Jackson Stuns Mayes in Pikesville!

Suitland, MD super middleweight Jarell Mason Jackson scored a stunning second round technical knockout over previously unbeaten Henry “Hurricane” Mayes of Baltimore, MD at the Pikesville National Guard Armory in Pikesville, MD.

Mayes opened the bout as the aggressor, throwing wicked body shots in the first round. Late in the round, however, Jackson started to catch Mayes in the face with straight right hands.

The two boxers exchanged advantages throughout the second round until the final 10 seconds when suddenly Jackson landed a wicked straight left hand that sent Mayes falling face forward toward the ropes and almost out of the ring. Referee Malik Waleed counted to five before waiving the bout off at 2:55 of the second.

Jackson came into Pikesville with a lot of confidence despite his overall won-loss record; which now stands at 6-4-1, two KO’s. Jackson said his record is very misleading.

“You have to almost disregard some of my previous fights,” Jackson said. “I took some fights on short notice that I shouldn’t have. Now, my training is much better and I’m ready to go.”

Mayes’ record now falls to 5-1, 1 no contest with four KO’s. The no contest bout was originally a knockout loss to Alton Rice in May of 2005 but the loss was changed to a no contest when Rice tested positive for a banned substance.

In the co-feature bout, undefeated Pasadena, MD middleweight Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow used an impressive body shot display to handily defeat Don “The Wildman” Shrock of Middleton, OH in a four-round bout.

For Nicklow, the body shots started from the opening bell. Shrock should great toughness in absorbing the blows, but was unable to keep up with the offense of Nicklow, who registered a shutout (40-36) on all three of the judge’s cards.

Nicklow raises his record to 4-0, one KO while Shrock falls to 2-5, one KO.

In a very entertaining light heavyweight four-rounder, Norfolk, VA’s Bobby Jordan, Jr. registered a unanimous decision over Baltimore’s Willie “For Real” Williams.

Jordan pressured Williams early, landing shots inside. To Williams’ credit, he took shots well and showed a lot of heart in delivering shots back. However, Jordan controlled the action and got his shots off first the majority of the time. Judges Don Risher and Bill Holmes scored the bout 39-37 while Judge Gary Camponeshi’s scorecard was the same as the unofficial Fightnews scorecard, registering a shutout for Jordan.

Jordan remains undefeated at 2-0-1, one KO while Williams evens his record with the loss at 1-1.

Other bouts on the card saw Capitol Heights, MD junior middleweight Jason Champion spoil the pro debut of Baltimore’s “Joltin” Julius Kennedy by winning a four-round unanimous decision.

Instead of coming out jolting, Kennedy, a native of Guyana, came out tentative and allowed Champion the opportunity to seize control of the bout early. Champion landed combinations out of the southpaw stance and never gave Kennedy a chance to really get going. Judges Malik Waleed and John Gradowski scored the bout 39-37, the same as Fightnews, while Judge Don Risher saw the contest as a shutout for Champion, 40-36.

Champion’s record is now 2-1, one KO.

In the curtain-raising contest, a long-time Baltimore area fan favorite created his personal brand of history. Junior middleweight “Diamond” Matt Hill of Reisterstown, MD won a four-round unanimous decision over Richard “The Pit” Heath of Jacksonville, NC.

After Heath started off in strong fashion, landing strong rights and lefts in the first two rounds, Hill began to turn things around as Heath began to tire in the third round. Hill became the aggressor landing straight left hands. Throughout the second half of the bout, Heath held Hill’s right arm while trying to punch with his free left hand. The repeated infraction forced referee John Gradowski to deduct a point. The deduction proved to be the difference in the contest and allowed Hill to win the contest. Judges Camponeshi and Holmes saw the bout 38-37 while Judge Waleed scored the bout 38-36.

With the win, Hill raised his record to 8-28-2, four KO’s. The win was significant for Hill because it marked the first time that he has won two bouts in a row. Throughout his career, Hill has tested many top prospects including Luis Collazo, Paul Williams, Jimmy Lange and Israel Cardona. In many cases, has proven to be a very durable and entertaining boxer.

With the loss, Heath falls to a record announced to the crowd as 4-7 with two KO’s. Boxrec.com has Heath’s record as 2-8, two KO’s.

Among the boxing dignitaries attending the show were three former world champions; Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe, IBF Junior Middleweight titleholder Vincent “The Ambassador” Pettway and WBO Cruiserweight champ Boone Pultz.

Also attending the show were former USBA Super Featherweight champ Lamont “Bay” Pearson and Baltimore-area prospects Ishmail “The Arsenal” Arvin, Tyrell Samuel, Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall, Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa and Adam “Boom Boom” Bloom. Also in attendance was legendary matchmaker and promoter Don Elbaum.