Syracuse competes with top college boxers vying for national titles

Nation's top college boxers compete at SU

SU Boxing Club plays host to a weekend packed with matches for Intercollegiate Boxing National Championship.
Published: March 26, 2019
U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national tournament at Syracuse University on March 23, 2019
College boxers from across the nation face off in the Women's Building gym during the opening night of competition for the Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national tournament.

A weekend packed with dozens of bouts featuring the nation’s top college boxers resulted in one Syracuse University fighter among the champions and another as runner-up.

SU graduate student Jeff Frelier won the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association’s title match in the 178-pound novice division by defeating Brandon Peck of Iowa State on Sunday in Goldstein Auditorium. Fellow SU boxer Otito Darl-Uzu fought his way to a second-place finish in the 189-pound beginner division.

Members of SU’s Boxing Club competed with men and women boxers from colleges across the nation on Friday and Saturday in the Women’s Building gym prior to Sunday’s title bouts.

U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national tournament at Syracuse University on March 23, 2019
Syracuse University had 11 boxers compete during the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association tournament this past weekend.

During Friday’s opening round matches featuring SU boxers, attendees in the crowd were on the edge of their seats as SU boxers Kristine Do and Marcus Ho both showcased high energy and persistence in hard-fought, split-decision losses to Hanna Ek of Georgia Tech and Mateo Bautista of Illinois, respectively. At some point during the opening battles, there was damage done to the ring that forced a delay in the action, causing audience members to become a bit restless.

One official eased the crowd by joking that they shouldn’t “blame the fat ref.” He had officiated the previous two bouts before the delay.

SU’s Minhein Htet took on Georgia Tech’s Andrew Le. Htet came out strong in the early seconds of the first round, checking Le’s jab frequently, but as the match progressed Le appeared to overwhelm Htet with his precise movements. The end came just halfway through the third round via referee stoppage, with Le prevailing.

Syracuse graduate student Jeff Frelier is announced as the 178-pound champion during the national boxing tournament at Goldstein Auditorium on March 24, 2019. Syracuse University hosted the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national tournament this past weekend.
Syracuse graduate student Jeff Frelier is announced as the 178-pound champion at the conclusion of the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national tournament.

Syracuse went 1-6 in its next seven matches. Illinois’ Simeon Trendafilov, Jesus Moreno and Kevin Grygo bested Cuse’s Irabor Oshotse, Michael Gaines and Brett Nesfeder. Takahiro Kawasaki of Maryland got the win against SU’s Georgios Michopoulos, while Clayton Smith, from Texas A&M, beat Syracuse’s Jose Mendoza. Spencer Jensen of Iowa State beat Marty Hirschberg from Syracuse.

The lone win came Friday when Darl-Uzu beat Iowa State’s Kevin Schlotfeldt to advance to the next round of the tournament. Darl-Uzu would get his hand raised one more time, getting by Nicholas Bobber of Illinois to advance to Sunday’s final in the Goldstein Auditorium.

Darl-Uzu stepped into the ring Sunday opposite Virginia Military Institute’s Andrew Fodness. Fodness, who had a first-round bye, came out on top.

But SU would find itself among Sunday’s champions as Frelier entered his championship match with a first-round bye of his own and defeated Iowa State’s Peck to claim the 178-pound novice division title.

Syracuse graduate student Jeff Frelier fights against Iowa State's Brandon Peck in the championship match in 178-pound bracket at the Goldstein Auditorium on March 24, 2019. Syracuse University hosted the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association's national championship this past weekend.
Syracuse graduate student Jeff Frelier fights against Iowa State's Brandon Peck in the championship match in 178-pound bracket at the Goldstein Auditorium on Sunday.