Spring Brings Boxing Action to the Beltway!

The Beltway area will blossom with boxing action throughout the spring with four boxing cards over the next two months.

The schedule begins with a card on Saturday, April 15 at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA. Rising cruiserweight prospect Emmanuel Nwodo of Baltimore, MD (18-4, 14 KO’s) will headline the Han “Sugar” Kim – promoted show, making his first appearance of 2006.

Nwodo, a native of Nigeria who is ranked number five by the USBA and number eight by the NABO and the NABA, has not fought since scoring a fourth-round TKO over John Douglas on December 2 in Philadelphia, PA. In fact, Nwodo’s last five bouts have been in Philadelphia with four of those bouts ending in knockout victories. Included in that streak was a first-round knockout over former IBF champion Imamu Mayfield in December of 2004.

Nwodo’s opponent on April 15 is scheduled to be Chuck Berry of Philadelphia. Berry (4-7, three KO’s) has lost six of his last seven bouts over a three-year period and has not fought since suffering a second round TKO against Terrence Johnson in October 2005 in Philadelphia.

Also scheduled to appear on this card will be Falls Church, VA middleweight “Money” Mike Sawyer. The George Mason University graduate (1-0, one KO) will take on Montez Wilson of Camden, NJ (0-1).

Also slated to appear are the Shah Brothers, Zain and Ali, of Centerville, VA. Zain Shah (1-0, one KO) will take on Tim Scott of Durham, NC (4-37, one KO) in a middleweight encounter. Ali, a welterweight, is scheduled to make his pro debut on this card.

The Beltway Boxing action then shifts to the Pikesville Armory in Pikesville, MD on Friday, April 21. According to the Baltimoreboxing.com website, Jake “The Snake” Smith’s Baltimore Pro Boxing promotion features a card headlined by Maryland State Heavyweight champion Tony “The Tiger” Thompson of Silver Spring. Thompson, (27-1, 17 KO’s) has been on a roll, winning his last 23 straight bouts, including a fourth-round TKO victory over Maurice Wheeler on March 18 in Atlantic City. Thompson recently cracked the WBO rankings, checking in at number 14. Thompson’s opponent has not been determined yet.

Also scheduled to appear on the April 21 card will be Baltimore super middleweight Henry “Hurricane” Mayes (5-1, four KO’s), undefeated middleweight Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow of Severn, MD (3-0, one KO) and Baltimore light heavyweight Willie “For Real” Williams (1-0, one KO.)

The month of May will usher in the next Ballroom Boxing show at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie on Thursday, May 4. Ballroom Boxing promoters will try to continue the momentum that was generated by one of the best bouts in the 12-year history of the promotion; the six-round draw between junior middleweights Maxell “The General” Taylor of Baltimore and Derek Ennis of Philadelphia on March 9. Both Taylor and Ennis are slated to appear on the May 4 card in separate bouts.

Taylor (12-2-1, five KO’s) is scheduled to be in the main event and take on rugged Nurhan Suleyman (16-3, eight KO’s) of Kazakhstan in an eight-round bout. Suleyman broke a two-bout losing streak with a third-round knockout over Lookton Jaytrong in October 2005 in his native Kazakhstan.

Ennis (9-0-1, six KO’s) is slated to appear in a six-round bout against an opponent to be determined.

Also scheduled for the card will be undefeated Baltimore junior lightweight Tyrell Samuel (5-0, three KO’s). Samuel is slated to take on Fred Fleming of Cincinnati, OH (0-2) in a four-round matchup. Samuel has won his last three bouts by knockout.

Laurel, MD welterweight Tim Coleman is also scheduled to appear on this show. Coleman is fresh off a four-round unanimous decision victory over Marquis McConnell on April 7 in Philadelphia. Coleman (4-0, one KO) is looking for an opponent for this show.

Baltimore junior middleweight Julius Kennedy will make his pro debut on this show. The highly-touted amateur champion will take on Tyrone Joiner of Jersey City, NJ who is also making his pro debut.

Undefeated Philadelphia featherweight Eric Hunter will return to Glen Burnie on this card. Hunter (5-0, three KO’s) impressed Ballroom fans in his last outing as he scored a first-round TKO over Steve Lozoya on March 9. This time, Hunter faces an undefeated foe in Apollo Welch of New York City (3-0, 1 KO.) Welch is coming off a four-round unanimous decision victory over Frank Layz on March 23 in Rochester, NY.

Another undefeated boxer, Michael Torres of Jersey City, NJ (6-0, three KO’s) is slated to appear on the card. Torres is slated to face Paul Reyes of Fort Wayne, IN (2-6, one KO) in a four-round bout.

On Saturday, May 13, Keystone Boxing will promote a show at the D Light Skating Rink (formerly known as the Crystal Skating Rink) in Temple Hills, MD.

Capitol Heights, MD super featherweight Lamont “Bay” Pearson will headline the card in a bout for the now-vacant USBA Super Featherweight championship. Pearson (23-3-1, 12 KO’s) held that title until recently being stripped by the USBA for failure to defend his title. Pearson was slated to defend his title on a card on a February card in Fairfax, VA. Pearson’s management said they offered a title shot to all the eligible contenders and they turned the bout down. Pearson also suffered a back injury right before the scheduled show. According to Pearson’s management, the USBA also said Pearson was stripped for failure to provide a medical note concerning his injury.

Pearson’s opponent for the May 13 bout has not been determined.

Also scheduled for this card will be undefeated cruiserweight Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan of Capitol Heights. Buchanan (13-0, 11 KO’s) is coming off a first-round TKO victory over Lloyd “Jabba” Bryan for the vacant Tri-State Cruiserweight title. Buchanan is also looking for an opponent for this card. Five more bouts are slated for this card.