#WSBV Day 3 – Italia Thunder destroy Puerto Rico Hurricanes and enjoy first victory of Season V
01 February 2015
#WSBV – EUBC Photogallery
Puerto Rico Hurricanes were riding a wave of success coming into their bout with Italia Thunder having won their opening two contests, while the European Franchise had lost both of their first two matches.
These earlier results established this Group B contest in Palermo, Italy as a must win match for the Thunder, and they finally opened their WSB winning account at the third time of asking with a resounding 5-0 victory.
Northern Ireland’s two-time Olympic medalist Paddy Barnes is representing Italy this season, and won his second match of Season V at Light flyweight (49 kg) with a wide points win over Puerto Rican Olympian Anthony Ortiz who is now 1-1 in the competition.
Ortiz won the opening round, but Barnes improved and impressed as the fight progressed.
Michael Conlan, a Northern Irish teammate of Barnes and a fellow Olympic medalist picked up his first win of the campaign at Bantamweight (56 kg) when he stopped 1-1 Garibaldy Gomez in the third round of their contest.
Italia Thunder’s first win was confirmed in the third fight, when 1-1 Light welterweight (49 kg) Vincenzo Mangiacapre showed his class with a dominant victory over Jan Rivera, who came into this fight having won his opening WSB match.
The glory continued for Italy at Middleweight (75) as Salvatore Cavallaro won every round against Jeffrey Flaz Guillén, while Italian Heavyweight (91 kg) Endri Spahiu won via walkover due to a medical suspension for Puerto Rico’s Michael Narvaez.
Next week, Italia Thunder look for a second victory a row away against the winless Argentina Condors, while Puerto Rico Hurricanes welcome Caciques Venezuela to San Juan.
