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Sunday, September 29, 2002

By Dan Gigler, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

She didn't exactly float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, but 16-year-old Bridget Fenton made an impressive debut in the first fight of her amateur boxing career.

The Mt. Lebanon teen fought 23-year-old Tifney Arthur of Youngstown, Ohio, in an unscored three-round bout last night at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in a professional/amateur boxing show sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League and Iron City Pro boxing.

About 50 members of Fenton's family cheered lustily throughout the fight, beginning a "Bridge-ett! Bridge-ett!" chant echoed by the more than 500 in attendance.

Though slightly undersized and not quite as strong as Arthur, Fenton compensated with speed and was often the aggressor in the fight.

Mark Machi, Fenton's instructor in the sweet science, said: "It went really well. She's a product of her training -- she trains hard and is an excellent student."

"I asked two judges who they would have scored the winner, and they had no idea who I was, but they said they thought the girl in the red corner won," Bridget's father, Jim Fenton, said.

After the fight, a tired but excited Fenton admitted that her jaw was "a little sore," but was enthused about resuming her training. "It was a good experience," she said.

Machi hopes to schedule an official bout for November.