CenlaFight.com

David Bosnick works through the guard of Sammy Lua at GFA19 Saturday night.

Don’t forget about the exlcusive Twitter, Facebook and Flickr content from GFA 19. Photos, videos and discussion you won’t find anywhere else is just a click away.

In his first fight with a new surname, Alexandria fighter David Bosnick (formerly David Abel) defeated Sammy Lua in the main event of Saturday night’s GFA 19 at the Alexander Fulton Hotel, one of several standout moments on the card for the fight team “Alexandria Hit Squad.”

Bosnick (11-2) fighting in his final amateur bout, spent most of the match on the mat and in Lua’s guard but established the mount midway through the second round, landed a series of hard strikes to Lua’s liver and registered a TKO victory.

“This was one of the toughest fights I’ve had,” Bosnick said. “We are two of the best fighters you’ll find at 135 and we both want to be the best, so this fight had to happen.”

In Lua (16-2), who hails from Jackson, Tenn., but recently relocated to West Louisiana, Bosnick found a highly-regarded opponent who could test his weaknesses. Bosnick, who started out as a boxer, had spent most of his camp working on his ground game.

“What I loved most about this whole experience was that this was truly a team effort,” Bosnick said. “Throughout the whole camp, everybody kept saying, ‘We are going to win this fight.’ There was so much camaraderie. Everybody was out to help everyone else. My coaches are older and have bad backs and knees but they still got in there and rolled with me to get me ready. It was a blessing.

“Like I always say, God is good. He rewarded my sacrifice tonight. My wife and I pray every morning and every night and before and after every training session and every fight for God to help us make the sacrifices necessary to achieve our goals. Sometimes it seems like all I do is sacrifice. I’m up before the crack of dawn every day, say goodbye to my wife and baby girl and then it’s either work or training ‘til the next night. It gets to be tough sometimes but on nights like this, it’s all worth it.”

Bosnick was one of several local fighters to make a mark on Saturday night.

Newcomer Waylon Bailey, a Hit Squad team member, set a Global Fighting Alliance record when he knocked out Craig Walker just eight seconds into their heavyweight showdown.

“It happened so fast, I can’t really explain it,” Bailey said. “I feel like I’m still in there. We went into a quick flurry of punches and he landed two real good shots, but I counterpunched and got him. He was a big boy and I was ready for a war so it flipped me out when I won as fast I did. There’s no feeling like it in the world.”

Perhaps the most unique moment of the night came in the semi-main event when veteran Alex Charrier, also of Hit Squad, faced his friend and LA MMA/Team ZeroMercy fighter Darrius Willis.

During a delay in the action between rounds one and two of their bout, the two fighters played rock-paper-scissors while they waited for action to resume, the joke being that if the fight could not be restarted soon enough, this method would decide the winner.

Charrier, who lost 3-0 in rock-paper-scissors, eventually won the bout via verbal submission in the third round after landing a series of strikes to Willis’ ribs and chest from side-control.

“Darrius is one of the nicest guys I know in this business,” Charrier said. “He’s a lot of fun to be around and we are always cutting up at fights. It’s a great example about what this sport can be. You can go out and put on a great fight, swing for the fences and try to take a guy down within the confines of the sport but once it’s all over, you’re still good friends.”

GFA 19 Results:

Undercard

Isaiah Lewis def. Brian Shavers (135 pounds)

Nick Godinez def. Jason Brown (145)

DeAnte Horton def. John Fish (125)

Ryan Partin def. Samuel Williamson (145)

Chris Brunettin def. Kirk Mirkamali (185)

Chris Brossett def. JD Scwhendemann (170)

Dorian Wisdom def. Enrique Ortiz (185)

Devon Jones def. Edward Rossino (125)

Featured Bouts

Heavyweight Match – Waylon Bailey defeated Craig Walker in eight seconds with knockout.

155-pound Match – Steve Boulette def. Andy Brossett in second round (TKO)

185-pound Semi-Main Event – Alex Charrier def. Darrius Willis in third round (Verbal Submission)

Main Event 135-pound Match – David Bosnick def. Sammy Lua in second round (TKO)

It’s not uncommon for fighters to change monikers. The changing of surnames, in a business in which name recognition is critical, is infrequent.

Yet David Bosnick, perhaps better known to local fight fans under his former name of David Abel, has legally changed his name in honor of his late father, Franklin David Bosnick, who lost his battle with cancer last year.

“It was something I always wanted to do since I was a kid,” Bosnick said. “When my father got sick with cancer, I decided it was time to do it so that he could see my name on the certificate before it was too late.”

After a brief pause and with pride in his eyes, Bosnick added, “And I did it, too. Before he passed, I was able to show him the certificate with my last name on it and introduce him to his granddaughter, my baby girl.”

While the ultimate goal was to give his father joy, Bosnick said he does not take his new last name lightly.

“I know I’m making my father proud, now,” Bosnick said. “Everybody in the Bosnick family take that name seriously. They hold it high and don’t want to have Bosnick name drug through the dirt. I feel like I am in a position to carry that name in a good way.”

If his uptrend as a fighter continues, Bosnick might carry the family name to unthought-of heights.

Bosnick has been on a tear since dropping from the 145 to 135-pound class and will fight under his new name for the first time in his main event showdown with Sammy Lua at GFA 19 at the Alexander Fulton Hotel in Downtown Alexandria this Saturday night at 7.

Bosnick (10-2) and Lua (16-1), who’ve held more than 12 combined amateur titles, will battle for the GFA 135-pound strap.

Neither man has lost a bout in the 135-pound weight class.

“This one of the best amateur bouts I’ve ever been a part of,” fight promoter Allen Gray said. “These are two of the top amateurs in the country. They’re both rising stars who have great careers ahead of them. One has to win and one has to lose, but if they are both on the top of their game, it will be a great treat for Alexandria fight fans.”

Lua is a native of Tennessee and the child of a military family who recently began training at Leesville’s LA MMA with Team Zeromercy. He’s fought on many to cards across the nation, scored a win in less than 30 seconds in his last bout after breaking his opponent’s arm and is viewed as the favorite in Saturday’s main event.

“There’s no doubt that David is the underdog,” Gray said, “but if you want to get to the top of the mountain, you have to fight as an underdog at some point.”

Bosnick said it was a challenge he has anticipated for some time.

“I’m excited about this fight,” Bosnick said. “Sammy Lua is a great fighter with his own unique style and approach. He’s got a lot of skill. That’s why he’s 16-1. But we’ve had a great camp and game-planned for him. It should be a great fight.”

If there is one thing I did notice in the beta run of CenlaFight, it was that people love the photos. I guess images like this caught the eye …

Photo by Will Tubbs

The good news for all of the my fan(s) is that the imagery that people liked from the old site is still available through my Flickr account where you can view my photography.  All images were created by me, save the Second Life photos … those were for a grad class so just ignore them. More shots are on the way in the weeks and months to come.