Full Ballroom Boxing Preview!

The vacant Maryland State Heavyweight championship will be on the line when Ballroom Boxing opens its 2006 schedule on Thursday, January 26 at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

In the 10-round main event, Tony “The Tiger” Thompson of Silver Spring will battle Brandon “The Beast” Cabell of Baltimore.

Thompson (25-1, 15 KO’s) has one of the longest winning streaks of anyone in the Baltimore-Washington area. Thompson has won his last 21 bouts, with 12 of his wins coming by knockout. Thompson has not lost since a July 2000 four-round decision loss to Eric Kirkland. Thompson did have an unofficial loss in 2002 when he participated in the Thunderbox “Fistful of Dollars” tournament. Thompson lost in the finals to Maurice Harris, but that loss did not go against his official record.

Thompson’s wins however, have come against low and mid-level competition. Thompson’s most notable win came against former contender Vaughn Bean. Thompson won a 10-round unanimous decision over Bean in September of 2004. In his last outing, Thompson scored a fifth-round KO over Willie Perryman on September 30, 2005 in Brooks, CA.

Cabell (8-1-1, two KO’s) captured the vacant WBE (World Boxing Empire) Intercontinental title on August 30, 2005, scoring a third-round KO over Ronald Bellamy in Winston-Salem, NC. The win was Cabell’s second straight.

Cabell recently received a sterling endorsement from one of his sparring partners. Another Baltimore heavyweight, Jed Phipps, credited Cabell with helping to turn his career around. Phipps has won two straight by knockout, including an explosive one against David Cleage on January 20 in Pikesville, MD.

“Working with Brandon has modified both our games,” Phipps said. “And you’ll see that in Brandon when he faces Tony ‘The Tiger’ on the 26th.”

The only issue with this card is that the Maryland State title bout is the ONLY bout featuring Beltway Boxers.

In the co-feature bout, undefeated junior middleweight prospect Derek Ennis of Philadelphia, PA will take on “Magnificent” Martinus Clay of Wilson, NC. This bout is scheduled for six rounds.

Ennis (6-0, four KO’s) is coming off a third-round TKO over Joshua Smith on April 15 in Philadelphia. Clay (10-10-1, three KO’s) won a six-round majority decision over Matt McKart on December 17 in Auburn Hills, MI.

In another six-round junior middleweight contest, undefeated New York prospect Jose Angel Rodriguez (4-0 1, KO) will take on James Shedrick of Philadelphia (3-4, two KO’s).

Rodriguez won a four-round unanimous decision over Esteban Cordova on January 13 in Monticello, NY. Shedrick broke a three-bout losing streak by scoring a fourth-round KO over Tony Jeter on December 2 at BXF in Millersville, MD.

Three four-round bouts will round out the card. In a welterweight contest, Muhsin Corbbrey of Hilton Head, SC (1-1-1) will face Philadelphia’s Anthony Abrams (1-3). A featherweight bout will pit James Frank of Newport News, VA (1-1, one KO) against Raul Rivera of Chicago, IL (0-1). In a heavyweight bout, highly-touted amateur Travis Kauffman of Reading, PA (now fighting out of Chicago) will take on Jerome Boyers of Philadelphia.