Military veteran Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle Improves to 7-0 with 7 KOs headlining “Fight Night at the Vets Club”

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (February 26, 2024) – Heavyweight Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle remained undefeated, improving his professional boxing record to 7-0 with seven knockouts, as he headlined for the first time on last Saturday night’s “Fight Night at the Vets Club” card, presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP), in front of a packed house at cozy Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

GCP partnered with the Bridgewater-based charitable organization, Fire For Effect Foundation, which honors and empower veterans, first responders and their families by providing essential resources, support and community-building initiatives that foster resilience, restore hope, and strengthen the fabric of our community. Go to www.ffefinc.org for more information.

Fighting out of Scituate (MA), Nagle not only headlined for the first time, he also was in his first scheduled six-round fight, only a month after his previous bout. It was appropriate for a military veteran who was deployed overseas twice and works at the Brockton VA hospital in Brockton (MA) as a psychiatric nurse to shine at the Bridgewater Veterans Club.

Nagle immediately established his strength advantage, using his 287 ½ pound frame to punish his opponent, Mexican Alfred “Concho” Trevino (9-11-1, 1 KO), right from the opening bell. Trevino hit the canvas in the first round from a powerful right to the body and Nagle closed the show in the second round, stopping Trevino with a pair of right-handed punches that both landed on the button.

Nagle explained after the fight that he and his head trainer, Steve Vukosa, worked hard on being quicker in this fight, moving his feet along with his punching at a more accelerated pace than in his past fights. He even looked nimbler than before, cutting off the ring to consistently trap his opponent on the ropes and in the corner.

Marshfield welterweight prospect Joe Bush (2-0, 2 KOs), a silver medalist at the 2023 New England Golden Gloves Tournament, had the largest group of supporting fans in attendance. They stood and cheered as the 26-year-old Bush outclassed veteran Rakim Johnson (7-23-1, 5 KOs). Bush dropped the game Johnson four times, displaying accurate punching with good pop, until the fight ended in the third round after a double left-hook. 

In the Fight of the Night, Medford (MA) super middleweight Greg “Iron” Bono (2-1-1, 1 KO) and Brazilian Bruno Dias (1-13-1, 0 KOs) fought to a thrilling four-round majority draw in which Bono won on one judge’s scorecard (39-37). The other two judges scored the entertaining fight, 38-38, and the momentum went back and forth between the two fighters during the entire four rounds.

Former Massachusetts Middleweight Champion Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (5-3, 1 KO) was in action again for the first time in more than a year, fighting off early rust against Brazilian Igor Pessoa (0-8) for an impressive second-round technical knockout, one year to the day after his first surgery. In his previous fight, Andreozzi shattered the tip of his fibula into pieces and completely severed a few ligaments when he attempted to walk it off. Tony had two surgeries and had a plate inserted, as well as five screws and a bolt that resulted in a bone infection.

New Hampshire middleweight Ricky Ford scored two wins in one fight. He looked sharp against Erick Alves (0-2), who was decked in the corner at the end of round one by an overhand right. He took a knee in the second round after getting hit by a wicked body shot and the end came in the following round, the result of a sweet left hook. After the fight, Ford dropped to a knee in the middle of the ring to propose marriage to his longtime girlfriend who happily accepted.

In the opening bout of the evening, relentless New Hampshire middleweight Ryan Clark (4-5, 2 KOs) pressured Jay Gregory (0-10-1) from start to finish in their rematch enroute to a shutout decision as he won all four rounds on each of here judges’ scorecard (40-36 X3). 

Bridgewater TV taped the entire show live for viewing this week.

Granite Chin returns March 23rd in Worcester (MA) with “Pandemonium at The Palladium 3.”

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Complete Results Below:

OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAIN EVENT — HEAVYWEIGHTS

Kevin Nagle (7-0, 7 KOs), Scituate, MA

WKO2 (0 :36)

Alfred Trevino (9-11-1, 1 KO), Aqua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Anthony Andreozzi (5-3, 2 KOs), Swansea, MA

WTKO2 (0:24)

Igor Pessoa (0-8), Woburn, MA by way of Brazil

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Greg Bono (2-1-1, 2 KOs), Medford, MA

MD4 (39-37, 38-38, 38-38)

Bruno Dias (1-13-1, 0 KOs), Woburn, MA by way of BraziL

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ryan Clark (4-5, 2 KOs), Berwick, NH

WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)

Jay Gregory (0-10-1), Auburn, NY

Ricky Ford (5-1-2, 3 KOs), Claremont, NH

WTKO3 (2:01)

Erick Alves (0-2), Malden, MA.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Joe Bush (2-0, 2 KOs), Marshfield, MA

WTKO3 (1:49)

Rakim Johnson (7-23-1, 5 KOs), Indianapolis, IN

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U.S. Army Veteran Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle Kicks-off Veterans Day Weekend with KO win

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (November 11, 2023) – It only seemed appropriate that a U.S. Army veteran, Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle (4-0, 4 KOs), was the star of last night’s “Friday Fight Night” card, presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP) on Veterans Day eve, at Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

GCP partnered with the Bridgewater-based charitable organization, Fire For Effect Foundation, which honors and empower veterans, first responders and their families by providing essential resources, support and community-building initiatives that foster resilience, restore hope, and strengthen the fabric of our community. Go to www.ffefinc.org for more information.

Nagle, fighting out of Scituate, was deployed in Iraq and Kosovo. He is a disabled veteran who works at the VA Medical Center in Brockton (MA). Weighing in at nearly 300 pounds, he took advantage of his size and power advantages over the 213-pound Max DaSilva (0-2). Heading into the third round, Nagle’s cornerman, Steve Vukosa, instructed Nagle to put his three-punch combination together. “Big Gulp” did just that, hurting DaSilva with a right uppercut, followed by a left-right combination to close the show.

Coming off his first loss as a professional, Lynn (MA) super middleweight James “Pitbull” Perkins (13-1-1, 10 KOs) rebounded strongly against tough Saul “The Spider” Almeida Braga. Perkins dropped his opponent in the opening round, and it appeared that this fight wasn’t going to last long. Braga, who is a veteran MMA fighter, persevered and gave Perkins much needed rounds.

James Perkins (L) stayed in his opponent’s face for all six rounds

Like Perkins, New Hampshire middleweight Ryan Clark 2-6, 2 KOs) is a come forward, fan-friendly fighter. Last night his non-stop, aggressive style paid off as his contact pressure broke down a game Jay Gregory and closed the show in the third round when the referee halted the fight.

The most gifted boxer in action last night was undefeated Cuban lightweight Armando Rabi (10-0, 9 KOs), the 2015 Cuban National Champion, who faced battled-tested Brazilian Aldimar Silva (22-25, 14 KOs). After a few minutes of strategic maneuvering, Rabi fired a perfectly placed straight right that immediately dropped Silva, who had been laying on the ropes, unable to beat the count at the 2:46 mark of round one.

Revere super middleweight Travis Gambardella (8-2-2, 4 KOs) attacked journeyman Juan Celin Zapata from the opening bell, cracking Zapata with an overhand right last in the opening round that sent the Honduran to the canvas. The referee waved off the fight when Zapata reacted wobbly.

New Bedford super middleweight “Vicious” Anthony Vieira improved to 3-0 with his third knockout, dropping pro-debuting Milton Noleto three times. The first came in the opening round via a body shot. In the third and final round, the well-schooled Vieira sent his opponent sprawling from a punch Noleto felt was an illegal shot to the back of his head. Noleto never recovered and an overhand right to the head soon floored him again. At that point, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.

Complete results below:


OFFICIAL RESULTS

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Kevin Nagle (4-0, 4 KOs), Scituate. MA

WKO3 (2:11)

Max DaSilva (0-2), Woburn, MA by way of Brazil

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

James Perkins (13-1-1, 10 KOs), Lynn, MA

WDEC6 (60-53, 60-53, 59-54)

Saul Almeida Braga (1-19-4, 1 KO), Framingham, MA

Anthony Vieira (3-0, 2 KOs), New Bedford, MA

WTKO3 (2:00)

Milton Noleto (0-1, 0 KOs), Woburn, MA by way of Brazil

Travis Gambardella (8-2-2, 4 KOs), Revere, MA

WTKO1 (2:42)

Juan Celin Zapata (7-24-2, 5 KOs), Bronx, NY by way of Honduras

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ryan Clark (3-5, 2 KOs), Barrington, NH

WTKO3 (1:41)

Jay Gregory (0-9-1), Auburn, NY

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Armando Rabi (10-0, 9 KOs), Havana, Cuba by way of UAE

WTKO1 (2:46)

Aldimar Silva (22-25, 14 KOs), Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil


Granite Chin Promotions’ final event of the year, “Pandemonium at The Palladium 2,” will be held Saturday evening, December 9, at The Palladium at Worcester, Massachusetts. Tickets are on sale and available for purchase online at www.ThePalladium.net.

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Heavyweight Kevin Nagle fighting for his 4 children

QUINCY, Mass. (May 22, 2023) – Heavyweight Kevin Nagle (1-0, 1 KO), fighting out of Scituate (MA), has certainly taken a circuitous route to professional boxing.

The 39-year-old Nagle will be in action Saturday night, June 10th, in a four-round match against Reinaldo Souza (0-1) on the “Fight Night at the Vets Club” card, presented by Granite Chin Promotions’ (GCP), at the Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Nagle, who started boxing when he was 10, made his professional debut this past February in Melrose (MA), stopping Aquilla Prote in the second round.

Boxing was put to the side by Nagle when he played high school football at South Shore Regional Vocational Technical, and then while he played rugby after he graduated from high school, prior to him joining the National Guard at 20 and going to boot camp.

He wanted to pick up boxing again upon his return home from camp and reconnected with some of his coaches from his early days at the Pembroke Boxing Club, after which he started training at the famed Petronelli Gym in Brockton. Kevin had a brief amateur boxing career, highlighted by him reaching the semifinals of the New England Golden Gloves.

In 2006, he was deployed to Kosovo and then he volunteered for a six-months stint in Iraq when his company was deployed there. Once his National Guard commitment was fulfilled, he joined Local 223 as a laborer.

Later, he took CNA classes and Kevin was responsible for dementia care at the Veterans Administration (VA). He attended nursing school and has been a psychiatric nurse for the past eight years at the Brockton VA.

Nagle wanted to box again and after local boxer/trainer Mark DeLuca hooked him up in 2014 with Steve Vukosa (14-1-1, 5 KOs), a former New England Heavyweight Champion, and Kevin has been Steve’s primary sparring partner ever since.

But why did it take so long for Nagle to join pro boxing’s ranks?

“I had kids, and my wife didn’t let me fight,” Nagle explained. “When we separated, my first call was to Steve, not a lawyer, and I told him it was time to get back into boxing and I needed to get into shape. Steve introduced me to (promoter) Chris Traietti, who I had watched fight, and he said he’d get me one fight. Boxing has helped me be focused with all I’m going through.

“My goal with Steve was for me to go pro. I wanted to accomplish that for my kids and accomplished it. Anything that happens now in boxing is like having a cherry on top. I wanted to show my kids that I didn’t give up on my dream. I wanted to be a soldier and did that, too. My overall goal is to work my way up to a competitive fight. I’m just a crazy, old guy working in the gym with Steve and Martin Grealish. This experience is keeping me centered, I’m not trying to take over the boxing world.”

“When Steve Vukosa first approached me about Kevin turning pro,” Traietti added, “I didn’t really take it overly serious at first, but I knew Kevin. I sincerely liked him on a personal level, so I gave him a call and we chatted. Once he told me about his current situation, I knew he was serious, and this was important to him. He is 39 years old and doesn’t have any aspirations of some long career, but he wants an opportunity to get on a big card and get the experience of fighting on a national stage. Fortunately, for him, that is exactly what I can do for my guys. The plan is to keep him active in 2023 with a handful of fights and get him the big experience he is looking for in 2024.”

Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste (4-2, 2 KOs), of Woburn (MA), and New Hampshire’s Ryan Thomas Clark (2-3. 1 KO) throw-down in the six-round main event for the vacant United States Boxing Federation (USBF) middleweight title.

Also slated to fight on the “Fight Night at the Vets Club” are former New England Welterweight Champion Mike “Bad Man” Ohan, Jr. (17-2, 9 KOs), of Holbrook (MA), vs. William Parra Smith (4-14-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round bout; unbeaten Lynn (MA).super middleweight James “Pitbull” Perkins (11-0-1, 8 KOs) vs. TBA in a six-rounder; and Boston lightweight Arika Skoog (1-0-1, 1 KO), the 2020 USA Boxing Elite National and multiple New England Golden Gloves champion, vs. Sarah “Switch Kick” Click (1-4-1).

Card subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $60.00 (floor seats), $40.00 (standing room only), and $400.00 for ringside tables of 4 are available for purchase at https://granite-chin-

promotions.ticketleap.com.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET, first bout at 7 p.m. ET.