KELSEYVILLE — The adrenaline rush they received during their wrestling days at Kelseyville High School is nothing compared to the rush of cage fighting.
So say brothers Tommy and Tony Boyles, who are gearing up for their next competition Feb. 21 when Cage Combat Battle for Nor-Cal visits the Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.
Tommy, 23, a 2004 Kelseyville High graduate, and Tony, 22, a 2005 graduate, have no qualms about stepping into a cage and beating their opponents into submission — or, as has been the case with both siblings — being beat into submission by the other guy. Their records attest to that fact as Tony is 5-4 and Tommy is 2-4.
Cage fighting isn”t just punching, kicking or even wrestling. It”s actually all of those elements rolled into one. While most cage fighters come from boxing, wrestling or martial arts backgrounds, some of the very best combine the skills of all three disciplines, according to the Boyles brothers.
Tony, for one, trains in jujitsu, a weaponless form of fighting that emphasizes throwing and holding techniques to subdue an enemy, or in the Boyles” case, that other guy in the cage fighting ring.
Both brothers train just about every day, occasionally taking a break, and both love what they do.
“It”s the biggest rush you can have,” Tony said. “I love to compete.”
Both brothers wrestled all four years in high school, but when they graduated there was really nothing to replace the sport in their lives.
“There was nowhere to go with wrestling,” Tommy said. “College wasn”t an option.”
Tommy has been training for 2 ? years, at first in Oregon where mom Mary Boyles lives and then back in Lake County after relocating here. He and Tony live together and both are employed at the Grocery Outlet in Lakeport. The Grocery Outlet and Prestige Tattoo sponsor both fighters, who are grateful to both businesses in these hard economic times.
They fight three to four times a year and receive an appearance fee for participating and more if they win.
Tony, who has more cage fights under his belt, will collect $1,500 if he wins Feb. 21 in Santa Rosa, while Tommy can make as much as $1,000 if he wins.
“This is my fourth fight for that promoter (of the Santa Rosa show), so he knows me and what to expect a little better,” Tony said of the reason why he stands to make more than older brother Tommy.
“It”s my first fight for Cage Combat,” Tommy added.
Tommy certainly remembers his first cage fighting debut. Not really knowing what to expect, he didn”t last long.
“I got TKOd by a guy who had five fights already,” Tommy said. “He threw a punch, it got me and that was pretty much it.”
Both brothers have worked on their own and for trainers. They occasionally work out at Slam City Fight Academy in Middletown.
Tony says strategy is a must if you want to be successful.
“If you just go out there and let it go from the start, you”ll tire out quick,” he said. “You need a gameplan.”
The quickest of his five victories to date was a nine-second knockout.
“Right straight and he went down,” Tony said.
Tommy doesn”t have a knockout yet but is looking forward to his first, one he hopes will come Feb. 21 in Santa Rosa against opponent Eric “The Bengal” Castille. Younger brother Tony will face undefeated Marcello Cassero.
Both brothers are each other”s biggest supporter, according to Tommy.
“We push each other,” he said.
While mom Mary also supports her boys, she probably wishes they would do something a little less dangerous with their spare time.
“She doesn”t like it,” said Tommy as Tony shook his head in agreement.
While the Boyles” love of cage fighting is real, don”t make the mistake of thinking either one of these guys in on some sort of macho trip.
“I”ve got nothing to prove to nobody,” Tony said.
Tickets for the Feb. 21 event are $45 for general admission and can be purchased from either Tommy or Tony by calling 349-9006 or 279-0454. The fight card includes several top cage fighters including a CCFC middleweight championship bout between David Mitchell and Josh Neal, an undefeated welterweight showdown between Ky Hollenbeck and Pat Minihan, and Calistoga”s own Andy Miranda against Art Acineiga.
