Monday, April 21, 2025
The Freeport Police Athletic League Boxing Club hosted an electrifying night afternoon of amateur boxing last Saturday at the Recreation Center.
The seventh annual event served as a fundraiser for the Kids Need More charity, co-founded by John Ray and his wife, Melissa Firmes, which supports children battling cancer.
Held in memory of Mitchell Kraeling Jr., who died of cancer in 2013 and whose father, Mitchell Sr. — a three-time cancer survivor himself — has been a devoted supporter of the charity and a friend to the PAL, the event raised about $7,000 to help children in need.
The event served as a critical qualifier in the prestigious Ringmasters Championships 2025, the road to Madison Square Garden and a national Golden Gloves qualifier.
Featuring four Freeport boxers competing on their home turf, the fight card included some 15 bouts, bringing together competitors from across the metropolitan area.
Joe Higgins, president of Freeport PAL and the director of the boxing club, was excited about the event’s significance.
“We get to fight at home, you know, and put on a good show for the community,” Higgins said. “To me, even more than all the boxing and all the competition and all the guts, the most important lesson learned there Saturday was the humility, not just on the sportsmanship of the fighters, but those boxers knowing who they were boxing for.”
The Ringmasters Tournament, formerly known as the New York Daily News Golden Gloves, has long been a high-stakes competition for elite amateur boxers. The winners in Saturday’s event advanced to the finals at Madison Square Garden on April 10, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the National Golden Gloves Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Four of Freeport’s elite fighters stepped into the ring, each with years of experience in the club. Among them was Reese Mistretta, a 176-pound boxer whose mother was a Golden Gloves champion in 2000. Pedrielin Collado, a young entrepreneur balancing work with rigorous training; Angel Jimenez, the newest fighter of the four; and Khamall Dunkley, a multi-talented fighter who also competes in mixed martial arts, also showcased their skills.
Dunkley’s fight stood out as a highlight of the night. “Without a question, (he) gets fight of the night,” Higgins said. “He was down and he came up with a really tremendously strong third round, landing a hard right hand early in the round which dictated the remainder of the round.”
“I’m thankfully grateful and gratefully thankful to have all these guys,” Dunkley wrote in a text. “Hearing my stablemates gave me the encouragement and energy I needed to finish strong.”
The other standout fight was between Freeport’s Mistretta and Rodney Phoenix. “It could have went either way — what a fight,” Higgins said. “And it did not freakin’ disappoint. It was the main event. It was the last fight of the night. And boy, did they go at it.”
The Freeport PAL Boxing Club has a storied history, dating back to its founding in 1992. It club has produced a number of champions on the local, regional and national levels, establishing itself as a powerhouse in amateur boxing.
The tournament drew a crowd of roughly 500, with fans cycling in and out throughout the day. The card was put together by USA Boxing Metro, the governing body of amateur boxing in New York City, Long Island and upstate.
The community support was evident, from the Freeport Fire Department donating EMS services to sponsors like Guardian Bus Company, in Oceanside, helping cover the event’s costs. And according to Higgins, the Rec Center allowed the club to use the venue for half the usual rental fee.
“And you’ve got to love Mayor (Robert) Kennedy — you know, he loves this program,” Higgins added. “He knows what it does for this neighborhood.”
As the event concluded, the buzz among spectators was already building for next year’s tournament.
When asked what he heard in the way of feedback from the attendees, Higgins was emphatic and succinct: “When’s the date next year?”
For more information about Kids Need More, and how to support future events, visit www.kidsneedmore.org.
