By Mitch Abramson
Then there was Peggy Remy, a plucky novice from Cambria Heights, who flouted Daniel's impressive pedigree and had Daniel back-pedaling for most of the match in her debut in the amateurs.Daniel, a Jamaica resident, won 4-1, but her performance was far from dominant, and she revealed later why Madison Square Garden hadn't brought out the best in her.”I was totally drained in there,” she said. “She wasn't the most skilled fighter, so I was trying to take my time and not take any unnecessary risks. Why trade punches with her when I could stay on the outside and make life easier on my self?”Two weeks ago she returned from the Continental championships where she won a silver medal and endured a 15-hour plane ride from Argentina. The former student at Hillcrest High School worked out only once before the finals, which led to her pulling her right hamstring in the locker room of the Gloves while she was warming up.In addition to fighting in Argentina, Daniel, 26 also fought in the U.S. Championships in Colorado March 15-19. It was a draining experience and the difference in altitude made her feel like she was wading through quicksand.”I got tired just warming up for my match,” said Daniel, who lost in the semifinals. “I wasn't ready for the difference in how I felt. I was having trouble breathing.”Daniel, ranked No. 3 nationally in the 189-pound division, is at a crossroads in her career. She has already won most of the major tournaments in the amateurs, but with little interest from professional promoters and managers, Daniel is stuck between chasing her dreams in the pros and biding her time in the amateurs. She is looking ahead to 2006 when women's boxing might be added to the Olympic Games.”If that happens, maybe I'll attract some attention there,” she said.Laughing with her trainer after the fight, Remy didn't resemble a beaten fighter. A trust officer at JPMorgan Chase, Remy first took up boxing three years ago and has since lost 50 pounds.”I felt like I won the match,” she said. “I was chasing her for the whole fight and landed more punches than her. I was happy with how I did though. This was a fun experience.”Two years ago at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, welterweight champion Zab Judah was searching for a sparring partner to work out with. Diego Villalba, a powerful electrician from Ozone Park, volunteered, and without his trainer around to keep an eye on him, jumped into the ring with Judah.The bell rang and Villalba, without warming up, began throwing bombs at Judah, who had a quizzical look on his face as he easily skirted away from danger. Seconds after Villalba threw another haymaker, Judah's father and trainer, Yo'el balled up his hand into a fist and gave Zab a thumb's down sign. Judah proceeded to bulldoze Villalba with punches, knocking him down and forcing him to quit after the first round.Villalba, 28, made the same mistake last Thursday night in the finals of the 141-open division against Javier Monserrate. He skewered Monserrate, 22, with roundhouse punches in the opening round. When Monserrate held his ground, the Argentinean-born Villalba looked aghast and had nothing else to offer, and he took a terrible beating that included three standing-8 counts and a 5-0 defeat.”I got tired,” said Villalba through a translator. “I was sick with the flue last week and I felt weak. I was never hurt in the fight, but I didn't have any energy to do what I wanted to do.” Will Rosinsky, a junior at Queens College, defeated Don O'Regan 5-0 to win the 178-pound open championship. It was the fourth time the two had met, with O'Regan beating Rosinsky, a graduate of Archbishop Molloy, in the first round of the Gloves last year. Rosinsky, the 2005 national champion, leads the series between them 3-1.Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
