O’CONNOR POUNDS OUT A VICTORY
As the timekeeper pounded the ring apron, signaling 10 seconds left in last night’s main event, the TD Garden crowd rose to its feet in anticipation.
The roars were deafening as two local warriors, Danny O’Connor of Framingham and Derek Silveira of Salem, traded punches in a final flurry. Those last 10 seconds were an accumulation of 10 hard-fought rounds for the New England welterweight championship.
It was a war and the fans loved it — all 4,200 of them.
When it was over, O’Connor stood in the center of the ring with his hands raised. The oncebeaten southpaw earned every bit of the majority decision (the judges cards: 95-95; 100-89, 97-93) over the previously unbeaten Silveira. For a night, boxing was back in Boston, and on this grand stage, O’Connor got to live his dream.
“This whole night was amazing,” O’Connor said. “Everything about this is a dream come true. I couldn’t have imagined that I would’ve been here. I can’t even come close to taking all the credit.”
O’Connor (20-1, six KOs) grew up dreaming of playing any sport at the Garden, but as his boxing career took off, fighting in the Hub’s biggest arena was at the top of his list. He accomplished that goal last night, but it didn’t come easy.
Silveira (8-1, four KOs) came out firing. He showed he wouldn’t be intimidated by O’Connor or his advance accolades. But as the fight wore on, O’Connor found his range. The momentum swung to his favor in the third round. The 27-year-old pressed forward and started connecting with lead rights staggering his opponent.
“Jabs — a key punch. I love it,” O’Connor said. “I was trying to break him down with my jab, go to the body (and) counter when he jumped in.”
For the balance of the fight, O’Connor was patient — picking his punches with precision, and it took its toll on Silveira. By the time the bell rang to begin the 10th round, the white part of Silveira’s shorts were streaked with red. His nose was bloodied and both eyes swollen.
“I knew he was going to come ready to fight,” O’Connor said. “He was hungry. A lot of respect to him.”
As O’Connor left the ring, it was evident he didn’t come out unscathed. His nose was swollen, he had a small cut above his lip and a black eye.
But overall, it was everything he ever wanted.
“It really was an amazing night,” O’Connor said.
It has been five years since there was boxing on Causeway Street, and last night the Garden was cut in half for the event. There was a black curtain placed through the center of the arena, but it worked as the packed crowd was loud and locked into the fights.
It was a sight that local legend Micky Ward longed to see.
“I think it’s great,” the Lowell native and subject of the Hollywood biopic, “The Fighter,” said. “It’s great for the city. It’s great for local boxing. It’s great for the Garden, having fights back here. I fought here in 1996. I think it’s great. They got a good crowd.”
Among the eight pro and amateur undercard bouts, Boston police officer Billy Taft (3-0) was perhaps the fan favorite. The Dorchester resident didn’t disappoint either, earning a wildly entertaining four-round decision over Joe Powers (0-1). In the comain event, Quincy’s Ryan Kielczewski improved to 15-0 in a dominating second-round TKO over Washington Hago (5-5).