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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Bellingham, MA, United States, 02/28/2008 - He trained long and hard and in the end it was all worth it. Medway, MA, resident Matt Phinney took home the top prize as he was recently named Champion in his division at his first Regional Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament in Lowell, MA.
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Phinney, a 22-year-old manager, trainer and instructor at the United States Mixed Martial Arts (USMMA) studio in Bellingham, MA, went 5-0 to be named Champion in the 152-pound division in his first novice tournament.
A boxing enthusiast with quick hands, Phinney was eager to showcase his talents in his boxing debut. “I had been waiting to get into that ring for a long time,” said Phinney, “I was pretty excited to win in my first tournament.” Phinney, who is trained by USMMA owner Tom Hafers and former Golden Gloves Champ and boxing trainer Peter Welch, uses mixed martial arts in his training as a boxer.
Mixed Martial Arts is a compilation of combat skills involving Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Thai boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, judo and boxing is a modernized version of traditional martial arts. “The cultural aspects, philosophy and movements are not the same as traditional martial arts. With mixed martial arts, the practices are not as regimented or strict. For example, there is no bowing,” said Phinney.
The regional Golden Gloves tournament consists of various weight classes with limited rounds of fights between equally skilled boxers. The boxers fight in three to six fights over a five-week time frame.
Phinney, a graduate of Tilton High School in Tilton, NH, is currently enrolled at Mount Ida College and is a sports management major. He will continue to train for his next match, but does not know when that will be as he recently broke his hand.
The United States Mixed Martial Arts Training Center, located on 316 Hartford Avenue in Bellingham, focuses on elevating the physical and spiritual well being of students through Mixed Martial Arts and Yoga. This is accomplished through a four-pronged approach to reality self-defense training centered in total body wellness.
The state of the art, 4 thousand-square foot training facility is complete with a 2 thousand-square foot padded Mixed Martial Arts training floor equipped with heavy bags and conditioning equipment, a 15 hundred-square foot yoga studio, locker rooms, showers and a juice bar.
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tom[.]usmma.org 
