Boxer from Main Street Gym advances in national tournament

The 2018 Junior Olympic Boxing Tournament is in full effect, with the Regional Championships held in Portsmouth, Va., last weekend.

With teams from Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland all making the trip, two local boxers took to the ring, representing Salisbury’s Main Street Gym.

Boxing out of the South Atlantic Association Team, which takes in all of Maryland with the exception of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, Erick Acosta and Russell Griffith fought in their respective categories.

Acosta, a student at Bennett Middle School, competed in the 13-14-year-old, 132-pound division, while Griffith of James M. Bennett High saw action in the 15-16-year-old, 125-pound category.

In his bout, Griffith lost to Philadelphia’s Montana Perez, the second-ranked boxer in the country in his division. Acosta, however, was victorious over Ramir Wise of Philadelphia, winning in a unanimous decision.

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“Although Russ lost here in the regionals, he really stepped up in this fight, as well as the one before it,” said Hal Chernoff, Main Street Gym’s coach and trainer. “We had to get Russ a fifth fight just in order for him to be eligible to compete in the regionals. Both his fifth fight, as well as his regional bout were against two of the top fighters in the U.S. — one at 132 pounds and one at 125 pounds. He dug deep in both bouts and performed above his experience level and hung in there with these top guys better than we expected. He will come out of this a better boxer with more confidence.”

Acosta met West Virginia’s John Savilla in the finals, landing shot after shot for three rounds to give him the unanimous win.  

Chernoff said he was extremely pleased with the middle school student's performance.

“He has been with us since he was a little kid, and he picked up skills and quickness from just being here, but he wasn’t really serious about honing those skills to go to the next level until this year, and the difference is remarkable,” said Chernoff. “He is all ears when it comes to instruction and he just embraces difficult workouts. His whole attitude has improved, and I see big things for him in the future if it continues.”

With his win, Acosta will compete in the Junior Olympic National Finals in West Virginia. The bout will take place sometime in the final week of June.

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