The girls also came to fight

RAPID CITY—Saturday night a large crowd packed the Martinez Boxing Gym, and the action got hot inside, in more ways than one. The garage doors were eventually opened wide to allow circulation, but 14 champions were crowned, five champions in the Girl’s divisions, many of these fighters displaying skill and guile in the squared circle to rival the Boys.

The Costalez sisters from Casper, Wyoming, Amber at 106 lbs., Destiny at 106 lbs., and Octavia at 100 lbs., continued to impress with their all around abilities, although only Destiny won her bout. The final bout of the evening, and the most hotly contested, was at 130 lbs., between Spearfish’s Kylie Kilmer and Minot’s Francine Church. Church had the better style, the longer reach, but the workhorse Kilmer knew how to get the most out of her skills. She got inside, she forced the action, she controlled the tempo, landed the harder blows, and displayed ring generalship that earned her a hard fought victory.

Stout and physically strong, Kilmer has a work ethic in the ring that will allow her to hold her own with more skilled opponents and defeat her fair share.

Region 10 Junior Olympic Boxing

June, 3, 2017 Martinez Boxing Gym

Bout #1 at 70 lbs.: Rafael Lopez, Minot Boxing Club (MBC) over Gabriel Rangel, Bozeman Boxing Academy (BBA)

Bout #2 at 85 lbs.: Aiden Farley, Miles City, MT, over Jayden Griffee, Sturgis Youth Boxing

Bout#3 at 75 lbs.: Jose Lopez, MBC, over Aubrey Sandoval, Chase Gym, ND

Bout #4 at 106 lbs., Gracy Kennedy, MBC, over Amber Costalez, Casper Boxing Club (CBC)

Bout #5 at 100 lbs., Jayden Appling, BBA, over Caleb Lofgren, CBC

Bout #6 at 106 lbs., Destiny Costalez, CBC, over Monica Garcia, Gladiator Boxing Club, WY (GBC)

Bout #7 at 65 lbs., Cash Allen, Miles City, MT, over Santiago Lujan, CBC

Bout #8 at 100 lbs., Lizbeth Garcia, GBC, over Octavia Costalez, CBC

Bout #9 at 60 lbs., Skye Myhre, CBC, over Adan Garcia, GBC

Bout #10 at 80 lbs., Kolden Hale, MBC, over Noe Borrego, MBC

Bout #11 at 85 lbs., Jackeline Garcia, GBC, over Astrid Allen, Miles City, MT

Bout #12 at 106 lbs., Moroni Hale, MBC, over Oleksiy Parakahin, BBA

Bout #13 at 130 lbs., Vincent Rangel, BBA, over William Finley, New Town, ND

Bout #14 at 130 lbs., Kylie Kilmer, Champions Choice, Spearfish, over Francine Church, MBC

(James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. He can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com)