Haverhill teen wins first amateur boxing match | News

HAVERHILL — You can hear it from across the room.

The smacking sound of Delanna Palmisano’s leather gloves as she connects with stinging jabs and fiery hooks at Inner City Boxing & Youth Development in Lafayette Square.

“She fights like a champion,” said her trainer Sean Farley as his pads absorb the powerful, sharp blows administered by the 17-year-old Palmisano. “She’s physically strong, she trains hard and she takes boxing very seriously, which is a huge factor in her success. This kid will be a national champion someday.”

Palmisano, a 2023 Haverhill High School graduate, was crowned champion in the 165-pound division at the first Shelito’s Way All Female Invitational held in New London, Connecticut, in mid-July. It was her first win in an amateur tournament and it served to inspire her to continue on in the ring.

That was her plan after accumulating enough credits as a junior at Haverhill High to receive her diploma and devote more time to boxing.

A Beverly native whose family moved to Haverhill when she was in the fifth grade, Palmisano, who likes to be called “D,” began studying martial arts at age 6 and during the COVID pandemic she moved away from martial arts and into boxing.

“I joined the Inner City Boxing Club in 2021,” she said. “I just love to fight and I feel it’s my purpose and I feel at peace when I’m training.”

She said she wants to turn professional, where she would be paid for boxing.

“I’ll need to win more fights and become more recognized in the boxing community,” she said. “I’m not opposed to continuing my education, but at this time I prefer to focus on boxing.”

The amateur tournament was open to female boxers, age 8 and older, who are registered with USA Boxing. The event is named after professional boxer Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent, a UBF World and WIBA International super bantamweight champion.

“Women such as MMA fighter Ronda Rousey inspired me to commit to the sport and see how far women can go,” said Palmisano, who was 1-0 entering the tournament and fought in the 165-pound junior age 17 and 18 division.

She faced Antanina Petroglia, who had placed second in the nationals and stood an inch taller than Palmisano’s already imposing 5-foot-10-inch frame.

The bout in Connecticut was her first opportunity to fight on a big stage after having flown to Missouri in February for the national silver gloves, but was unable to fight as her opponents failed to show up. Good thing, as unknown to her and Farley. she had a hairline fracture of her right thumb, which was diagnosed a few weeks later.

“If I’d fought with the fracture, it could have become a more severe issue,” she said. “In a way, it was a blessing that I didn’t get to fight.”

But, she still goes into the record…