Melendez to battle Fix as replacement for DeSanto at Beat the Streets Benefit this afternoon
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo of Joey Melendez of Montini High School in Illinois by Illinois Matmen.
Beat the Streets, Inc. has announced that Illinois star Joey Melendez will replace the injured Austin DeSanto, and will wrestle Daton Fix of Oklahoma in a special high-school showdown during today’s Beat the Streets Benefit in Times Square in New York City.
DeSanto, the Pennsylvania state champion who defeated three-time age-group World champion Spencer Lee in the Pennsylvania state finals this year, dropped off the Beat the Streets card due to an injury.
Melendez, who competes for Montini High School in Illinois, finished this season as the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the nation at 113 pounds. He was a 2016 USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals folkstyle champion. Melendez was also sixth at the 2016 UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle and was fourth in the 2015 Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman.
Fix is the No. 1 Pound-for-Pound wrestler in the nation according to FloWrestling, and holds the No. 1 ranking at 132 pounds. Fix was a 2016 Junior World bronze medalist for the USA. He also wrestled in the 2016 Beat the Streets United in the Square match, defeating Junior star Kheyrollah Ghahramani of Iran, 14-3 in Times Square. Additionally, Fix was the prestigious 2017 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The two high school stars will compete in a freestyle match as part of the BTS Benefit card.
The gala is Beat the Streets’ annual fundraiser that helps provide wrestling equipment and opportunities to 3,000 kids across the five boroughs every year. The youth match-ups will be held starting at 3 p.m., prior to the NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships and world-class wrestling matches between members of Team USA and Team Japan.
For those unable to make it to Times Square today, all of the action will be broadcast by Flowrestling.
2017 BEAT THE STREETS BENEFIT
At New York, May 17
Event Schedule
3 p.m. (ET) – Beat the Streets youth exhibition matches
4:45 p.m. (ET) – NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships
6 p.m. (ET) – Team USA vs. Team Japan
Beat the Streets, Inc. has announced that Illinois star Joey Melendez will replace the injured Austin DeSanto, and will wrestle Daton Fix of Oklahoma in a special high-school showdown during today’s Beat the Streets Benefit in Times Square in New York City.
DeSanto, the Pennsylvania state champion who defeated three-time age-group World champion Spencer Lee in the Pennsylvania state finals this year, dropped off the Beat the Streets card due to an injury.
Melendez, who competes for Montini High School in Illinois, finished this season as the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the nation at 113 pounds. He was a 2016 USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals folkstyle champion. Melendez was also sixth at the 2016 UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle and was fourth in the 2015 Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman.
Fix is the No. 1 Pound-for-Pound wrestler in the nation according to FloWrestling, and holds the No. 1 ranking at 132 pounds. Fix was a 2016 Junior World bronze medalist for the USA. He also wrestled in the 2016 Beat the Streets United in the Square match, defeating Junior star Kheyrollah Ghahramani of Iran, 14-3 in Times Square. Additionally, Fix was the prestigious 2017 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The two high school stars will compete in a freestyle match as part of the BTS Benefit card.
The gala is Beat the Streets’ annual fundraiser that helps provide wrestling equipment and opportunities to 3,000 kids across the five boroughs every year. The youth match-ups will be held starting at 3 p.m., prior to the NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships and world-class wrestling matches between members of Team USA and Team Japan.
For those unable to make it to Times Square today, all of the action will be broadcast by Flowrestling.
2017 BEAT THE STREETS BENEFIT
At New York, May 17
Event Schedule
3 p.m. (ET) – Beat the Streets youth exhibition matches
4:45 p.m. (ET) – NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships
6 p.m. (ET) – Team USA vs. Team Japan
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