Flathead TKO: Guzmans, Mortenson win bouts for local boxing club
Flathead boxer Eli Weller, right, lands a punch on the face of Landon Horseman, of Howard Street in Spokane, in a 150-pound weight class bout. Horseman decisioned Weller. Allison Money / Daily Inter Lake
Flathead boxer Calvin Steiner, left, throws a hook at Guage Anderson, of Spokane Boxing Club, in the 100-pound weight division Saturday night at the Kalispell Elks Lodge. Anderson won by a decision. Allison Money photos/Daily Inter Lake
Kalispell's Kenny Guzman came into his 10th career boxing match thinking his opponent had fought 40 times. It was actually more like 100.
As it turned out, it didn't really matter on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Guzman landed a barrage of body shots against Billings' Mark Chesmore in the main event and earned the TKO before a raucous crowd of roughly 190 people at the Flathead Boxing Match Bout Smoker at the Elks Lodge.
Guzman, who joined the Flathead Boxing club recently with only wrestling experience, came out in the second round as the hometown crowd chanted "Kenny." The chants grew to a deafening roar as Guzman battered Chesmore, a former Junior Olympic National Champion qualifier, into the ropes, where he stayed for a 10-count.
"I feel like I've achieved a lot, it feels awesome," said Guzman, who improves to 8-2 with three TKOs. "Going into the fight I thought he'd only fought like 40 times, but afterward he told me he's been in over 100 (fights)."
Flathead Boxing coach Jesse Uhde credited Guzman with putting in the work to get to where he's beating Junior Olympic boxers.
"He's got a lot of determination, he works hard in the gym," Uhde said.
He wasn't the only Guzman to win, either.
Eleven-year-old Dillan, Kenny's nephew, won by decision in his 70-pound match.
Flathead's Hunter Mortenson faced Josh Rigney in a 170-pound bout and came away with a bloody nose and the win.
There were 10 total fights. There were three one-minute rounds in the first nine bouts, and the main event was scheduled for three two-minute rounds. Boxers ranged in age from 8 into their 20s and traveled from Spokane, Billings, Belgrade and Fort Belknap. There was originally 22 scheduled fights, but another team caught the flu and canceled at the last minute.
Flathead coach Phillip Moore feared the low number of fights wouldn't draw much attention, but that was anything but true. After the final match ended, Moore said one of the referees came up and told him that of all the fights he'd been to, this one was pretty remarkable.
"We gave the crowd their money's worth tonight," said Moore, who helped organize the make-shift boxing ring with several others in the dining hall of the Elks Lodge. "It was what we wanted to see and I thought it was a success by all means."
Even boxing legend Joe "The Boss' Hipp made the trip to Kalispell for the fights and said he liked what he saw. Hipp was the first Native American to fight for the world heavyweight championship and drove from Seattle to watch after being extended an invitation.
"I remember when I was that age, you see how excited they are, they were ready to fight two days ago," Hipp said as he watched the young boxers warm-up beforehand.
One of the more memorable moments of the night came in a spirited match between Flathead's Elijiah Weller and Landon Horseman of Howard Street of Spokane.
Right from the first bell, the pair traded heavy punches, left and right. By the second round, Horseman was landing full-blown haymakers and appeared to have a knockout in the works. But the tenacious Weller just wouldn't go down.
In the third period, Horseman landed a hardy uppercut on Weller's chin, but a bloodied Weller came back with a flurry of jabs that brought the crowd to its feet. When the final bell rang, he was still swinging. After that he let out a smile and pointed to a section of the audience where his family saw him fight for the first time.
"He knows how to lay them out, definitely," Weller said of Horseman, who won by decision.
"He's all heart, that boy," said Weller's mother, Darla Weller. "I thought he was incredible, he was inspiring. I thought, 'That's my boy.'"
Hipp was impressed, as well, and awarded Weller an autographed T-shirt for having fought with the most heart.
"That's why I fought," Elijiah Weller said, pointing to his family.
Flathead Boxing Match Bout Smoker
Elk's Lodge
60 - Tyrese Messerly, Fort Belknap, dec. Gus Steiner, Flathead.
65 -Tyrell Sanders, Howard Street of Spokane, dec. Devin Keefe, Flathead.
100 - Guage Anderson, Spokane Boxing Club, dec. Calvin Steiner, Flathead.
75 - Kane Rentfro, Bad Boys of Belgrade, dec. Micah Moore, Flathead.
80 - Johnny Maddie, Spokane Boxing, dec. Shote Redshirt, Fort Belknap.
70 - Dillan Guzman, Flathead Boxing, dec. Jerry Ceynar, Billings Stars & Stripes
95 - Trevure Poitra, Electric City, dec. Lyle Degan, Bad Boys of Belgrade.
170 - Hunter Mortenson, Flathead Boxing, dec. Josh Rigney, unattached.
150 - Landon Horseman, Howard Street of Spokane, dec. Elijiah Weller, Flathead Boxing.
130 - Kenny Guzman, Flathead Boxing, TKO Mark Chesmore, Billings Stars & Stripes