Beltway Boxing 2009 Ends With All-Heavyweight Card at Rosecroft Raceway Dec. 19!

The final Beltway Boxing card of 2009 will take place on Saturday, December 19 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD. This is slated to be a pro-am show with the pro portion promoted by Baltimore Pro Boxing. The pro card is called "Season's Beatings -- Heavyweight Explosion." Yes, it is an all-heavyweight card featuring some of the Beltway's top young heavyweights.

Undefeated Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell of Brandywine, MD will headline the show in a scheduled eight-round bout against veteran Zack Page of Warren, OH. Mitchell (14-0-1, nine KO's) will be coming off an impressive sixth-round TKO over Jermell Barnes on October 24 at the Washington Convention Center. Page (19-26-2, seven KO's) just fought in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany on December 5 and lost a six-round unanimous decision to Kubrat Pulev.

"The American Dream" Mike Dietrich of Dundalk, MD makes his first appearance in Prince George's County as he battles Kevin Hood of Coatsville, PA in a four-round contest. Dietrich (12-1, six KO's) returns to action after a solid first-round knockout of Kevin Johnson on November 25 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore. Hood (5-11-1) has not fought since being stopped by Horace Grant in the third round almost exactly a year ago (December 20) at Burr Gymnasium in DC.

Undefeated DC heavy Maurice "The Freight Train" Byarm will try to keep his winning ways going when he faces fellow undefeated Jason Freeman of Warren, OH in a four-rounder. Byarm (4-0, three KO's) is coming off a third-round TKO victory over Tyyab Beale on October 16 in Baltimore. Freeman(4-0-1, one KO) won a four-round majority decision over Dwayne McRae on July 17 in Westminster, MD.

"The Big Ticket" McRae(5-1, three KO's) will be on this card taking on the debuting Bernell Stewart. Also slated for this card are DC's Abodurin "Bo" Akinyanju (2-0, two KO's) and Capitol Heights, MD's Wayne "Hammerhead" Hampton (5-5, three KO's) in separate bouts.

One other note about this card: I guess because there were so many heavyweights on the card, they needed a good size ring announcer to announce the card (plus Discombobulating Jones was unavailable). So, yours truly will be handling the ring announcing duties for this card.

Armenta Talks Title Tilt in Westminster!

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #191 - 'El Gallo' Armenta Discusses USBO Title Opportunity!

Silver Spring light heavyweight George "El Gallo" Armenta discusses his December 11 USBO Light Heavyweight title shot against champion Mark "TNT" Tucker at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD!

Thompson Mixes Words with Arreola at AC Post-Fight Press Conference!

Fightnews.com is reporting that Tony "The Tiger" Thompson exchanged some interesting conversation with heavyweight contender Chris Arreola during the post-card press conference in Atlantic City, NJ. Both men won their bouts on the Boardwalk Hall card by TKO.

After Arreola praised the courage of his opponent, Brian Minto (who Arreola stopped in the fourth round), promoter Dan Goossen introduced Thompson who gentlemanly threw a challenge towards Arreola.

“I hope they consider that the first round of the American heavyweight tournament. I hear a lot of talk about the best American heavyweights and I never hear my name. So I hope that’s considered the first round and hopefully I can meet Arreola later on. Arreola is a great competitor, I’m a great competitor and I think it would be a great fight.”


From there, the conversation went like this:

Arreola: “I’m better.”

Thompson: “Hey, that’s your opinion.”

Arreola: “Nope, that’s what I know.”

Thompson: “If Dan and HBO are not afraid to put their baby up, we can prove it once and for all.”

Arreola: “We’ve seen the way you went down against Klitschko. Not me, I didn’t go to sleep.”

Thompson: “A loss is a loss. A lot of people don’t know this, but I was fighting on one leg that night. I had a meniscus tear. I’ll do anything for my family, including fighting on one leg.”

Arreola: “Well, I have a chin. We should make this fight sooner. I ain’t scared, I’m scared of no man.”

The two reportedly patched things up afterwards, but since both men are promoted by Goossen Tutor, this could be a bout that could happen sometime next year.

Results From Day One of DC-Area Silver Gloves!

Courtesy of DC Amateur Boxing, here are the results of Day One of the DC-Area Silver Gloves at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

8 & 9-year old division Championship Bouts

55lbs. Mekeel Lowery (Kenilworth Courts) walkover vs. De'Jon Corley (Kenilworth Courts)

70lbs.George Jones (Dunlap Boxing) def. Mike Cabellero (Dream Team)


8 & 9-year old division Tournament Bouts

60lbs. Jarmani Scott (Charm City) walkover vs. Sean Veazey (Baltimore Boxing)

60lbs. Joshua Donzell Hill (D-Block) vs. Salvador Bravo Escamilla (Langdon Rec) - not recorded

10 & 11-year old division Tournament Bouts

70lbs. Gregory Burton (Langdon Rec.) def. Chris Normile (Young Titans)

75lbs. Ameer Brown (Sugar Ray Leonard) def. Jabar Henson (Headbangers)

85lbs. Joseph Veazey (Baltimore Boxing) def. Denardo Johnson (NoXcuse)

12 & 13-year old division Tournament Bouts

75lbs. Demetrius Young (Sugar Ray Leonard) def. Keeshawn Williams (Headbangers)

75lbs. Jordan White (LB 4 LB) walkover vs. Francois Scarboro (Sugar Ray Leonard)


14 & 15-year old division Championship Bouts

132lbs. Parris Chisholm (Headbangers) walkover vs. Eric Hernandez (Old School)


14 & 15-year old division Tournament Bouts

106lbs. Marquell Tyler (Headbangers) def. Jalonte Cole (NoXcuse)

112lbs. Patrick Harris (Headbangers) def. Jonathan Parker (Tony's Boxing Gym) - RSC

112lbs. Christopher Forbes (Sugar Ray Leonard) def. Zachary Curry (Umar)

119lbs. Gervonta Davis (Upton) def. Jarell Harris (Langdon Rec)

119lbs Devonta Tolbert (Tony's Boxing Gym) def. Roemello Webster (Headbangers)

The second day of competition is Saturday, Dec. 12 at Rosecroft.

Thompson Stops Witherspoon In Ninth Round in Atlantic City!

(photo by Ed Mulholland, Fightwireimages.com)

Score one for the old guard. DC heavyweight Tony "The Tiger" Thompson stopped rising contender "Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon of Philadelphia, PA in the ninth round tonight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.

Details are sketchy at this hour, but the bout was stopped at 2:13 of the ninth with Witherspoon unable to defend himself. Thompson is now 33-2, 20 KO's while Witherspoon is now 26-2, 18 KO's.

Snyder Bout Scrapped in NJ While Fisher Loses Decision; Budd and Felton Lose Unanimously in Philadelphia!

After all the changing of opponents, it must have been frustration personified for the "Berlin Bomber" Joshua Snyder. The bout between Snyder and Denis "Momma's Boy" Douglin scheduled for Essex County College in Newark, NJ was scrapped at the last minute because of issues with the medicals.

Meanwhile, Salisbury's Mario Fisher lost a four-round unanimous decision to Newark's Eddie Edmond. Fisher is now 0-3 while Edmond is now 1-0-1.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia at the Legendary Blue Horizon, two Virginia boxers lost unanimous decisions. Dumfries cruiserweight "Cold Blood" Patrick Budd lost a four-rounder by shutout (40-36 on all cards) to Philly's Charles Heyward. Budd, who fought for the first time since February of 2008, is now 2-1, one KO. Also, Stafford heavyweight "The People's Champion" Jonathan Felton lost by shutout unanimous decision to Tim Johnson of Philadelphia. Felton is now 6-20, five KO's while Johnson is 4-1, two KO's.

'Tiger' Thompson Weighs 250 For Crossroads Contest in Atlantic City!

DC heavyweight Tony "The Tiger" Thompson weighed in at 250 pounds for his 10-round crossroads contest with "Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Witherspoon tipped the scales at 234.

Bout Sheet for Area Silver Gloves First Round at Rosecroft!

Here is the bout sheet for Saturday's first day of competition for the Silver Gloves at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:


8 & 9-year old division
55lbs. De'Jon Corley (Kenilworth Courts) vs. Mekeel Lowery (Kenilworth Courts)
60lbs. Sean Veazey (Baltimore Boxing) vs. Jarmani Scott (Charm City)
60lbs. Joshua Donzell Hill (D-Block) vs. Salvador Bravo Escamilla (Langdon Rec)
70lbs. Mike Cabellero (Dream Team) vs. George Jones (Dunlap Boxing)

10 & 11-year old division
60lbs. Byron Hill (D-Block) vs. Djabril Burton (Books & Boxing)
70lbs. Chris Normile (Young Titans) vs. Gregory Burton (Langdon Rec.)
75lbs. Jabar Henson (Headbangers) vs. Ameer Brown (Sugar Ray Leonard)
85lbs. Joseph Veazey (Baltimore Boxing) vs. Denardo Johnson (NoXcuse)

12 & 13-year old division
75lbs. Keeshawn Williams (Headbangers) vs. Demetrius Young (Sugar Ray Leonard)
75lbs. Francois Scarboro (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Jordan White (LB 4 LB)
106lbs. Jalonte Cole (NoXcuse) vs. Marquell Tyler (Headbangers)
112lbs. Jonathan Parker (Tony's Boxing Gym) vs. Patrick Harris (Headbangers)
112lbs. Christopher Forbes (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Zachary E (Umar)
119lbs. Gervonta Davis (Upton) vs. Jarell Harris (Langdon Rec)
119lbs Devonta Tolbert (Tony's Boxing Gym) vs. Roemello Webster (Headbangers)
132lbs. Rashard Board (Keystone) vs. Paul Johnson (Books & Boxing)
132lbs. Eric Hernandez (Old School) vs. Parris Chisholm (Headbangers)

Coleman Wins USBA Title In New York!

In a somewhat shocking split decision, Baltimore junior welterweight Tim "Pit Bull" Coleman has captured the USBA Junior Welterweight title over Astoria, NY's "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis in the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in New York City.

The bout was very awkward with Coleman controlling the early action with a solid right hand. It did look like Arnaoutis, fighting in his adopted hometown, seemed to grasp control of the contest in the middle and late rounds but two judges saw it for Coleman -- Kevin Morgan and Glen Feldman (115-113). Judge Robin Taylor scored the bout for Arnaoutis (116-112).

With the win, Coleman is now 17-1-1, four KO's. Arnaoutis is now 22-4-2, 10 KO's.

Snyder Opponent Changes Again in New Jersey!

The opponent for "The Berlin Bomber" Joshua Snyder has changed again at Essex County College in Newark, NJ. Snyder will now face undefeated Denis Douglin of Morganville, NJ in a six-round co-feature bout. Alex Perez pulled out for undisclosed reasons.

At today's weigh-in, Snyder tipped the scales at 152 pounds while Douglin came in at 159 1/2.

Another Maryland boxer will be on this card. Salisbury, MD middleweight Mario Fisher (0-2) will look for his first win against Newark's Eddie Edmond (0-0-1) in a four-round encounter.

Remembering..The Platinum Gloves!

There is a wonderful article on the DC Amateur Boxing website concerning a great amateur tournament that took place in DC called the Platinum Gloves in 2001 and 2002.

I won't steal too much of the DC Amateur Boxing site's thunder, but I will say that this was a fabulous tournament, especially in 2001. There were tremendous young boxers, some of whom are now solid pro prospects and contenders.

Please go to this link for the story and read the who's who of people who participated in this event."http://dcboxing.blogspot.com/2009/11/greatest-amateur-boxing-tournament-in.html">

Unlike the site's webmaster, I not only have the tape..I was there and am on the tape. I was privileged to call the action on the card along with "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and former IBF Junior Middleweight champ Vincent Pettway.. There are videos on the DC Amateur Boxing site.

One somewhat sad footnote: In 2002, the Platinum Gloves had difficulty with funds. The late Vernon Forrest stepped in and provided funding and the tournament was renamed in his honor.

Coleman Weighs 140 for Nationally Televised USBA Title Bout!

(photo courtesy of Star Boxing)

Baltimore junior welterweight Tim "Pit Bull" Coleman (right) and his opponent "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis weighed in at the junior welterweight limit of 140 for their nationally televised (Versus) USBA Junior Welterweight title bout tonight at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in New York City.

Boyd Stopped in Second Round in Philadelphia!

DC lightweight Ron "Teflon" Boyd was stopped in the second round at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA last night by undefeated Newark, NJ prospect Michael "The Artist" Perez.

According to Marc Abrams of 15Rounds.com, Perez scored two dubious knockdowns on body blows as Boyd took a step back before kneeling to the canvas. Perez then jumped all over Boyd and landed a huge barrage of punches finally sending him down to the canvas for a third and final time at 2:09 of the second round.

Boyd is now 6-10, two KO's. He has been stopped in his last three outings and has lost five straight. Perez is now 6-0-1, three KO's.

Stevenson, Perkins-Batteast, Added to Dec. 11 Westminster Card!

Undefeated Baltimore welterweight prospect James "Keep 'Em Sleepin'" Stevenson has been added to the Friday, December 11 TNT PromotionsMaryland Boxing Club card at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD.

Stevenson (12-0, 10 KO's) will try to cap off a year where he won three regional titles when he faces Baltimore-born and Charlotte, NC-based John Williams (3-1-1, two KO's) in a six-round encounter. Stevenson is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision victory over Martinus Clay on October 16 in Baltimore. Williams was stopped in his last outing by 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade in the sixth round on October 3 in Lincoln, RI.

Also added to the card will be a four-round all-Maryland matchup between Fredrick's Allan "Pitbull" Perkins (1-1) and Vincent Batteast of Silver Spring (0-1-1).

Ferndale, MD cruiserweight Nick Kisner is once again slated to make his pro debut against Philadelphia's Ray Palmer (0-1). Baltimore junior middleweight Omar "The Machine" Sims (3-1-3, one KO) will make his fifth appearance in Westminster when he takes on the debuting Darius Ervin of Charlotte, NC.

Undefeated Baltimore welterweight (4-0, four KO's) Emmanuel "Transformer" Taylor will face Bumpass, VA's Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton (2-1-1) in a four-rounder.

There will also be a Toys for Tots drive taking place at the Shipley Arena on this evening. Bring a new or unused toy for the drive.

Snyder Now to Face Undefeated Perez Dec. 4!

The opponent has changed for Berlin, MD middleweight Joshua Snyder on December 4 at Essex County College in Newark, NJ. Snyder was originally slated to face Jerome Ellis, but Ellis was cut in his last bout against Shawn Porter.

Snyder (8-4-1, three KO's) will now face undefeated Alex Perez of Newark in the six-round contest. Perez (10-0, six KO's) is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over Laureano Laracuente on March 14 in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico.