PBC Wins Two Northern New England Golden Gloves Championships

Portland Boxing Club's Zordan Holman (right) at the Northern New England Golden Gloves in Somersworth, NH.

In the semi-final round of the Northern New England Golden Gloves tournament, Portland Boxing Club’s Ilyas Bashir, a 139-pound novice division light welterweight from Auburn, Maine showed superior boxing skills winning a unanimous decision over Tristan Harvie of Essex Junction, Vermont. In the finals, Bashir earned a unanimous decision over Michel DiDino of Manchester, New Hampshire, to win the championship. In Bashir’s toughest fight to date, DiDino used questionable tactics unsuccessfully trying to slow Bashir’s relentless attack.

Bashir was awarded outstanding boxer of the tournament, winning both this award and the Northern New England Golden Gloves novice light welterweight championship two years in a row.

In the semi-final round of the tournament, Portland Boxing Club’s Zordan Holman, a 203+ pound novice division super heavyweight from Westbrook, Maine, defeated Tom Curtis, of Spruce Head, Maine, by RSC (technical knock-out) 49 seconds into the first round of the fight. Holman started fast against the much larger Curtis. His jab found the target quickly, followed by right hands that had Curtis in trouble from the start. After 49 seconds of Holman battering his opponent without any offense from the other side, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. In the final round of the tournament, Holman defeated Abdul Sumah, of Bangor, Maine, by RSC 1:20 into the first round of the fight. Sumah, who had a significant weight advantage, was clearly outmatched.

Bashir and Holman advance to the New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Lowell, Massachusetts starting on February 17, 2022. In addition, Portland Boxing Club’s Kate Zehr, a 125-pound elite featherweight from South Portland, Maine and Wade Faria, a 165-pound elite middleweight from Portland, Maine, advance to this tournament by walkover. Portland Boxing Club fighters have won 223 championships in the organization’s 30-year history.