Two Fall River fighters begin Thanksgiving early by knocking the stuffing out of their opponents in boxing showcase

Two Fall River fighters began the holiday early by knocking the stuffing out of their opponents at Boston Boxing Promotions’ annual Thanksgiving Eve Boxing Spectacular held at the sold-out DoubleTree Hotel in Andover, Massachusetts.

Kyle Cusick, representing the Fall River PAL and coached by the legendary Libby Medeiros, added another win to his record securing a second-round TKO against seasoned Nicaraguan veteran Julio Buitrago, with over 60 professional fights on his resume.

Competing in his first scheduled six-round bout, Cusick, now 6-3 overall and 3-0 on Thanksgiving Eve cards, controlled the opening round with precision and power. After visibly hurting Buitrago during an exchange, Cusick unleashed a barrage of punches, forcing referee Melissa Kelly to stop the fight at 1:36 of the second round.

The TKO marked Cusick’s second consecutive victory, following his headlining performance at Fall River’s first professional boxing card in over 30 years this past September.

Joining Cusick on the Thanksgiving Eve card was fellow Fall River native Jon Gruber, who trains at Bernardo’s Boxing under the guidance of coach and gym owner Aaron Bernardo.

Gruber faced Victor Hugo Costa in a four-round heavyweight contest, overcoming Costa’s 16-pound weight advantage to register the victory. Gruber’s well-timed counterpunches neutralized Costa’s aggression, allowing him to control the fight from start to finish. After four rounds, all three judges scored the bout 40-36 in Gruber’s favor, securing a unanimous decision victory.

The win improves Gruber’s professional record to 6-2, with his only losses coming against undefeated opponents.

Looking ahead, both Cusick and Gruber plan to return to the ring in the first quarter of 2025, continuing their quest to represent Fall River on the professional boxing stage.