Boxing returns to SportZone with 'Murrysville Madness II' on May 7

When the next group of boxers organized by Monroeville promoter Derek Gionta enters the ring on May 7, it will include first women’s fights he has organized.

That makes the venue – Murrysville SportZone on William Penn Highway – all the more appropriate.

“It’s great because they have a women’s locker room already,” Gionta said.

The SportZone is one of three venues where Gionta has been regularly hosting fights the past few years, along with the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Cheswick and the Washington County Fairgrounds.

“It’s a nice-sized place with those elevated stadium seats,” Gionta said. “It’s a nice spacious venue, there are a lot of hotels and restaurants in the area, and it’s easy to get to if you’re coming off the Turnpike.”

“Murrysville Madness II” will feature at least a half-dozen fights, including bouts with Pittsburgh fighter Mike Conway and Ohio boxer Ryizeemmion Ford, a fixture in Gionta’s recent cards.

One of the female fighters will be 22-year-old Mary Casamassa of Franklin Park, who is busy working on a civil engineering degree at the University of Pittsburgh when she’s not working the heavy bag at the gym.

“I try to get in the ring with very skilled people as much as possible,” said the 2018 Pennsylvania Golden Gloves champion in the 152-pound women’s open division. “I want to be challenged, so I try to make my training as tough as possible.”

Casamassa was already a standout basketball player in high school and college when she found herself being drawn to the boxing ring.

“I kind of got tired of the drama of girls’ basketball and wanted to hit something,” she said with a laugh. “I started training out of Personal Training Tactics in (Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood), and I always intended to compete someday.”

May 7 will be Casamassa’s professional boxing debut.

“It’s something I’ve kind of imagined for six years now since I started boxing,” she said.

For Eric Lomax, 31, of Penn Hills, boxing has been part of his life for quite some time.

“My dad taught martial arts when I was younger, and my uncle had a gym in Carrick,” said Lomax. “Plus I wrestled in middle school and high school. But I didn’t start training until I was about 20 years old.”

Lomax trained for five years at Weightmasters in Wilkinsburg before taking his first amateur fight at age 25. He said he’s looking forward to another fight night in Murrysville.

“I love the location,” he said. “My parents live right in Monroeville, so it’s the shortest drive they’ve ever had to come see me fight. I think I like fighting at the SportZone even more than the Rivers Casino. There’s really not a bad seat in the house.”

Gionta said having a consistent group of talented locals has helped him in trying to re-establish boxing’s popularity in the region.

“We’ve been able to bring in fighters from Ohio and New York who are two or four hours away, and they’re still bringing a decent amount of fans,” he said. “We always make good, competitive fights, so when we call these fighters, they know they’re going to get a good opponent.”

Tickets for “Murrysville Madness II” range from $40 stadium seating to $125 ringside seats. Group tables are also available for $800. For tickets, call 412-759-0407.

The SportZone will host another night of boxing this fall, on Sept. 17, Gionta said.