Story and photos by Tim Hipps
MWR Sports Correspondent, CFSC Public Affairs

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (January 19, 2001) - Heavyweight DeAndrey Abron and super heavyweight Eric Prindle both stopped their opponents tonight to highlight the 2001 All Army Boxing Championships held here Jan. 15-19.

Sgt. Abron, 28, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., was the sharpest boxer of the evening at Barnes Field House. He came out throwing a flurry of punches at Pfc. Lawrence Blackwell, of Fort Campbell, Ken., whom Abron stopped at 1 minute, 26 seconds of the first round to earn the 178-pound spot on the All-Army Team.

"I wanted to get it over with," Abron said of decking Blackwell in a hurry. "When a guy is afraid, that's when he's most dangerous. He had nothing to lose, so I didn't want to give him any type of confidence to make it a long night. I didn't want it to last any longer than it needed to.

"This is where it all starts - right here at the All-Army Championships. Now I just want to ride it on out," he said.

Abron's short-range goals, like most members of the All-Army Boxing squad, are to fare well at the 2001 Armed Forces Championships - set for Feb. 6, 7 and 9 at Fort Huachuca - and the U.S. National Championships, set for March 8-18 at Colorado Springs, Colo. The long-range plans are to represent the Army and Team USA in the World Championships and possibly earn a trip to Athens, Greece, for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

Spc. Prindle, 24, a 6-4 1/2, 265-pound southpaw from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, stopped Sgt. Deutsch Puu of Vilseck, Germany, at 1:11 of the third round. Prindle rattled Puu early in the round one, then stalked him for the remainder of the round. In round two, Puu was forced to take a standing eight count. And in round three, Prindle took Puu out with a wicked left hook to the head.

That guy was overwhelming," Puu said. "I thought I did pretty good, but Prindle is a beast. I got stung in the first, but I gave my best to hang in there. The shot that took me out surprised me. Those are the ones that hurt, the ones you don't see. But I'm pretty sure it was a left hook. I was pretty dazed, so I agree with the referee's decision to stop the fight.

"He needs to work on his speed," Puu said of Prindle. "But he's got tremendous strength. That's what he took me out with. He's a great fighter. I respect him."

Prindle said he "was kind of cautious" early on, testing his straight left and right hook before unloading his knockout blow.

"I still need to get my footwork and my hands together," Prindle said. "My hands are faster than my feet. I'm still reaching with my punches. At a higher level, like Nationals, I might get stopped doing that."

Abdullah, who wants to instill more "killer instinct" upon Prindle, isn't concerned with his lack of speed.

"I'm not concerned too much about his speed," Abdullah explained. "You're talking about a heavyweight. There aren't too many Muhammed Alis out there. To be a heavyweight, you've got to punch. And he was really bringing it. He came out swinging."

While Abron and Prindle were two of the more dominant boxers of the evening, bantamweights Spc. Terrance Daniels of Fort Hood, Texas, and Pfc. Miguel Albares of Fort Carson waged the closest battle of the finals. After four exhilarating rounds of nonstop action, Daniels prevailed with a 20-16 decision to earn the 119-pound spot.

"It was close all the way up to the third round," Abdullah said. "Then Daniels started opening it up. That was a very good fight."

Another impressve battle was waged in the 156-pound division, where Staff Sgt. Yamar Resto of Fort Carson took a hard-earned 28-14 decision over Spc. Cesar Morales of Fort Campbell, Ken.

"I expected that bout to be even closer, " Abdullah said. "But Resto really stepped it up this year. He got his revenge from last year. Instead of throwing a lot of fast combinations, he actually mixed it up with his power, and that was the difference."

Welterweight Spc. Rondale Mason of Fort Carson also fought an impressive bout, taking a convincing 29-8 decision from Spc. Cliff Whatley of Fort Hood in a bout that appeared closer than the computer scored it.

"That's my junkyard dog, Rondale Mason," Abdullah said. "He's an animal. That's one guy I don't ever have to worry about fighting. He fights hard from ding to dong."

Spc. Carlos Ibarra of Fort Campbell dominated the heavyweight division with a 36-7 decision over Spc. Carlos Ruiz of Fort Lewis, Wash.

Spc. John Medina of Fort Carson got the night started with a rousing, 13-4 decision over Pfc. Josh Dahl of Fort Myer, Va., in the 112-pound division. Sgt. Marshall Christmas of Fort Carson prevailed in the 132-pound class when Sgt. William Figueroa of Fort Lewis retired in the fourth round.

Fort Bragg Sgt. Khevin Smith took the 139-pound crown when the referee stopped his contest against Spc. Leonard Johnson of Fort Sill, Okla., at 1:34 of the third round.

Staff Sgt. Julius Fogle, 29, a native of Houston stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., earned his fifth berth on the All-Army Team in the 165-pound class when the referee stopped his bout with Sgt. Ricardo Felilciano, also of Fort Drum, at 1:20 of the third round.

Two boxers made the team via final-round walkovers: Spc. Michael Keopuihiwa of Fort Hood at 106 pounds and Sgt. Alexander Ramos of Baumholder, Germany, at 125 pounds.

"I was very pleased, very impressed," Abdullah said of the tournament. "I feel very confident about this team. I think it's going to be very successful."

Tim Hipps is a staff writer for the Belvoir Eagle, Fort Belvoir, Va.

Fort Campbell's Cesar Morales and Fort Carson's Yamar Resto bang heads for the 156-pound spot on the 2001 All-Army Boxing Team at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Resto prevailed, 28-14, to win the 156-pound championship.

All-Army light heavyweight Sgt. DeAndrey Abron (left) and middleweight Staff Sgt. Julius Fogle tend to Spc. Torrence Daniels, who defeated Pfc. Miguel Albares, 20-16, in the closest bout of the 2001 All Army Boxing Championships at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Results

2001 All-Army Boxing Champions
As of Jan. 15-19, 2001
Barnes Field House, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

106lbs/light flyweight: Spc. Michael Keopuhiwa, Fort Hood, Texas

112lbs/flyweight: Spc. John Medina, Fort Carson, Colo.

119lbs/bantamweight: Spc. Torrence Daniels, Fort Hood, Texas

125lbs/featherweight: Sgt. Alexander Ramos, Baumholder, Germany

132lbs/lightweight: Sgt. Marshall Christmas, Fort Carson, Colo.

139lbs/light welterweight: Sgt. Khevin Smith, Fort Bragg, N.C.

147lbs/welterweight: Spc. Rondale Mason, Fort Carson, Colo.

156lbs/light middleweight: Staff Sgt. Yamar Resto, Fort Carson, Colo.

165lbs/middleweight: Staff Sgt. Julius Fogle, Fort Drum, N.Y.

178lbs/light heavyweight: Sgt. DeAndrey Abron, Fort Carson, Colo.

201lbs/heavyweight: Spc. Carlos Ibarra, Fort Campbell, Ken.

201+lbs/super heavyweight: Spc. Eric Prindle, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii