Many bouts go the distance in Bayfront Brawl 13. Why didn't Bizzarro box in main event?
The Bayfront Brawl 13 experienced a standing-eight count ahead of Saturday’s mixed martial arts/boxing card.
Anthony Bizzarro, a member of Erie’s first family of boxing, was scheduled to compete in the main event at the Bayfront Convention Center.
Bizzarro, 6-0 as a professional, was to face Brazil native Marcello Williams in a six-round lightweight bout. However, that match was officially scrapped days before. Promoter Ernie Bizzarro said that decision was based on a medical issue that worsened during one of Anthony Bizzarro’s recent sparring sessions.
Ernie Bizzarro declined to say what the issue was, and Anthony Bizzarro wasn’t present.
Williams still fought, but lost to Pittsburgh’s Jerome Baxter, by a unanimous decision in their four-round super lightweight match (140 pounds).
Ernie Bizzarro also moved Saturday’s card inside because of the weather forecast. All fights were to take place outdoors in a cage and ring set up in the center’s parking lot.
Lack of sleep doesn't deter Donovan
What Saturday’s card lacked in local name recognition, it made up for in the quantity and quality of fights that were held. The two professional boxing bouts went the distance, as did eight of the 11 MMA fights that preceded them.
Among the MMA victors were two graduates of Crawford County high schools.
Seth Donovan, a 2020 Titusville graduate, won his amateur debut. The former wrestler for the Rockets, who represented Sonic Jiu-Jitsu and MMA in Franklin, won all three rounds of his 145-pound match vs. Patrick Shellpfeffer of Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I couldn’t sleep (Friday) night, I was so excited,” Donovan said. “I wanted to do this right when I graduated (from Titusville), but I got away from it for two years. Now that I’m back, I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been to do this.”
A VIP table of Titusville fans roared their approval during Donovan’s match. Among them was Joel Stearns, Titusville’s wrestling coach since 2015.
“It was a blast looking over there and seeing my high school coach,” Donovan said. “He means a lot to me.”
Peyton Hearn also had his hand raised by referee Jim Snyder as a 145 victor.
Hearn, a 2019 Conneaut graduate, recorded his unanimous decision vs. J.J. Smith of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The former PIAA Class 2A wrestling medalist improved to 2-0 just over a year after he won his amateur MMA debut during a card at Presque Isle Downs & Casino.
Hearn defeated Val Caruso that night. Afterwards, the former Eagle openly spoke of the depression he experienced throughout the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and how members of the Gracie Orwell (Ohio) Jiu-Jitsu Academy helped save his life.
“I feel like mental health doesn’t get stressed enough,” Hearn said. “More people need to open up, and especially men. People think it’s weak to be honest about your emotions, but that’s the only way to heal.”
“You can’t bottle things up because you will explode.”
Agonizing endings
Of the three MMA fights that didn’t go the distance, two were from disqualifications within the first minute of each match.
Erie High graduate Tony Moffatt lost his 125 bout to Jake Keta because of illegal punches. Moffatt continued to strike his Chagrin Falls, Ohio, opponent in the head, even though Keta was in a seated position and with his back to the cage.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission prohibits amateur MMA fighters to throw punches to the head unless the participants are in the neutral position.
Saturday’s MMA main event ended 14 seconds after it started.
Erie’s Victor Guarriello slumped to his knees because of a Ben Coyle punch. However, their 125 fight stopped when Snyder tackled Coyle against the cage.
A video reply showed that Coyle drove his right knee into Guarriello’s head after the punch. Coyle claimed before and after the disqualification was announced that his action wasn’t intentional, but to no avail.
Commission officials upheld the decision after Saturday’s card.
Meadville's Blair Phillips won the only other fight that didn't go the distance. He recorded a technical knockout of Saegertown's Jarel Abdelaziz 36 seconds into the second round of their 145 meeting.
More: What was Sierra Chiesa's latest achievement in her already historic year of wrestling?
Bayfront Brawl results
Results for Bayfront Brawl 13 at the Bayfront Convention Center:
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Amateur
170 pounds: Logan Johnson def. Deryck Brown by unanimous decision
185: Connor Cyphert def. Nyles Rife by unanimous decision
125: Jake Keta def. Tony Moffatt by disqualification, illegal punches to the head
155: J.R. Kazalas def. Eli Garcia by split decision
155: Wynter Lowery def. Becca Spivey by unanimous decision
170: Tom McCarthy def. Josh Murray by unanimous decision
145: Seth Donovan def. Patrick Shellpfeffer by unanimous decision
195: Blair Phillips def. Jarel Abdelaziz by technical knockout, :36 of second round
145: Peyton Hearn def. J.J. Smith by unanimous decision
Professional
135 pounds: Ferdaws Nayimi def. Jake Zack by unanimous decision
125: Victor Guarriello def. Ben Coyle by disqualification, illegal knee to the head
BOXING
Professional
125 pounds: Alexander Castellano def. Anthony Eliotti by unanimous decision
140: Jerome Baxter def. Marcello Williams by unanimous decision
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie, PA boxer Anthony Bizzarro absent from Bayfront Brawl 13 card
