Fists fly at 'Winter Mayhem' boxing card in Harmar

In the perpetual cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the City of Brotherly Love came out on top over the weekend, as Philly boxer Avery Sparrow bested the Steel City’s Matt “Sweet Child” Conway to win the International Boxing Association Super Featherweight and Pennsylvania state title.

Sparrow (11-3, 4 KOs) and Conway (20-3, 9 KOs) were the main event at “Winter Mayhem,” a full night of boxing Jan. 15 at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar.

Sparrow made the best of his considerable reach advantage, racking up points with his jab and catching Conway with left hooks in the fight’s later rounds. Sparrow came away with a 10th-round technical knockout.

“This was our best show, yet,” said Derek Gionta of Gionta Management, promoter for the fights and a local trainer from Monroeville. “We had a great crowd at a first-class venue. The main event was a great fight, and give credit to Avery and his team on a well-deserved victory.”

Conway has been busy the past year, putting together a three-fight win streak, dating back to February 2021, which was broken by Sparrow.

“Matt’s going to look to regroup and resume his career possibly at 126 pounds, as he has no trouble making that weight,” Gionta said. “That’ll be a decision he and his team will make.”

In the co-feature bout, Ohio lightweight Ryizeemmion Ford improved to 7-1 (5 KOs) after corner men for opponent Charles Clark (3-9-1, 1 KO) threw in the towel late in the first round. Gionta said Ford was able to control the fight with his long jab and sharp combinations to the head and body.

This is the second time Gionta Management has brought boxing to the Shrine Center, and his plan is to use it as part of a three-county rotation that includes the Murrysville SportZone in Westmoreland County and the Washington County Fairgrounds in Washington County. Both have hosted his events over the past few years.

Gionta said he’s proud to host a high-level fight like Sparrow and Conway’s battle for the IBA Super Featherweight title.

“All parties involved were true professionals,” he said.

Additional fights included:

• Anthony Hollaway (4-2-2, 3 KOs) of Peoria, Ill., with a fourth-round unanimous-decision win over Thomas Hawkins (4-10-1, 1 KO)

• Alexander Castellano (6-1, 2 KOs) of Tonawanda, N.Y., with a fourth-round unanimous-decision win over Shawn Rall (1-5, 1 KO) of Bedford, Ohio.

• Milton Jorge Andrade Jeremias (3-0, 1 KO) of Porto, Portugal, with a fourth-round majority-decision win (39-37, 39-37, 38-38) over David Boria (0-5) of Ashtabula, Ohio.