Irish Weekend Boxing:
The Greening of Harrowgate

The second Irish Boxing show under the big tent across from Moore’s to kick off Irish Weekend showed several improvements - except in the outcome.

There were waitresses this year, and food available in the person of Dave Bannon and his trusty hotdog cart, but the Holy Family boxing team from Belfast again whipped the lads from Harrowgate in Philly by the tune of 8 bouts to 2, the same as last year.

With almost 40 sponsors on board this year, chief among them LAOH Division #87, Roofers Local 30, the Irish Society, and the Flynn Company, all benefits from the nowtraditional boxing event went to North Wildwood Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.

The estimable Nino Del Buono again handled the ring announcing chores and Maura McKinney, daughter of the late, great Philadelphia Daily News writer Jack McKinney, sang both the Irish and American national anthems.

The one sort of bright spot for the Harrowgate fans was a stunning second round knockout of James Upton - one of the four Upton brothers on the Irish team Irish Weekend Boxing: The Greening of Harrowgate - by Arturo Trujillo with a devastating left check hook. Upton twice tried to rise, and then fell unconscious. Ring physician Dr. Charles Antinori immediately administered to the fallen fighter and after what seemed an eternity of about five minutes, Upton regained his senses and was escorted from the ring.

Backstage, still groggy and embarrassed by the knockout, James Upton at first refused to be taken to the hospital for evaluation, but after Dr. Antinori, the Irish managers and Upton’s brothers reasoned with him, he boarded the ambulance. Thankfully, before the last bout of the evening, ring announcer Del Buono advised the crowd that Upton was expected to make a full recovery.

At the end of the card, as the fulfilled fans filed out, a woman in a green tee-shirt stopped and kissed the pink feet of an infant who had been quietly lying in a stroller the whole evening. The woman and the child’s mother smiled at each other.

And so another fine night of boxing ended.

18th Annual Irish Fall Festival 2009~ The Belfast, Ireland boxers made their final appearance in the parade before heading back to their homeland.