Colon tops Gross in 21-15 slugfest, Francis techs Glaude, Khinchegashvili defeats Diakomihalis at the Beat the Streets Virtual Fundraiser

Hoboken, N.J. – While the festivities at the Beat the Streets annual fundraiser were scaled down this year due to the COVID-19, the action certainly was not. The six-match card, held at the Frank Sinatra Pavilion across the river from Manhattan, delivered one exciting bout after another.

During an evening of exhilarating bouts, the second match of the event, Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross, stood out above the others.

Both wrestlers usually compete at 61 kg, a non-Olympic weight class, and moved down to 57 kg for the Olympic year. Although for this exhibition event, they weighed in at 138 pounds. Both have seen immediate success at their new weight class with Gross winning the Bill Farrell International in December and Colon finishing runner-up to fellow American Thomas Gilman at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy, in January. The pair have met on two other occasions, with Colon walking away with wins, while also putting an obscene amount of points on the scoreboard. Tonight was no different.

Colon, struck first with a takedown into a gutwrench, giving him a, 4-0, lead. However, Gross battled back to bring the score within one point at the break, 8-7.

The second period was more of the same relentless action. With a minute left in the match, the score was knotted at 15-15 with Colon leading on criteria. Gross wrestled aggressively in the remaining seconds, allowing Colon to capitalize on scoring opportunities. When the dust settled, Colon emerged as the victor, 21-15.

“We both wrestle through every position. He’s not going to stop wrestling. I’m not going to stop wrestling. We both scramble really well. We look for points. We don’t look to just scramble out of positions. We look to scramble and score, and that’s something we both do really well. Hats off to him (Gross), it was a great match,” Colon said.

The card’s main event featured fan-favorite Yianni Diakomihalis duking it out with 2016 Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili of Georgia. Both wrestlers are known for their unbelievable scrambling abilities, which were highlighted during this match.

The first score came a little over a minute into the first period. Diakomihalis got in deep on a shot, only to be exposed by Khinchegashvili for two points. Diakomihalis scrambled behind for a reversal point, making the score 2-1 going into the break.

Khinchegashvili struck first in the second period. This time, he converted a takedown at the edge of the mat to extend his lead to 4-1. Diakomihalis responded with his own takedown, cutting the lead to 4-3. In a moment that drew claps from the scattered crowd, both wrestlers scrambled into a position where they each were standing on one leg, holding onto their opponent’s other leg. While no points were scored, it was one of the most exciting moments of the night.

Diakomihalis earned a step-out with around 25 seconds remaining, which pushed the match to 4-4. Khinchegashvili lead on criteria on the strength of two 2-point moves. Diakomihalis pursued the Georgian relentless in the waning seconds, but he was unable to knock off the reigning Olympic champion.

The fourth bout of the night was a rematch between 2019 72 kg World Team member Victoria Francis and No. 2 on the National Team at 68 kg Alexandria Glaude. The pair wrestled in the 2019 Senior Nationals semifinals this past December where Francis won, 3-2.

Francis took a 2-0 lead into the break on the strength of a step-out point and a passivity point after a relatively uneventful first period. However, the second half of the match provided fireworks. Glaude got in deep on a low level shot, only to be countered for four points on a beautiful chest lock initiated by Francis. Seizing the momentum, Francis went into a leg lace, rolling her way to a 10-0 victory. A failed challenge pushed the final score to 11-0.

Emily Shilson started the card off with a definitive, 10-0, win over 2018 U23 World Team member Charlotte Fowler. Shilson, a Cadet World and Youth Olympic Games champion, utilized two ankle picks and a single leg transitioned into a gutwrench to take an 8-0 lead into the break. In the second period, she quickly scored a go-behind to close out the tech.

In the only other match to feature international competition, Rustam Ampar, formerly of Russia, defeated Jack Mueller, 10-6. Ampar raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first period, scoring two takedowns and two step-outs. In the second period, Mueller was able to quickly get in deep on a shot. However, Ampar showed his scrambling prowess, earning two points on an exposure. The scramble continued, and the pair traded exposures, making the score 10-2. In the closing minute, Mueller picked up the pace, earning two step-outs and a takedown. However, it was not enough, and Ampar won, 10-6.

Mueller is a 2018 U23 World Championships fifth-place finisher, and recently signed on with NYC RTC to pursue his freestyle career. Ampar, a 2009 Junior World silver medalist, has won numerous international tournaments in his career but has been absent from competition since 2017. He is currently pursuing U.S. citizenship.

In the penultimate match of the night, Gable Steveson went to work and recorded an 11-0 technical fall over Trent Hillger. Steveson, a two-time Cadet and one-time Junior World champion, quickly put two takedowns and a step-out on the board to take a 5-0 lead. With only one minute off the clock, Steveson took Hillger to his back with a knee pick for four points. He would close the match out with a two-point go-behind.

During a time where fans are starved for live wrestling events, Beat the Streets gave the people everything they could ask for with a stellar night of action.

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Results

Emily Shilson TF Charlotte Fowler, 10-0
Joe Colon DEC Seth Gross, 21-15
Rustam Ampar DEC Jack Mueller, 10-6
Victoria Francis TF Alexandria Glaude, 11-0
Gable Steveson TF Trent Hillger, 10-0
Vladimir Khinchegashvili DEC Yianni Diakomihalis, 4-4