YOUNGSTOWN – It was the most anticipated fight of the evening. One was an up-and-coming local, the other was the national champion from Texas.

In the end, it was Central Berlin native Zion Hensley who made the unanimous decision to beat Jade Rocha Saturday night at the Maronite Center in Youngstown in the “Holiday Brawl.”

“It’s really motivating, especially after you win,” Hensley said. “And once you win, you want to keep going. All the people who helped me with this made me more motivated.

Hensley punched Rocha in the first round, but quick shots from both boxers led to a competitive opening. Hensley increased the pressure on Rocha in the second round, and by the third she was dictating the match with her willingness to take on her out-of-state opponent.

“I knew I could pick some shots after (gaining confidence in the first one). I knew how to adjust and adjust my style,” Hensley said.

Hensley’s coach Kelly Pavlik has identified a few “bad habits” she needs to eliminate in the future.

“You see the natural ability and talent that she has,” Pavlik said. “Yeah, she puts on a show every time she goes in there.”

Hensley wasn’t the only local to record a victory.

Youngstown’s Jose Jauregui – another student of Pavlik’s – captured the crowd’s attention during his heavyweight bout against Pittsburgh’s Seven Earth.

The 215-pound Eastern student gave up 90 pounds to Earth, but Jauregui used that to his advantage. Jauregui knew he wouldn’t be able to surpass Earth, at least not at first, so he made it a battle of attrition.

The two boxers traded blows during the first two rounds, but Earth’s conditioning finally caught up with him in the third.

“Kelly told me, ‘Let it go. He’s breathing hard. Throw it to the body, throw it to the middle,’” Jauregui said. “That third round really made me win this fight. I got caught in a lot of stupid shots, but I feel like I did well overall.

Jauregui has had eight fights in recent years, but he feels he has found the right coach in Pavlik. With a renewed interest in boxing, he wants to move up from heavyweight to around 190 so he can face opponents closer to his size.

“He fought only once in the last three years,” Pavlik said. “No matter how hard you train and how good your fitness level is, when you go in there and you haven’t worked out in a long time, it’s different cardio. He managed to get through it and complete three difficult laps.

While Jauregui tries to get back into boxing, Hensley prepares to take on tougher challenges.

Hensley wanted a competitive match and she got one. She will use her weekend victory to review some things before heading to the national championships in a few weeks.

“I love fighting before nationals,” Hensley said. “It helps me gain more experience, unlike sparring. Sparring is working more on some things, but once you have that fight, I feel like I’m more ready for nationals.

OTHER RESULTS

• 85 lbs: Jemari Golphin of Cleveland defeated Salvatore D’Amato of Pittsburgh (the referee stopped the competition).

• 130 lbs: Blaze Billman of Toledo defeated K’Veon Cotton of Youngstown (split decision).

• 150 lbs: Josh Cordero of Elyria defeated Antwan Miller of Youngstown (split decision).

• 150 lbs: Anthony Reed of Cleveland defeated Isaac Johnson of Youngstown (unanimous decision)

• 160 lbs: Charles Williams of Akron defeated Marty Stachowicz (split decision)

• 160 lbs: Basil Abukkas of Cleveland defeated Drew Mercer of Alliance (unanimous decision)

• 180 pounds: Frank Henius of Pittsburgh defeated Levi Williams of Youngstown (split decision).