Nelson Boxing Club’s Jeff Emmett pulled no punches in an amateur boxing tournament in Spokane last weekend — and came out on top.
Three local boxers fought in the Amateur Boxing Association tournament including Emmett, Nik Jmaeff and Marlin Olynyk. This was Emmett’s first fight in the association.
Coach Jesse Pineiro described Emmett’s first of two fights as “brilliant” with the boxer knocking out his opponent Moises Tenerio of Portland’s Beaverton P.A.L. club in the second round on Saturday.
“Jeff set the tone early with a beautiful jab, great movement and boxing skills to dominate a game but overmatched opponent,” said Pineiro. “By the second round Jeff was fully in control of the bout and the referee finally stepped in to stop the fight halfway through the round.”
In Emmett’s second fight on Sunday, he faced a different kind of opponent, Stanislaw Kabichewski from the University of Washinton. He and “was dragged into the other guy’s fight,” said Pineiro, and technique didn’t feature prominent in Emmett’s second bout. Focus in a tournament setting can be challenging.
“Nerves seemed to get to Jeff as he abandoned his boxing skills a little in this fight and got dragged into a slugfest with a fighter who was not as talented,” said Pineiro. “But through a lot of heart, he didn’t stop.”
In the end, Emmett hung on to win in a third round where both fighters were exhausted.
“I am really proud of the way he persevered through, he was really tired, but he hung on and never stopped trying and was rewarded with a unanimous decision,” said Pineiro. “Jeff Emmet is Nelson's first boxing champion in a really long time.”
Olynyk, appearing in his second competition, ended up with a “tough draw” — Richard Jensen of Bricks Boxing, an opponent who’d been training since 8-years-old with limited experience in the ring.
“But Marlin has the mental capacity to deal with that,” said Pineiro.
“He showed it by coming out fast in the first round and backing up Jensen with combination punching. Jensen weathered the storm however and countered Marlin with a sharp left hook to the chin mid-way through the round, sending him to the canvas. Marlin was up quickly but never really recovered his equilibrium.”
The fight was stopped in the first round yet Olynyk’s ability to remain positive despite adversity impressed his coach.
“Marlin was a little disheartened but he soon recovered his good humor and started planning for the next fight and all the things he would do better and aspects of his preparation to improve upon,” said Pineiro.
Jmaeff faced off against a real “slugger” in his first ever tournament fight. Ramon Avetisyan of Contenders Boxing in Vancouver won the fight with a unanimous decision. Pineiro said Jmaeff moved great, seemed to be dancing and was great with his pivots.
“Nik continued to battle, never gave up and showed a lot of natural skill and talent that will only improve as he spends more time in the gym,” he said.
At this level of boxing, Pineiro said the experience is of more importance than results. He is proud and thrilled with how the tournament went and the efforts of the three athletes.
“They work so hard in the gym, show great dedication, and courage and it's a privilege to coach them,” said the coach. “I know that these athletes will take the positives from their experience and use it to improve and come back stronger the next time. I hope that this is the start of something big.”
Nelson Boxing Club can be reached through Pineiro at 250-505-2362 or by email at jessepineiro@hotmail.com