlanc

Byron Gardette def. Luis Rosales

Andre Knighten def. Christopher Thomas

Charles Gaines def. Dustin Naquin

Keith Humble def. Lawrence Falgout III

Edward Tralar def. Bryand Borne

Darius Mills def. T-Carl Danos

Kaleb Bruce def. Dylan Blanchard

Alex George def. Larry Mack

Zachary Crappel def. Cleveland Rogers

Nigal Borne def. Shaquille Adams

Eric Bui def. Brandon Rose

MAIN EVENTS:

Devon Adams def. Malik Broussard

Travis Billiot def. Payton Guidry

Casey Adams def. Randy Cheramie

Brandon Falcon (left) and Tyrese Cormier eat right crosses at the same time. Falcon and Cormier’s bout was one of the most action-packed fights of Amateur Fight Night III. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR