Pride Week

A battle to the finish

5th Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. fighters show prowess in ring with win

By Matt Smith, Northwest Guardian

Apparently, the fighters in 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division have been honing their combat skills.

One night after it laid claim to the combatives team title over 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. nabbed the boxing smoker team title by claiming five individual championships, again besting 3rd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div.

The smoker championships had four weight classes each for men and women. Most in attendance were likely to expect the men’s bouts to bring the most excitement to the Wilson Fitness Center gym — most people would have been wrong.

The women’s bouts by far received the most hoots and hollers by Soldiers packed in the gym to support their unit’s fighters.

Tina Davis and Diana Zendejas, who was named Best Female Boxer, kicked things off in exciting fashion as both fighters came out swinging. As each boxer connected with the others’ face, the “oooos” and “ahhhs” from the crowd got louder and louder.

This fight went the distance and Zendejas was declared the winner by the judges. But the best female boxing was yet to come.

After the Destroyer Brigade’s David Montgomery, who was named Best Male Boxer, won a decision over Chris Castano, the Arrowhead Brigade’s Ashely Morgan went to work on 555th Engineer Brigade’s Ashlea Sherwood. As the bell signaled the beginning of Round 1, Morgan began throwing her jab to feel out her opponent. She quickly realized she was landing many of her jabs and decided to take advantage of it.

“I noticed when I was hitting her (with my jab) she was kind of like ‘whoa’ so I just kept going after her,” Morgan said.

Morgan began working a right straight off her jab and found Sherwood had no defense for her speed. Morgan continued landing strong punches to Sherwood’s face, eventually causing blood to pour from mouth and nose and the referee to give a standing eight count.

Round 2 brought more of the same type of punishment from Morgan as she made Sherwood’s head look like a punching bag, causing yet another standing eight count. Soon after the fight resumed, it was apparent to the referee that if Sherwood continued she could get seriously injured so he stopped the bout halfway through the round.

Morgan and her coaches went into the fight with a game plan to fight conservative in the first round, but made an in-fight adjustment once they saw Sherwood’s vulnerability.

“I wasn’t supposed to go that hard in the first round,” said the first time boxer, “but (my coaches) were like ‘you’re getting her so bust it out in the second round and she’ll be done.’ So I just kept hitting her and going for that nose and they ended the fight.”

Morgan said her experience as an athlete in high school helped her to be better prepared for her Pride Week fights, and that she enjoyed her stint as a boxer.

“It’s definitely tiring,” she said, “but I had fun. My whole company came in so it definitely pumped me up. It’s nice to hear them cheering for me.”

Just because the crowd was especially loud for the female boxers isn’t to say it was ho-hum about the male boxers — there was still plenty of cheering for them and it started right from the beginning.

The Arrowhead Brigade’s George Benitez got the championship bouts off to a dazzling start making quick work of 1st Special Forces Group’s Audeliz Correa.

The two fighters took the opening seconds of the fight to feel each other out by throwing a few jabs. Correa got Benitez’s attention by connecting with a few of them, but from there it was all Benitez’s fight.

“My coach told me he had a great jab,” Benitez said, “and once I felt his jab I believed him and I said ‘it’s either him or me.’”

Benitez landed a couple jabs of his own then began throwing in a few 1-2 combos that opened Correa up for a huge, stunning right hook to the face. Benitez followed that shot with an upper cut that sent Correa staggering around the ring and falling to his knees several times, which led to a standing eight count.

Benitez jumped right back on him after Correa was cleared to continue the fight and landed several more strong shots to the head before the end of the round. Correa was unable to fight in the Round 2 and Benitez claimed the victory.

“It’s incredible, it’s a great feeling,” said Benitez of the win. “It brought me back to my roots. It makes me feel like I’m home. The colonel, my staff sergeant and my squad leader and team leader were here and I didn’t want to let them down.”

Benitez said he has always enjoyed boxing and is just glad he was able to do something he loves and make his fellow Soldiers proud.

“Overall, it’s great and I’m just happy that I represented my unit in a positive way,” he said.