Nwodo Wins USBA Cruiserweight Title!

Baltimore cruiserweight Emmanuel “Chukwu” Nwodo added his name to the growing list of cruiserweight contenders with an explosive third-round knockout over Chicago, IL’s Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas to win the vacant USBA Cruiserweight title at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

In front of a standing-room only crowd of 1,500, Nwodo wasted no time in winning the title. The native of Enugu, Nigeria dropped Thomas with a picture-perfect left hook a minute into the first round. Thomas, a former NABA Cruiserweight titleholder, showed a lot of resolve getting up from the punch and surviving the round, but he never got back in the bout.

By the third round, Nwodo was in complete control of the contest. Nwodo sent Thomas to the canvas for the second time in the contest with a right-left combination. Seconds later, Nwodo sealed the victory as Thomas walked into a straight left hand and fell back to the canvas. Referee Joe Cooper waved the bout off at 2:30 of the third.

“I trained strong (for this fight)” said Nwodo, who came into the contest ranked third by the USBA. “I know I am strong like a brick. I know I am one of the best cruiserweights out there right now and I can show what I am made of.”

The win was the 10th straight for Nwodo, who is 10-0 with eight KO’s since fighting full time in the United States. Overall, the victory raises Nwodo’s record to 20-4 with 16 KO’s. Thomas, who was ranked fourth by the USBA, falls to 16-5, 14 KO’s.

In other bouts on the card, DC middleweight Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller captured his first victory since returning from a five-year hiatus. Miller scored a second-round TKO over Ron Krull of Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

After a relatively even first round, Miller started to land solid body shots on Krull, resulting in Krull dropping to the canvas. As Krull got up from the punch and came forward, he ran right into a Miller straight right hand followed by another wicked body shots. Referee Cooper called the bout at 1:24 of the second.

This was Miller’s third contest since his hiatus. He fought a tough six-round draw against Jason Naugler in November 2005 then lost a controversial second-round TKO to Dante Craig in March of this year. Miller’s record is now 22-4-1, 17 KO’s. Krull’s record drops to 6-28 with five KO’s. He is winless in his last 14 bouts and has lost 10 in a row.

In what was billed as a “turf war” between two long-time Washington-area fan favorites, cruiserweight Derek Amos now of Woodbridge, VA, made short work of Stafford's Jason Waller, registering a first-round knockout.

Amos sent Waller crashing to the canvas early in the round with a crushing left-right combination. Referee Cooper didn’t bother to count and the bout was stopped at 38 seconds of the round.

The bout was Amos’s first in three years and broke a 12-bout losing streak. His record is now 14-22, nine KO’s. The loss was Waller’s sixth straight and drops his record to 28-33-4, with 19 KO’s.

In super middleweight action, Akron, OH’s Delbert Sommerville made his pro debut a successful one by defeating local fan favorite “Money” Mike Sawyer of Falls Church by four-round unanimous decision. Sommerville showed good speed and repeatedly beat Sawyer to the punch, though Sawyer showed good resilience. All three judges (Gail Carpenter, Brian Costello and Greg Coleman) scored the bout, 39-37. I scored the bout a draw, 38-38.

The loss was Sawyer’s first in his pro career. His record is now 2-1, one KO.

In a battle of young heavyweights, Ray Grant of DC scored a quick first-round knockout over Akron’s Dennis King to win his pro debut.

Grant dropped King with the first straight right he threw in the contest. King did not beat referee Rick Ellis’ count and the bout was stopped at 28 seconds of the round. With the loss, King is now 0-3.

In the curtain-raising contest, debuting cruiserweight William Prieto of Akron won a relatively easy four-round unanimous decision over Boris Calizat of Arlington, also making his pro debut.

Prieto kept Calizat at bay throughout the contest with good hand speed. In the latter stages of the bout, Prieto taunted his opponent by dropping his hands and sticking out his face before firing his punches. All three judges and the Fightnews scorecard saw the bout 40-36.

The promoter and matchmaker for the card was Han “Sugar” Kim.

Other notables in attendance included former WBC Middleweight champion Keith Holmes, ShoBox super middleweight tournament participant Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan, former “Contender” star Jimmy Lange, and Beltway-area prospects Thomas “KO” Snow, Reggie “The Mechanic” Holly, Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow and Ibn Ali, the nephew of Muhammad Ali.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: This was a really solid card that featured an exceptional performance by Emmanuel Nwodo. This past week saw two Beltway Boxers make major strides in their careers. First it was Tony Thompson and now Nwodo. If you combine Nwodo's win with the loss suffered by cruiserweight contender Dale Brown Friday night on ESPN2, Nwodo should be in prime position to get a shot at a world title in 2007. Nwodo told me that his people may want to take one more bout before a title shot.

By the way, the tally now reads one world title and five regional belts won by Beltway Boxers so far this year!

Purcell Miller needed a victory badly and he got a good one against a pretty tough opponent in Ron Krull. Miller may still be able to bring a lot to the table in the ring. His ring entrance is still one of the best I've seen anywhere in boxing with the full brass band leading him to the ring.

Tough going for Mike Sawyer. He just couldn't get going in this contest. I didn't think Delbert Sommerville was that wonderful of an opponent, but Sawyer was a step slow tonight, although I thought it could have been a draw.

I really didn't think Derek Amos was going to knock out Jason Waller. That rarely happens to Waller, but Amos just caught him.

The bout itself generated a lot of nostalgic feelings for me because I covered both guys at the beginning of their careers. An added bit of nostalgia came when I saw Amos's father, Herman, for the first time in many years. Herman Amos was a promoter in the early to mid- 90's and he along with his business partner, Spurgeon Montgomery, put on the first boxing cards at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro. Of course, Derek appeared on many of those cards and those events helped get the TV series I appeared on, "Boxing Spotlight," generated throughout the area.

I have not had the pleasure of meeting Ray Grant, but he definitely brought a crowd with him to the bout. Grant made short work of King but someone who already has a fan base makes him one to watch right off the bat.

Speaking of the crowd, they came in full force for this show. Kudos have to go to Han Kim and his staff for making a jump from their last show in late April which was a typical club show, to hosting a regional title bout. That is not always typical of what happens in this business but they can definitely build on this.