BUFFALO – From baseball to volleyball, the New York City region has struggled in this year’s Empire State Games.
The boxing team, though, is literally and figuratively carrying the torch for NYC.
On Saturday night, six of the seven gold medal bouts at Burt Flickinger Center at Erie Community College in downtown Buffalo featured New York City fighters. The city’s final medal count – five gold, three silver and one bronze – was more than any other region in New York State.
“That’s because everyone goes to New York City to fight,” said Nisa Rodriguez, a mother who won her second consecutive ESG gold medal. “New York is the Mecca of boxing, that’s where boxing is established.”
Unlike her previous gold in 2008, Rodriguez had to actually beat someone to claim the gold in the open women’s welterweight final. Teammates Kessler Dabel, Chala Yancy and Earl Newman Jr. won gold without even stepping into the ring.
“I’d rather fight for my gold,” said Rodriguez, who beat Natasha Jefferson from Adirondack, 5-0, in the evening’s lone women’s bout.
Ridgewood’s Chris Arreaga won the featherweight gold, beating Buffalo’s Dante Palmer by a 4-1 decision.
“It feels great,” Arreaga said. “I fought for many people I love, especially my son, who is two years old, my grandfather, my biggest inspiration, the guy who raised me. Once I get in the ring, they’re always on my mind.”
Originally from Kazakhstan, Brooklyn’s Vassilily Zherebnenko took the gold in the lightweight division, twice knocking down Jose Pagan from the Central region before the referee stopped the fight.
“I feel proud to be a champion,” Zherebnenko said through an interpreter, crediting NYC’s coaches, Moises Roman Jr and Kwesi Asinia.
Dinmukhamed Niyazov from Staten Island lost to Amir Imam from Adirondack in a second round stoppage, but took home the light welterweight silver. In the night’s best bout, Ozone Park’s Danny Gonzalez, who carried the torch in the Opening Ceremonies Wednesday night, lost in a controversial 5-0 decision to Hudson Valley’s Jeremy Fiorentino in the welterweight gold medal bout despite appearing to win the final two rounds.
“I thought I did enough to win the fight, but these are the politics of amateur boxing,” Gonzalez said. “This is just an experience to me. For the work I put in, I’m still happy I got something. I’m just moving forward.”
When it was over, the New York City boxers posed for pictures, hugged and even took part in a group prayer. Their Empire State Games are over, but they leave Buffalo with their heads held high.
“We’re one of the best teams,” Arreaga said. “For six of us to make it to the final out of seven fights, that takes a lot of dedication and determination to make it over here.”