Joppy Opponent Named for July 8!

Former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy will face Jonathan "Native Sensation" Corn of Menominee Territory, WI in a 10-round bout on the undercard of the IBF Middleweight title matchup between champion Roman Karmazin and challenger and former undisputed welterweight champ Cory Spinks July 8 at the Saavis Center in St. Louis, MO.

Joppy (36-4-1, 27 KO's) will be battling as a super middleweight for the second time of his career. This will be Joppy's first appearance since a knockout win in January.

Corn (44-12-2, 23 KO's) once fought for the WBO Middleweight title, losing to then-champion Armand Krajnc by second-round KO in March 2000. Recently, Corn has fallen on tough times, going winless in his last eight bouts with seven losses and a draw that came in his last contest with Earl Jackson on May 25 in Denver, CO.

As a point of info, the Joppy-Corn bout will be part of an incredible Don King card that will also include a matchup for the vacant IBF Cruiserweight championship between Steve Cunningham and Guillermo Jones and 10-round bouts featuring former WBA and WBC Cruiserweight champ Jean-Marc Mormeck,former WBA Middleweight titleholder Maselino Masoe and former WBO welterweight titlist Daniel Santos.

Locals Advance to Finals of Junior Olympics!

Four local amateur Beltway Boxers will participate in the finals of the 2006 Junior Olympics in Marquette, Michigan.

Defending middleweight champion Dominic Wade of Largo recorded his third stoppage of the tournament, defeating Michael Rauchut of Philadelphia. Wade will now face Issac Atencio of Denver, CO in a rematch of the 2006 Silver Gloves title bout. Wade won the first bout between the two.

Wade's younger brother, Darious Moton, will be in the finals of the 95-pound division. Moton defeated Oscar Cantu of Kingsville, TX 16-7 to advance to the final round. Moton will face Favian Cervantez of Arleta, CA in the championship bout.

Speaking of family ties, Gary A. Russell of Capitol Heights will try to follow in the footsteps of older brother Gary Russell, Jr. by winning a Junior Olympic championship. Gary A. who goes by Allen, won a hard-fought semifinal defeating Oscar Molina of Commerce, CA 18-16. Allen will now face Gerardo Iberra, Jr. of Houston for the light welterweight crown.

Super heavyweight Zakki Scott of Temple Hills will be in the championship contest in his division. Scott advanced by recording a second-round stoppage against Matthew Burgess of Tacoma, WA. Scott will face the defending national champion Trevor Bryan of Albany, NY.

In the light flyweight division, Kevin Rivers, Jr. of Waldorf lost his semifinal match to Randy Caballero of Coachella, CA, 20-14. In the 201-pound division, Tavon Sol of Baltimore lost a semifinal bout to Norman Neeley of Paterson, NJ 17-9.

Local Amateurs Advance to Semis of Junior Olympics!

Four amateur Beltway Boxers have advanced to the semi-finals of the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championships in Marquette, Michigan.

In the Light Welterweight division, Capitol Heights's Gary A. Russell, the younger brother of amateur champion Gary Russell, Jr., scored his second double-digit victory of the tournament, defeating Pueblo, CO's Raymond Leyba 19-4. Russell will battle Oscar Molina of Commerce, CA in the semis.

In the Middleweight bracket, Dominic Wade of Largo advanced by scoring his second consecutive stoppage victory. Wade defeated Raymond Martinez of Spring, TX by delivering two standing eight counts before the referee stopped the contest. Wade is vying for his second straight Junior Olympic title. He will have to get past Philadelphia's Michael Rauchut to advance to the finals.

Super Heavyweight Zakki Scott of Temple Hills defeated Cecil Chandler of McLaughlin, SD, 23-6 to move into the medal round. Scott will now face Matthew Burgess of Tacoma, WA in the semis.

And in the Light Flyweight division, Kevin Rivers, Jr. of Waldorf won his quarterfinal match by defeating Amini Shakoor of St. Louis, MO, 18-11. Rivers will take on Randy Caballero of Coachella, CA in the semifinals.

Local boxers who did not advance to the semifinals include lightweight Emmanuel Taylor (the younger brother of Maxell "The General" Taylor) of Edgewood. Taylor lost to 2006 Silver Gloves champ Hector Vasquez of Irving, TX by the score of 13-9.

Also, heavyweight Nicholas Kisner of Glen Burnie lost his quarterfinal contest to Keith Hunt of Peterson, NJ by the score of 11-3.

Nwodo Talks About Coming to America!

In the second part of a very interesting interview, Baltimore cruiserweight Emmanuel "Chukwu" Nwodo talks about adapting to the American style of boxing. Nwodo, by the way, is 9-0 since coming to the United States.

Emmanuel Nwodo Ready for July 1!

Cruiserweight contender Emmanuel "Chukwu" Nwodo discusses Saturday night's USBA Cruiserweight title bout against Chris Thomas at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Thompson Dominates Guinn to Win Two Regional Titles!

Well, did we collectively call this or what?

In an absolutely dominating performance, Silver Spring, MD's Tony "The Tiger" Thompson captured the WBC Continental Americas and NABO Heavyweight titles by defeating Dominick Guinn tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.

To a lot of you, this should not be a surprise. Many of you wrote in and said this bout would happen in this manner. The judges scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

This performance puts Thompson squarely in the heavyweight picture now. This was a really solid performance for Thompson, who raises his record to 28-1, 17 KO's and wins his 24th consecutive bout.

So now, if you're keeping count, that's one world title for the Beltway this year (IBF Featherweight champ Eric Aiken) and now FOUR regional titles (Thompson has two and both Peterson Brothers have one: Lamont -- WBC Americas Jr. Welterweight, Anthony -- NABA Lightweight title).

A reminder: Emmanuel Nwodo goes for number five this Saturday (the USBA Cruiserweight title) in Springfield, VA!

Full Preview of July 1 USBA Title card in Springfield, VA!

The vacant USBA Cruiserweight title will be on the line on July 1 when Emmanuel “Chukwu” Nwodo takes on Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Nwodo, a native of Enugu, Nigeria, is now fighting out of Baltimore, MD. He comes into this contest with a record of 19-4 with 15 KO’s. Since coming to the United States, Nwodo has been undefeated (9-0, 7 KO’s). In his last contest, Nwodo stopped Ron Krull in the first round on April 29 in Springfield.

The Chicago, IL native Thomas has a record of 16-4, 14 KO’s and is looking for his second regional title. Thomas won the NABA Cruiserweight championship on October 22, 1994 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Tipton Walker in Rosemont, IL. Thomas no longer holds that title. He has not fought since December 10, 2005 when he went to an eight-round draw against Billy Willis in Harvey, IL.

The scheduled co-feature bout will pit middleweight Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller of Washington, DC against Ron “Poor Boy” Krull of Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Miller (21-4-1, 17 KO’s) makes his first appearance since March 3 of this year when he was stopped by Dante Craig in the second round at the Lincoln Theatre in DC. Krull (6-27, five KO’s) has fought in many different weight classes from welterweight to cruiserweight. Ironically, one of Krull’s victories was against the promoter of this card, Han Kim. Krull stopped Kim in the fourth round in a February 2004 bout in Atlantic City.

In a battle of two local favorites, Derek “Hollywood” Amos will take on Jason Waller in a cruiserweight contest.

Amos, a native of Fort Washington, MD, returns to the ring for the first time since March of 2002 when he was stopped in the first round by Frank Walker in Philadelphia. Amos (13-22, eight KO’s) battled as a heavyweight throughout most of his career and suffered losses to many notable boxers including Razor Ruddock, Chris Byrd, Monte Barrett and Tony Thompson. Amos is now campaigning as a cruiserweight and is looking to break a 12-bout losing streak.

Waller, who hails from Stafford, VA, is a 16-year veteran of the sport, who has also fought his share of cruiserweight and heavyweight champions and contenders. Among the names on Waller’s resume include Torsten May, Vassily Jirov, Andrew Golota, and Shannon Briggs. Waller (28-32-4, 19 KO’s) will be trying to reverse a five-bout losing streak.

In other bouts on the card, the Shah Brothers of Centerville, VA will be in action. Welterweight Ali Shah (1-0, one KO) will face Mike Krull, the younger brother of Ron Krull. Mike Krull is 0-3. Middleweight Zain Shah (1-0, one KO) will battle Randy McCrory of Sault Ste. Marie, MI (0-1).

Local favorite “Money” Mike Sawyer of Falls Church, VA will also be on the card against Deltbert Summerdill in a super middleweight contest. Sawyer is 2-0, one KO.

Scale Watch for Thompson-Guinn!

Here are the weights for tomorrow night's nationally televised ESPN2 bout between Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring and Dominick Guinn. The bout is for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.

Dominick Guinn 229.5, Tony Thompson 238

Joppy, Buchanan Slated for Returns!

Former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy is scheduled to return to action on Saturday, July 8 on the undercard of the "Gateway to Glory" card in St. Louis, Missouri.

Joppy,who is somehow ranked number 8 by the WBC at 168 pounds, will battle as a super middleweight for only the second time in his career. He has not fought since January 7 when he stopped Erik Howard in the fifth round in Madison Square Garden.

As some of you have mentioned, undefeated super middleweight prospect Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan is vying to be a part of a proposed super middleweight tournament promoted by Gary Shaw Promotions and Showtime.

A couple of clarifications:

1.According to published reports, the field for the tournament has NOT been set. This means Buchanan is not yet officially part of the program.

2. This also means that there is no official bout yet between Buchanan and Anthony Hanshaw.

I'll keep you posted when this tournament is made official. The tourney is scheduled to begin on July 28.

Tony 'The Tiger' Thompson Talking Titles!

Maryland State Heavyweight champion Tony "The Tiger" Thompson talks about his biggest step to date; an ESPN2 matchup versus Dominick Guinn for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title on Wednesday, June 28 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.

Cygan, Paschall, Ricasa Winners in Woodlawn!

The Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, MD featured three local boxers who made minor comebacks due to different situations. One boxer came back from illness and a loss, another returned from an injury and one returned after a loss. All three were victorious, although two struggled to majority decision wins.

In the main event, Baltimore middleweight Tony “Cyclone” Cygan won a six-round majority decision over late sub Roy “The Destroyer” Ashworth of Lake Charles, LA. Cygan, who was making his first appearance since a January 20th loss to Billy Lyell and subsequently suffering through an undisclosed illness, looked sluggish at times during the slow-paced bout. At times, Ashworth, who came into the bout seven pounds heavier than Cygan (167 ¾ to 160 ¾), was able to take advantage and become more offensive-minded.

By the fourth round, however, Cygan picked up the pace, throwing numerous body shots that made Ashworth take a few steps back throughout the second half of the contest.

Judge Malik Waleed scored the bout a draw at 57-57. Judges John Gradowski and Don Risher saw the bout for Cygan at 58-56 and 59-55 respectively. My scorecard saw the bout 59-55 for Cygan.

With the win, Cygan raises his record to 10-1, six KO’s while Ashworth falls to 4-3.

The co-feature saw undefeated light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall of Pasadena return after a six-month absence because of a broken hand. Paschall got off to a good start in his six-round encounter with William “Outside Thunder” Gill of Toms River, NJ but then had to struggle to earn a majority decision.

In the first round, Paschall landed a number of looping left hands that caught Gill repeatedly. But in round two, Paschall used his feet more than his hands, at times clowning in the ring against his opponent.

By the third round, Gill seemed to figure out how to avoid Paschall’s looping shots and pressured his opponent, keeping him on the outside. Gill showed good offense while Paschall had to deal with a cut along the right eye. The judges seemed to give credit to Paschall’s good defense as he avoided a number of Gill’s offensive attempts.

The judge’s scores were very disparaging. Judge Gradowski saw the bout as a draw, 57-57. Judge Risher saw a close contest in favor of Paschall, 58-56, while Judge Gary Camponeshi thought Paschall pitched a shutout, 60-54. My scorecard had a different view of the bout, giving the contest to Gill, 58-56.

Paschall’s record is now 8-0, two KO’s while Gill falls to 3-9, two KO’s.

Also on the card, Ellicott City lightweight Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa registered a first-round TKO over Andrew “The Little Bull” Mendez of South Bend, IN in his return since his tough, eight-round unanimous decision loss to Dean White last February.

Ricasa landed hard shots early in the round and finished the contest with a solid body shot. Mendez did not seem to take the shot well and backed away. In a delayed reaction of about three seconds, Mendez dropped to one knee. Mendez got to his feet at the eight-count, but his corner threw in the towel.

Ricasa is now 7-2, three KO’s while Mendez falls to 3-4, three KO’s.

In other bouts on the card, undefeated middleweight Jessie ‘The Beast” Nicklow of Severn scored a dominating first-round TKO over the debuting Jessie Horton of
Washington, DC.

In the last 30 seconds of the contest, Nicklow caught Horton with a solid right hand that drove Horton to his own corner. Nicklow rained blows upon him until referee Gary Camponeshi stopped the contest at 2:54 of the round. The 19-year-old Nicklow is now 5-0, two KO’s.

Baltimore light heavyweight Willie “For Real” Williams bounced back after a loss in his last outing to win a four-round unanimous decision over Ryan “The Lion” Madigan of Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Williams raised his record to 2-1, one KO.

Heavyweight “Big” Phill Brown of Upper Marlboro, MD made his pro debut a successful one by defeating “The Real People’s Champion” Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA by four-round unanimous decision. Felton is now 1-2, one KO.

The promoter of the card is Jake Smith. The matchmaker is Josh Hall.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: To be honest, I thought both Cygan and Paschall were off their games on this card. You may call it ring rust and that may be true, but it took them a while to get going. In fact, I don't think Paschall did much offensively in his contest. I gave the bout to Gill because he pressured Paschall. Yes, Paschall showed good movement but I thought Gill did a better job of pressing the action.

There may be some disparaging comments about Ricasa's victory. Body shots give that delayed reaction sometimes. I think Ricasa's shot was legitimate and obviously his opponent's corner saw something that forced the trainer to throw in the towel.

I am becoming more and more impressed with Jessie Nicklow. He did what he was supposed to do against a debuting boxer. Nicklow has improved greatly over the past few months.

Willie Williams will be a real good prospect when he finds a jab. Everything was a power shot in this case this evening. It got him a good victory but a jab will serve him well.

Phill Brown made a good debut. He is a very tall, very big man (weighed in at 288 1/4 pounds). Too early to tell how good he will be, however.

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: I can now officially reveal a secret I have held about the return of a legendary Beltway Boxing figure. In fact, some of you guessed it correctly when I talked about it, but the official announcement was made at Martin's West.

Former WBO Cruiserweight champion Boone Pultz is slated to return to action on the Saturday, August 12 Baltimore Pro Boxing show at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, MD.

Pultz, who was the first WBO Cruiserweight titleholder, has not fought in more than 10 years. He has a record of 23-1 with 15 KO's. In his prime, he was one of the most popular boxers to ever represent the Beltway. It will be interesting to see how he does.

Other Beltway Boxers in attendance last night included former three-time world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, Corey "Black Ice" Cummings, Tyrell Samuel, Adam "Boom Boom" Bloom, Tony "Mo Better" Jeter and Mike Dietrich.

Also in attendance was top-ranked female amateur Franchon Crews, just back from her gold medal-winning performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I plan to interview her for the blog in the next few days as she prepares for the National Female Golden Gloves on July 9.

Comments on the Ballroom Boxing Thread!

Here is my take on the recent discussion involving Ballroom Boxing.

Weights For Woodlawn Tomorrow Night!

Here are the official weights for tomorrow night's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Martin's West in Woodlawn.

Tony Cygan weighed in at 160 3/4. He has a new opponent in Roy Ashworth of Lake Charles, LA. Ashworth is 4-2 and he weighed in initially at 170 1/4. Reportedly, he was asked to lose some pounds.

Other weights:

Mike Paschall 172 vs. William Gill 171 1/2

Mike Ricasa 132 1/4 vs. Andy Mendez 128 3/4

Jessie Nicklow 157 vs. Jessie Horton 158 1/2

Willie Williams 175 vs. Ryan Madigan 174 1/2

Phill Brown 288 1/4 vs. Jonathan Felton (had not weighed in yet).

Wrapping Up with Wagner!

In the final part of our interview with Scott Wagner, he discusses the future of Ballroom Boxing.

What is the Direction of Ballroom Boxing?

In part two of my interview with Scott Wagner, he discusses the direction of the successful Ballroom Boxing promotion.

Scott Wagner Responds to Comments!

Ballroom Boxing promoter Scott Wagner joins me to respond to the comments placed during this past week.

Catching Up on Beltway Boxers...

Thanks to "Money" Mike Sawyer for alerting me to a couple of results concerning Beltway Boxers that went under the radar.

On June 17, undefeated lightweight prospect Thomas "KO" Snow of Capitol Heights won a four-round unanimous decision over Waldo Rangel in Winston-Salem, NC. Snow is now 4-0, two KO's.

Also on the 17th, Front Royal, VA welterweight Andrew Farmer remained undefeated by scoring a second-round KO over DeAngelo Ginyard in Martinsburg, WVA. Farmer is 2-0, two KO's.

Preview of Baltimore Pro Boxing Card June 21!

After recovering from health ailments and injuries, two of the Baltimore area’s brightest prospects return to action on a Baltimore Pro Boxing promotion card on Wednesday, June 21 at Martin’s West in Woodlawn.

Middle River middleweight Tony “Cyclone” Cygan makes his first appearance almost five months after suffering his first career defeat. Cygan lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Billy Lyell on January 20 at the Pikesville Armory. Representatives for Cygan told me that their boxer was not 100 percent for that contest, saying he dealt with numerous health problems including having cysts removed prior to that contest.

Cygan (9-1, six KO’s) will take on Akron, OH’s Anthony Little in the eight-round main event. Little (6-3, one KO) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over George Klinesmith on March 23 in Wheeling, WVA.

Undefeated Baltimore light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall also makes his return after suffering a broken hand in his last bout, a six-round unanimous decision over Don Shrock last December 7 in Woodlawn. Paschall (7-0, two KO’s) will battle William Gill of Toms River, NJ in a six-round co-feature. Gill (3-8, two KO’s) is coming off a four-round majority decision loss to Paul Kravchenko on May 18 in Huntington, NY.

Another featured bout has super featherweight Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa of Ellicott City taking on Andy Mendez of Indianapolis, IN in a six-round encounter. The 40-year-old Ricasa (6-2, two KO’s) is looking to bounce back after an eight-round unanimous decision loss to Dean "Pit Bull" White on February 23 at Martin’s West. Mendez (3-3, three KO’s) was stopped in the first round by Buzz Grant in his last encounter on March 9 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The loss broke a three-bout winning streak for Mendez in which all three of the victories came by knockout.

In other bouts on the card, undefeated Severn middleweight Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow (4-0, one KO) will take on debuting Jessie Horton in a bout scheduled for four rounds. The 19-year-old Nicklow is coming off a four-round unanimous decision over Don Shrock on April 21 in Pikesville.

Baltimore light heavyweight Willie “For Real” Williams will also look to get back on the winning track as he takes on Ryan Madigan in another four-round contest. Williams (1-1, one KO) lost a four-round unanimous decision to Bobby Jordan on the April 21 Pikesville card. Madigan is making his pro debut.

Heavyweight Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA also returns in a four-rounder against debuting Phill Brown. Felton (1-2, one KO) has not fought since winning his first career pro bout, scoring a first-round TKO over Wayne "Hammerhead" Hampton on October 27, 2005 at Martin’s West.

Pearson Battles Casamayor July 7 on ESPN2!

Beltway Boxers continue to appear on national television. Former USBA and NABA Super Featherweight champion Lamont "Bay" Pearson of Cheltenham, MD will take on former WBA Super Featherweight titleholder Joel Casamayor on Friday, July 7 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. This will be a lightweight encounter that will be televised on ESPN2.

Pearson will come into the bout with a record of 23-3-1, 12 KO's while Casamayor is 32-3-1, 20 KO's.

More on this bout in the next couple of weeks.

Comments on Ballroom Boxing!

Those of you who have been long-time boxing fans in the area probably know firsthand about the success of the Ballroom Boxing promotion at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie. Without question, the shows that Scott Wagner has help promote have been among the best not only in this area, but throughout the country.

Recently, however, I have talked to some fans who have been dissatisfied with the recent Ballroom Boxing shows. I received an email from a long-time Ballroom Boxing fan named Gary Garadetsky who very honestly and thoughtfully detailed his constructive criticism toward the promotion. With his permission, I share his email with you.

"Good day.


I wanted to take some time and provide you feedback from last night's fights plus give you my opinion on the recent Ballroom Boxing shows.


I have been attending Ballroom Boxing since the late 90's. We used to get the balcony seats because, at the time, they came with a free open bar for several hours. You then changed the free open bar to giving a few drink vouchers for each person. Eventually, the drink vouchers were stopped and we stopped getting the balcony seats because it wasn't worth the extra dollars any more. Regardless of how the perks for the balcony seats were cut back, I could always count on at least 7 good quality fights, and I always had a great time at the Ballroom.


Recently, however, the number and quality of the fights has been in a steep decline (noticeably along with the paid attendance). Last night, myself and 3 co-workers paid $100/seat to watch only four professional fights. Last month's Ballroom card had only 5 pro fights, and this has now become the rule rather than the exception. I understand that fights and fighters are subject to change, but only 4 pro fights for $100 seats? I feel that you guys are constantly pulling the "bait and switch" with both the fighters and number of fights. If I paid $100 for a Casino fight ticket in Atlantic City, I would get to see at least 8 fights from better known fighters. Is it worth it now to pay $100/seat knowing that the advertised fighters are most probably not going to be on the card, and I'll get to see 5 pro fights if I'm lucky - no, it's just not worth it anymore.


It's a real shame. What used to be a great night of fights has tuned into a night of feeling disappointed and ripped-off. It is not a one time occurrence but is now the current state of Ballroom Boxing. I overheard many fans last night who felt the same way.


What happened? What happened to Ballroom Boxing? Did you get too greedy for your own good? Is there competiton from other local venues that's taking the fans away? Are you having internal issues that's effecting the quality and quantity of fights?


I think I'll give the Ballroom one last try. I'll buy General Admission seats as the price of Ringside seats isn't worth the $100 anymore. If the next fights are similar to the recent fights, I am done with the Ballroom and you will lose a long time supporter.


I hope that you can solve your issues and return Ballroom Boxing to what it used to be.


Good luck and thanks."


I am REALLY interested in what you all have to say about this situation. Ballroom Boxing has had a string of bad luck in their main events recently, but they also put together what is the bout of the year thus far in the matchup between Maxell Taylor and Derek Ennis. Please send your thoughts about the state of Ballroom Boxing.

Peterson Wins NABO Lightweight Title!

DC Lightweight Anthony Peterson (18-0, 14 KO's) won a lopsided twelve round decision over Adan Hernandez (14-5, 5 KO's) to claim the NABO lightweight championship in Memphis, TN.

Peterson was able to land his jab at will against Hernandez, winning by scores of 120-108, 120-108, 119-109.

Now, both Peterson Brothers have regional titles. Lamont Peterson has the WBC Americas Junior Welterweight title.

If you're keeping count, that is one world title (Eric Aiken--IBF Featherweight title) and two regional titles for Beltway Boxers so far this year!

Fightnews.com Report on Ballroom!

Here is a complete report on what took place at Michael's Eighth Avenue from my writing colleague, "Priceless" Steve Price of Fightnews.com.


Baltimore banger, Ishmail Arvin, trudged his way to a six round unanimous decision victory over shifty Chicagoan, David Estrada last night at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD in the Middleweight main event.

The co-main witnessed skillful Welterweight, Tim Coleman of Baltimore boxing his way to a six round unanimous decision victory over Taurus "Mushin" Corbbrey of Bluffton, SC.

When boxing enthusiast think of Baltimore boxing icons, the first names that come to mind are Hasim "The Rock" Rahman and Vincent "The Ambassador" Pettway who both have won world titles at Heavyweight and Junior Middleweight, respectively. Baltimore or B-more as some like to call it, known for its blue collar atmosphere, and tough as nails mentality may have found some new upstarts that may one day bring another championship or two to "Charm City."

Looking to shake off some ring rust after a seven month layoff due to a bad cut over his left eye suffered in a bout in November of 2005, Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin, 162 lbs., hoped to make a major splash back onto the boxing scene.

His opponent, David Estrada, 161 lbs., was looking to make Arvin's return an uneventful one.

Both fighters came out in the first round jabbing, with most of the pressure being applied by Arvin.

In the second round a hard right hand by Arvin staggered Estrada who immediately complained to the referee that he was hit behind the head, but to no avail. The blow seemed to affect Estrada's equilibrium for most of the bout. Towards the end of the round, a seemingly overwhelmed Estrada uncorked four consecutive right hands that hurt Arvin at the end of the round.

The middle rounds possessed good action in spurts with most of the damage doled out by each fighter coming in the form of right hand bombs. Some swelling began to form under Arvin's left eye in the fourth round, courtesy of Estrada right hands.

The last round was clearly the best round of the fight with both warriors hurling punches with bad intentions. A left hook by Arvin hurt Estrada and the end looked near. Amazingly, Estrada recovered and hurt Arvin with a hard right hand-left hook combo, warranting cries for more from an appreciative crowd.

However, Estrada's heroics were not enough in the eyes of the judges as Arvin was declared the winner by scores of 59-55, 60-54, and 60-55. PSP scored the contest 58-55 for Arvin.

With the win Arvin's record goes to 13-0-2 6 Ko's while Estrada's drops to 9-7-0 7 Ko's.

Arvin - "I figured that the right hand would be the punch to beat him with, I kept catching him with it. He caught me with some good shots, but I wasn't hurt. I should have boxed more, but I was anxious, because I haven't been in the ring for a while. I haven't been getting enough sparring lately as well. I would like to get back in the ring as soon as possible."

Arguably, the best overall performance of Baltimore hopefuls this night was by crafty Welterweight, Tim Coleman.

Coleman, 145 lbs., came out jabbing and employing a steady body attack on his opponent Taurus Corbbrey, 148 lbs., who was content with dancing and flicking out jabs.

The action picked up in the second round when Coleman, boxing nicely, placed a well timed right hand to the jaw of Corbbrey that rattled the South Carolina boxer.

Coleman continued to display outstanding skills in the middle rounds, landing 1-2 combinations, jabs, and crisp body shots.

Corbbrey came alive in the fourth and realized that Coleman tended to keep his right hand down and began to deliver some left hook counters, one of which stood Coleman up. Coleman recuperated from the blow and boxed effectively for the remainder of the round.

The last round was huge for Coleman as he unleashed every punch imaginable on his opponent, hurting him with a left hook and almost dropping a wobbly Corbbrey with a barrage of punches. Corbbrey gamely fought back and held on to hear the final bell.

Coleman was announced the winner by scores of 59-54, and 59-55 twice. PSP scored the bout 60-54 for Coleman. Coleman's record jumps to 5-0-0 1 Ko and Corbbrey sees his record dive to 4-2-1, 1 Ko. Coleman is definitely a fighter to keep an eye out for in the future.

Coleman - "I was happy with my performance tonight. I need to stop dropping my right hand though. I just came back from camp with Emmanuel Steward and Jermain Taylor, so I was prepared. He was a bigger fighter than what I am used to fighting. Usually when I hit guys my size with those shots, they go. I had to eat before the weigh-in to get my weight higher for this fight. I am moving back down to Junior Welterweight. I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible."

Coach Crawford(Coleman's trainer) - "He had an excellent training camp and he was very. He wants to fight ten rounders against the big boys. He'll continue to grow and learn from the tough fights."

Another Baltimore pugilist who continues to impress in local circles is Tyrell Samuel.
Samuel brought his record to 7-0-0 5 Ko's with an impressive one shot knockout over veteran Margarito Lopez, Philladelphia via Puebla, Mexico.

Margarito may have won the first round of the Featherweight bout by simply staying busier.

In the second round, sensing that Margarito could not hurt him, Samuel stepped up the pace and registered a series of stinging jabs and a serious body attack to the Mexican warrior. A well placed lefthook to the liver by Samuel dropped Lopez hard. Referee Kenny Chevalier reached the count of ten 2:12 of the round with no problem. Lopez falls to 8-16-1 3 Ko's.

In the curtain raising bout, Chris Edmonds, Cincinatti overcame two first round knockdowns to KO exhausted Brandon Artis, Capron, VA., in a Super Middleweight battle. Referee John Gradowski called off the bout at 2:05 of the round. Edmonds evens off his record with the win at 2-2-0 2 Ko's and Artis loses his pro debut.

Scott Wagner was the promoter and Chris Middendorf was the matchmaker.

Ballroom Boxing Results!

Here are the results from last night's Ballroom Boxing card.

Before I start, let me apologize for the late posting. Because of family obligations, I was unable to attend last night's show and I am getting results from my fellow reporters, namely "Priceless" Steve Price and "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears.

In the main event, Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin remained undefeated with a tough six-round unanimous decision over David Estrada of Chicago. Arvin is now 14-0-2, six KO's while Estrada falls to 9-7, seven KO's.

Undefeated Baltimore lightweight Tyrell Samuel scored a second round KO over Margarito Lopez of Philadelphia. Samuel stopped him at 2:12 of the second. Samuel is 7-0 with five KO's; all five of his knockouts coming in his last five bouts.

In what I'm told was a great bout, undefeated Laurel, MD welterweight Tim Coleman scored a sixth-round unanimous decision over Muhsin Correbrey of Hilton Head, SC. Coleman is now 5-0, one KO while Correbrey falls to 4-2-1, one KO.

Cruiserweight Chris Edmond of Cincinnati survived two first-round knockdowns to register a first-round knockout of debuting Brandon Artis of Capron, VA. Edmond is 2-2, two KO's.

I will have more comments on this card later this weekend.

Changes and Weights for Tonight's Ballroom Card!

Here is the lineup for tonight's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

First, the highly anticipated matchup between Ismail "The Arsenal" Arvin and Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller is off due to a reported injury to Miller's hand.

Also, Jed Phipps is off the card as is his scheduled opponent, James Stanton. No one has said why Phipps is off the card and Stanton reportedly failed his physical.

So, now the card looks like this:

Arvin (who weighed in at 162 pounds) will now face David "The Weezel" Estrada of Chicago, who is 9-6, seven KO's (161 pounds).

Tim Coleman 145 vs Mushin Correbrey 148 3/4

Tyrell Samuel 125 3/4 vs Margarito Lopez 125 1/4

Brandon Artis 165 3/4 vs. Chris Edmunds 172

Ron Boddie will also battle Jameson Bostic. Both men will weigh-in today.

Coleman Opponent Announced for Ballroom June 15!

The Ballroom Boxing show slated for this Thursday, June 15 at Michael's Eighth Avenue gets better and better.

Another bout has just been announced. Undefeated welterweight Tim Coleman of Laurel, MD will face Mushin Corrbrey of Hilton Head, SC in a six-round battle.

Coleman (4-0, 1 KO) last fought on April 7 in Philadelphia and won a four-round unanimous decision over Marquis McConnell.

But this will be perhaps Coleman's toughest test to date. Corrbrey (4-1-1,1 KO) has fought here in the area three times and has won all three bouts by unanimous decision. He recently scored his first career knockout against Shelton Barnes on April 21 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

This is another good battle for the June 15 card!

Washington Times Article on McBride-Tyson Aftermath!

On this date a year ago, Kevin McBride made Mike Tyson quit on his stool in the sixth round at MCI (now Verizon) Center in DC. The aftermath of this event has caused interesting ripples over the past 12 months. The aftermath of this event is detailed in an article by Thom Loverro in today's Washington Times.

A lot of the information detailed in the story is very similar to what Mike Swann of 15rounds.com talked about in his two-part expose on this subject. Part one of Swann's report can be found in the December 2005 archives on this blog.

There is one statement that I have to disagree with in Loverro's story and I would like to throw in an editorial here.

Loverro quoted the legendary York Van Nixon who is a former commissioner of the District of Columbia Boxing and Wrestling Commission and has been a high-ranking official with the World Boxing Association for a number of years. Van Nixon said the event was "a joke" and it was bad for boxing.

In many ways, the event was good for boxing, especially in DC. The card brought many people out to boxing who normally don't go. The attendance was over 15,000, the largest I can remember for a Beltway Boxing show in many years, if not ever. The event made DC the center of the boxing world for at least a week.

If there is an issue with this card, it's with the aftermath. This deals with how the city, especially the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission handled the aftermath of arguably the most important card in the city since Joe Louis fought Buddy Baer in Griffith Stadium in May of 1941.

The DC Commission, did not follow up on the wave of excitement generated by the McBride-Tyson card. The commission did not promote themselves and encouarge promoters to put on cards here in the city. This could have been because of the financial problems suffered by co-promoter Marty Wynn because of this card. Maybe the Commission was waiting to see what would happen to Wynn after the card.

But these are the facts, folks:

Since June 11, 2005, The District of Columbia has had a grand total of TWO boxing cards in the city. One of those was the annual Fight Night charity boxing card which is not really open to the general public. So in reality, DC has had ONE card (March 3 at the Lincoln Theatre) since Tyson-McBride.

By contrast, The Ballroom Boxing card on June 15 in Glen Burnie will mark the 20TH card for the State of Maryland since this date last year. Northern Virginia has had TWO cards since Tyson-McBride and has two more slated for July and August.

The lack of activity in our Nation's Capital is a serious issue, folks. The city blew a major chance to become a hotbed after Tyson-McBride. This card should have been used as a catalyst to boost boxing in the city.

The card did a lot for me personally. The week of the card, I was interviewed by a number of radio stations in the area and around the country. I even did an interview at two in the morning with a station in Vancouver, British Columbia after the card was over.

The card was also a catalyst for me to start this blog almost a year ago. If I could see this as an opportunity to expand my territory, why couldn't the commission see the card in the same light?

I know of people who want to promote here, but say they have issues working with the commission which make it difficult. There are other issues as well. The lack of types of venues like Michael's Eighth Avenue or Martin's West in the city with adequate parking and secure surroundings make it difficult to promote shows. Also promoters seem to feel that they have to spend a lot of money to make a lot of money. They go for the big, fancy places because they look good. In boxing, many times you spend a lot of money to LOSE a lot of money.

By contrast, Han Kim is promoting a USBA title bout on July 1 in a venue that MAY seat 2,000 once he reconfigures.

I know I've gone off on a little tangent but there have been lasting effects since this date last year and it goes beyond even what Loverro and, before him, Swann, have been talking about.

Please share your thoughts on this situation.

Franchon Crews Wins Pan American Gold!

Middleweight Franchon Crews of Baltimore has won a gold medal in the Pan American Women's Amateur Boxing Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Crews, the number one-ranked middleweight in the United States, earned her second stoppage victory of the tournament defeating Argentina's Tamara Garcia. Crews earned the stopping by moving out to a 15-point lead, forcing the referee to stop the contest.

Crews was one of three US boxers to win gold medals in Argentina. The American team also captured three silvers and four bronze medals.

Warrick Suffers Ninth-Round Knockout!

Landover, MD junior welterweight Michael Warrick suffered a crushing knockout against Demetrius Hopkins tonight at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

Warrick was actually fighting a solid contest and had to battle a knee that was hurt in the fifth round. Warrick's manager, former world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, told ESPN2 that Warrick hurt the knee in training camp. But still, Warrick seemed to be in the bout, if not possibly leading.

The knockout, quite frankly, will come up in discussions for knockout of the year. Hopkins landed a devastating right hand that sent Warrick to the canvas face first. Referee Randy Newman immediately stopped the contest at 1:59 of the ninth.

Warrick's record drops to 18-4, 11 KO's. Hopkins remains undefeated at 24-0-1. 10 KO's.

Interview with Donna Duva Brooks!

Promoter Donna Duva Brooks joins me to talk about her upcoming ESPN2 card on June 14 in Dover, DE (featuring ring announcer Henry "Discombobulating" Jones) and the possibilities of promoting a card later this year along the Beltway.

Ballroom Boxing Card Features Exciting Local Main Event!

The next Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue on Thursday, June 15 features a potentially outstanding main event with serious Beltway implications.

The main event will be an eight-round contest between undefeated Baltimore middleweight Ismail “The Arsenal” Arvin (13-0-2, six KO’s) and DC veteran Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller (21-4-1, 17 KO’s).

In the co-feature, Baltimore heavyweight Jed Phipps (17-4, 10 KO’s) looks to bounce back against veteran James “The House” Stanton, Philadelphia (17-6, eight KO’s) in a six-round contest.

Also on the card, undefeated featherweight Tyrell Samuel of Baltimore (6-0, four KO’s) will take on Margarito Lopez, Philadelphia (8-14-1, three KO’s). This will be Samuel’s first scheduled six-rounder.

Brandon Artis a light heavyweight from Virginia, will make his pro debut vs. Reuel Williams (0-1) of Delaware.

And undefeated welterweight Tim Coleman of Laurel (4-0, one KO) is also slated to be on the card.

Two more bouts are slated for this card and it looks like it will be a great one. Keep in mind, this will be the last Ballroom Boxing card scheduled until after their summer break. I'll have a complete preview later this week!

White Holds Casal To Draw!

In what many would consider a major surprise, Smithsburg, MD's Dean "Pitbull" White held highly touted unbeaten lightweight Nick Casal to an eight-round majority draw last night in Las Vegas.

The bout was a slugfest that resulted in two 76-76 cards along with one card favoring Casal 78-74.

White's record is now 13-4-1, six KO's while Casal's record is 14-0-1, 12 KO's.

Those who know how White battles figured he would give Casal some difficulty and we were right!

A. Peterson Title Bout Moved to June 16 on ESPN2!

Undefeated DC Lightweight Anthony Peterson's bout for the vacant NABO Lightweight title has been moved up a day.

Instead of being buried on the undercard of the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright matchup, Peterson's bout will be the main event on a free outdoor card in Memphis on Friday, June 16. The bout will be televised on ESPN2.

Peterson's opponent remains the same, Adan Hernandez of El Paso, TX. Peterson will be the third Beltway Boxer that will appear on ESPN2 this month. Junior welterweight Michael Warrick of Landover will take on Demetrius Hopkins on Wednesday, June 7 in Atlantic City and Heavyweight Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring will battle Dominick Guinn on Wednesday, June 28 from Houston, TX.

Crews Wins First International Bout!

Baltimore middleweight Franchon Crews recorded her first international win in quick fashion, stopping Canada’s Maude Bergeron in the second round of their bout at the Pan American Amateur Boxing Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Crews is ranked number one in the United States in her weight class.

The event continues until June 8.