Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Three local boxers from North Olympic Boxing Club traveled to Tacoma Jan. 19, and two of them - twins Osvaldo and Martin Swagerty of Port Angeles - wound up facing each other in the 80-pound weight class.

Osvaldo, 12, won the first round and Martin took the second. Osvaldo earned the judge's decision in the third and final round.

"The bout was a popular one with the crowd because the twins gave a good show and clearly were trying to settle some old scores," said club coach Jesús Solís.

It was the debut bout for both brothers, who are sixth-graders at Franklin Elementary School.

Sequim's Brett Cain, 17, also competed in the tournament, challenging Portland's Noah Buttcovich in the 152-pound weight class. Because Cain was the only novice boxer in his weight class, in just his second bout, he was put into the mix of the open class for boxers with 10 or more matches. Cain came out strong in the first round, Solís said, with an active, precise and aggressive strategy, but the experience of his opponent proved too much to overcome. The referee stopped the bout in the second round when Cain showed some instability after suffering a blow to the face.

On Feb. 22-23, club fighter Andrew Heuett was runner-up at the 60th annual Tacoma Golden Gloves.

Heuett, an officer with the Port Angeles Police Department, boxed his debut match in the 165-pound Senior Novice division against Reggie Graham of Tacoma.

Heuett stunned Graham in the first round but was unable to finish him off. Graham recuperated quickly and came back strong with a left cross and straight right hand to Heuett's head. The match was close, Solís said, but Graham, who had two years of training under his belt, won on points in the three, two-minute round bout.

The next competitive boxing event for the club will be in Portland, Ore., March 7-8.

The North Olympic Boxing Club is an amateur, nonprofit club located in the Agnew area and is open to youths age 8-17 and adults.. For more information about the club, contact Solís at 452-1215 or

e-mail boxingcoach@olypen.com.