Bayside teacher pulls upset

Sonya Lamonakis moved to Bayside from Turners Falls, Massachusetts with hopes of furthering her promising boxing career. “I wanted to see what I could do,” she said.
Her career took a huge step forward Thursday night in the 79th Daily News Golden Gloves at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Lamonakis pulled the shocker of the evening when she earned a 4-1 decision over the five-time women’s champion in the 189-pound open division, Tanzee Daniel. “Not only winning the Gloves means a lot,” she said, “but beating Tanzee means a lot. … Unbelievable, I feel great.”
Lamonakis, 31, a native of Greece, got the decision by taking the fight to Daniel, going at her from the start of the first round to the fight’s conclusion. “I put a lot of pressure on her and I threw three-punch combinations. I knew if I was going to beat her in her house I was going to have to bring it to her, and I did,” said Lamonakis, who moved to Bayside in August and teaches eighth graders social studies at MS. 203 in the Bronx.
Daniel, 29, actually stopped Lamonakis two years ago in the Police Athletic League finals in Virginia. Since that defeat, however, Lamonakis has gained invaluable ring experience. Moreover, she’s improved two-fold since joining up with famed trainer Lennox Blackmore of Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, refining her skills even more. “The last month, I’ve learned more than I could even tell you,” she said.
For her part, Daniel, a customer service representative from Jamaica, was disappointed afterward because she strayed from her strength. “I knew they were going to tell her to lean on me because I box a lot,” she said. “I tried to stand there and fight. I could’ve moved a little more. She caught me with a few good ones.”