Fightnews.com Report on Pikesville!

For those who couldn't get the audio post-fight show from Pikesville last night, here is a written account of the pro events courtesy of one of my Fightnews.com writing partners, Julian Burgower.


Sometimes in the sport of boxing there are decisions that make you scratch your head, get you angry or make some people cry out in protest. Such was not the case in the eight-round majority draw between Mike"The Persecutor" Paschall and Dhafir “No Fear” Smith, fought at the Pikesville Armory in Baltimore, MD, last night.

Paschall, 165, came into the bout with an undefeated record of 10-0 (2), and seemed to take the first few rounds by slightly outworking the veteran Smith, 163, did not seem to want to open up and throw many punches. As the rounds wore on, Paschall started more and more showboating, jumping in and out with wild clubbing swings and fighting out of a style reminiscent the stance of a Muay Thai kickboxer.

In the fifth round of the scheduled eight, Smith, Philadelphia, PA, was able to become more affective in his aggressiveness and slow down Paschall’s movement in stalking down the Pasadena, MD native and connecting with hard shots to the head.

The seventh round showed Paschall settling down and attempting to fight more than showboat, which probably saved him from losing the fight, as he connected with wild haymaker-type shots that won him the round, although they were not especially damaging to Smith.

Both fighters came out of their corners in the eighth and final round knowing that it would decide the outcome of the fight, and both threw caution to the wind. The wind though, appeared to die down in Paschall’s sails faster than it did in Smith’s, who was able to close the show stronger and with more zest, cutting Paschall’s left eye in the process.

The pro-Paschall hometown crowd booed as the scores of 77-75 (Paschall), 76-76 (twice) were announced, resulting in a majority draw decision. Fightnews scored the contest 76-76, with Paschall dropping his record to 10-0-1 (2) and Smith 15-13-1 (4).

In the co-feature bout of the evening, Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow pounded out an easy unanimous decision victory over Anthony Osbourne in the middleweight class. Nicklow pressed the action throughout the fight, with Osbourne giving Nicklow and the judges very little in return, including a point deducted in the third round for excessive holding. Osbourne, who has lost 15 out of his last 16 fights, showed little interest in boosting the number in the win column of his professional record, resulting in a points win for Nicklow by scores of 59-54 and 60-53 (twice). Nicklow bolstered his record to 7-0 (2) as Osbourne drops to 5-19-1 (1).

William Bailey, of Norfolk, VA, was forced to retire after the end of the fourth round against Willie "For Real" Williams in a six round affair citing a shoulder injury. Bailey, 5-11 (4), who appeared to be in control of the fight, did not answer the bell for the fifth, giving Baltimore’s Williams, 6-1 (2), at TKO win at :01 of that round.

Also in action, “Irish” Glen Williams garnered a TKO victory over Dalante Marshall at 2:35 of the second round in a four-round heavyweight contest that looked more like a tough-man contest than a professional boxing match. Marshall opted to lay on the ropes and refuse to throw punches even after referee John Gradowski continually instructed him to fight back. Marshall appeared not to be hurt and actually to be protesting the legality of Williams’ punches by refusing to fight and turning in a totally unprofessional performance.

The card was promoted by Jake “The Snake” Smith’s Baltimore Boxing and also featured several amateur bouts to begin the show. Baltimore Boxing’s next show will be dubbed “Bombs Away! On Pearl Harbor Day, which will also be featured at the Pikesville Armory.

The results of the amateur card:

Steve Wheeler (Baltimore Boxing) dec. Tacuma Farmer (Honeycomb)

Dayvon Gross (Upton Boxing) dec. Dan Ankers (York, PA)

Jeremy Miller (Baltimore Boxing) RSC-3. Devon Durocher (Brooklyn Boxing)