After jumping from 141 to 152 pounds, Windham’s Phil Chason went to war at the Portland Boxing Club
By Shawn French (Windham Independent 11/3/04)
New England Golden Gloves champion and Windham resident Phil Chason’s trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the Golden Glove nationals was a crushing disappointment for the 19-year-old. Chason lost a split decision in his first bout, largely due to the Golden Gloves being a year too slow in adapting the Punchstat-style scoring system that favors combination punchers like Chason.
Frustration over the loss and his constant struggle to make weight were key factors in his four months away from the fight game. Chason’s street weight is in the mid 150s, but he fought at 141, which often led to drastic weight-loss techniques in the days leading up to a bout. “I had to sweat off four pounds the night before the (Golden Gloves) and that killed me,” he said.
Chason got a job working in a warehouse, hauling 85-pound pallets all day, keeping his mind off the loss and building muscle. In mid September, the call of the ring was too loud to ignore and he returned to the gym to train for the Northeast Regional Championships — a tournament he had won the previous three years.Gone is his lanky super-lightweight frame. Now fighting as a 152-pound welterweight, Chason looks more solid and isn’t exhausting himself trying to make weight. And he’s stronger — a lot stronger.
Chason’s return to the ring was the main event of the Northeast Regional semi-finals at the Portland Boxing Club on Oct. 30 against Alex Ayala, a brawler from Springfield, Mass.
Earlier that night, Nick Stevens of Oakland looked nearly flawless. He dominated his opponent so thoroughly in the first round that the guy didn’t return for the second. Stevens, who also trains at the Portland Boxing Club and fights in Chason’s old 141-pound weight class, said he has recently sparred against Chason and the Windham teen looks better than ever. When asked if the jump in weight hurt Chason’s speed, he laughed and said, “No. He just hits much, much harder.”
After seven quality fights — the highlight being Portland super heavyweight Aaron Emmons beating his opponent into a bloody mess — it was time for the main event. Chason received a hearty ovation as he entered the ring and looked loose during the introductions. Ayala was quiet, intense and built like a fireplug. He looked ready to inflict some damage.
In the opening seconds, the fighters circled each other, tentatively measuring distances and sizing up their opponents. An outside fight favored Chason, a good boxer and counterpuncher. But 15 seconds in, Ayala charged and started unloading punches with bad intentions. Chason backpedaled at first, steering clear of Ayala’s hooks and sticking in a sharp jab and overhand right. But Ayala kept coming with such ferocity that it forced one of two choices on Chason: either dance away and settle for glancing blows or go toe to toe with him.
Chason decided to brawl.
A sharp double hook combo by Chason ended with a brutal shot to the ribs, but Ayala kept coming. They exchanged a furious series of blows. Ayala’s punches were hard, but seemed random. Chason was throwing polished combinations. A left jab set up an overhand right, which set up a left to the body, which set up a right hook to the head. Chason ended the round with a body hook that dug in deep, but Ayala seemed unfazed.
Chason opened the second with an overhand right, a sign that he knew his speed was superior. A lead overhand right can be very effective, but it leaves you wide open for a left-hook counter. To lead with an overhand right, with nothing to set it up, means a boxer is sure that he can beat his opponent to the punch and still get his right hand back into defensive position before the hook is delivered.
The punch found its mark and Ayala’s mouthpiece went flying so far they couldn’t find it. The fight had to be paused while his corner got him another. The fighters immediately went back at it, trading heavy punches. Then Chason kicked it into another gear and unloaded a combination of seven or eight punches that were landing so cleanly the ref stepped in and gave Ayala a standing-eight count.
Chason landed a sharp left hook and out went Ayala’s mouthpiece again, a sign of fatigue as it suggests he was breathing from his mouth.
The third round started with both fighters thumping punches into each other, but each volley seemed to end with a pair of Chason bombs and Ayala was given his second standing-eight count. Sensing weakness, Chason went on the attack and looked furious as he unloaded shot after shot into and through Ayala’s guard. But Ayala didn’t back down and was landing his share of blows, further exciting the already pumped-up crowd.
In the fourth and final round, they wasted no time, meeting in the center of the ring and resuming their battle. Fewer than 30 seconds in, Chason connected flush with a number of shots and Ayala was blasted off balance and dropped to his knee. There were so many clean hits with both hands to the head and body it was impossible to tell which had been the clincher. Ayala popped back up and was ready to go, but the ref had seen enough and waved the fight to an end.
“My opponent was exceptionally strong, even for 152,” Chason said after the fight. “I was going to be careful with him, but then he started hitting me and I knew I had to do something big.
“I felt really strong,” he said. “I have all that power that I never had before. I hit him (in the first round) and saw his legs wobble. Once I saw that, I knew I was going to be able to put him down, so I started throwing bombs.
“In the gym, if someone’s banging with me and my boxing isn’t working — like my slick, fast, quick combinations — I throw more body shots and hooks. It’s dangerous. I know it’s dangerous. I thought maybe I’d try it tonight. It’s not my style, but you gotta do what you gotta do to win.”
Chason’s trainer, Bobby Russo, said, “Phil is smart enough to bang without getting hurt. He was still boxing. You know, placing his shots and countering, suckering him in and stuff like that. I don’t want to make a steady diet of that type of boxing, but sometimes you have to go to war and he did.”
Russo was pleased with his boxer’s performance but said, “His head wasn’t moving as much as I want and he was kind of planting and shooting. He was banging and matching strength with the guy. It was an exciting fight for the crowd.”
Next Saturday (Nov. 6), at the Portland Boxing Club, Chason will battle a Canadian boxer for the championship. The night will feature 14 championship fights, including a former featherweight national champion with over 100 fights under his belt. Also appearing will be Nick Lavigne, a Westbrook lightweight originally from Windham.
It promises to be an exciting night of boxing featuring fighters from across New England and Canada. It’s also a chance to cheer on two young boxers with Windham roots as they vie for championships, while supporting the non-profit club where they train. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the fights begin at 8 p.m. For more information, call the Portland Boxing Club at 761-0975.