Dan Hinxman
http://www.rgj.com/
Ryan Kotey sent Kentucky’s Phil Heavrin to the canvas in the first round and landed a couple more big left hooks to win his 165-pound quarterfinal bout by decision and get Nevada off to a good start at the 2008 National Collegiate Boxing Championships on Thursday night in front of about 700 fans at the Reno Ballroom.
Not to be outdone, teammate Kenny Dyer-Redner (175), the only other Nevada boxer to fight Thursday as two received byes, finished the 18-fight quarterfinal round when the referee stopped his bout with West Virginia’s Ryan Ross in the first round after Dyer-Redner knocked him down once and got two standing-8 counts.
With the two byes, Nevada effectively went 4-0 Thursday.
“We’re batting a thousand,” coach Mike Martino said. “I thought the kids looked great.”
Kotey, a sophomore from Auburn, Calif., and the defending national champion at 165 pounds, will take on Lock Haven’s Danny Marerro, the national runner-up at 156 last year, in one of 24 semifinal bouts today. Marerro had a bye through the quarterfinals.
“I wanted to get on top early and stay on top of the fight,” Kotey said. “(The left hook) is one of my favorite punches — establish the jab a little bit and then fake the jab and come around.”