A new ring announcer and six pro boxing bouts highlighted Battle at the Boat 85, held Jan. 21 at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma and presented by Halquist Productions.
Amy Hayes made her Northwest debut as ring announcer. Hayes is known for her work on Fox Sports Net’s Sunday Night Fights, along with appearances on ESPN, Showtime and HBO. Hayes has also appeared in magazines including Playboy and Maxim. “I’m excited about being here,” Hayes said shortly before the opening fight. “I look forward to building relationships in the Seattle-Tacoma area.”
SLIDESHOW
Click here to see photos from the fights.
FIGHT CARD
• Henry Namauu (10-4, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas earned a unanimous decision in the main event against fellow cruiserweight Joell Godfrey (13-6-1, 6 KOs) of East St. Louis, Ill. This slow-burning fight went the 10-round distance. Naumauu consistently battered Godfrey against the ropes with flurries of body blows while Godfrey played defense. Scores: 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.
• Roberto Crespo (3-1) of Riverside, Calif., defeated Nate Serrano (3-1, 2 KOs) of Yakima in the semi-main event, which went the six-round distance. Crespo won with a majority decision in this fairly even welterweight brawl: 58-56, 58-56, 57-57. Serrano swarmed with consistent pressure in early and middle rounds, while Crespo delivered some rock-solid blows in the later rounds.
• Adrian Hermann (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Everett earned a unanimous decision over Len Bentley (1-1) of Tacoma. These super middleweights went the four-round distance. Hermann kept up the pressure and controlled the fight from the start, and eventually knocked Bentley down in the late fourth round just before the final bell. Bentley, a mixed martial arts veteran, was fighting in his second pro boxing match. Scores: 40-35, 40-36, 40-36.
• Rashad Hughes (0-2-1) of Torrance, Calif., and Randall Corpuz (2-1-1) of Yakima went the four-round distance and ended up with a draw. The welterweights were fairly even and the bout took a while to warm up. Hughes had a stronger third round and Corpuz had a better fourth round. Scores: 39-37 Hughes, 39-37 Corpuz, 38-38.
• Josh Hewson (1-0) of Spokane won a unanimous decision in his pro debut against Jose Rico (0-1) of Springfield, Ore. The fight went the four-round distance, and Hewson’s intensity was key, keeping Rico against the ropes at several intervals through this light heavyweight bout. Scores: 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
• Brandon Adams (5-0, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Dave Courchaine (0-2) of Spokane. The fight between these two middleweights was stopped midway in the second round after Courchaine was knocked down a second time and didn’t get up in time. Adams was the more aggressive fighter from the start.
• New announcer Amy Hayes: World renowned model and ring announcer Amy Hayes is the newest member of Halquist Productions. Hayes was featured in a special Playboy pictorial, shot at Gleason’s Gym. She also appeared in Maxim. Hayes has announced more than 100 fight cards, including a run as the exclusive emcee for Fox Sports Net’s Sunday Night Fights. Hayes also appeared on ESPN, Showtime and HBO and went down in the history books as the first woman to announce a world title fight, according to Halquist Productions.
