Monday, December 18, 2006

Major League Boxing Forms 'Rising Stars' Division!

Although promoter Joe Hensley technically lives outside the Beltway area in Richmond, VA, his recent contributions to this area through his promotional company Major League Boxing should be highly appreciated. Hensley brought two quality shows to the Patriot Center in Fairfax this year.

With that in mind, I bring this announcement to you for your comments. This is an idea Hensley has that, if successful, will truly benefit a number of boxers along the Beltway (especially in Virginia) and could serve as a model for other promotions around the country. Here is the story as it is appears on Fightnews.com:

Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League have minor league systems and the National Basketball Association has its Developmental League.

Now a promotional company in Richmond, Virginia has formed a “developmental league” that hopes to groom boxers in preparation for the big time.

Major League Boxing, a company headed by Joe Hensley, recently announced a “Rising Stars Division” that will showcase the best and brightest young talent in the region. The boxers will participate on cards that will have only four and six-round bouts.

“This is a way of developing local fighters so that they can get fights right here in Virginia,” Hensley said in a press release. “We want to get these guys fights, keep them active and hopefully, one or two or possibly a handful of them can make the step from rising star to the ‘Big Show’.”

“The fights will be competitive,” Hensley said. “Of course we want to get these guys experience and get them fights. But you can’t get anywhere in boxing beating up on chumps. Everyone who fights on “Major League Boxing’s Rising Stars” shows will have to earn their keep. They are going to have to fight. The fans deserve a good show. The cream will rise to the top anyway. If you can fight, you can fight. If you can’t, well, that’s just the way it is. Maybe boxing is not for you.”

The first Rising Stars show is scheduled for Saturday, January 13 at the Augusta Expoland in Fisherville, VA. Headlining the show will be a number of Virginia boxers that have appeared on undercards of bigger Major League Boxing shows that were recently held at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.

The main event on the January 13 show will be a rematch between undefeated first-year cruiserweight Juan Carlos Robles of Waynesboro, VA and veteran Derek Amos of Dumfries, VA. In their last meeting on October 7 in Fairfax, Robles won a tough four-round unanimous decision in what was the opening bout on the card. Since that bout, Robles (5-0, three KO’s) won by second round TKO over Dan Sheehan in Fairfax on December 9 in the first bout on that card.

Robles will be participating in his first scheduled six-round encounter against Amos (14-23, nine KO’s), a boxer who has fought a number of quality cruisers and heavyweights during his career, including Chris Byrd, Monte Barrett and Tony Thompson.

The co-feature will have undefeated light-heavyweight prospect Adam “The Real Deal” Seal of Caroline County, VA. Seal (3-0, two KO’s) is coming off a second-round TKO over Ken Carey on December 9 in Richmond. Seal will be taking on Portsmouth, VA veteran William “The Storm” Bailey (5-12-2, two KO’s) who is coming off a four-round unanimous decision loss to Reggie LaCrete on Dec. 9 in Fairfax.

Also scheduled for this card will be highly-touted 19-year-old junior welterweight Andrew “The Doo Man” Farmer of Front Royal, VA. Farmer may benefit from this type of card the most because he will be coming off his first pro loss, a four-round majority decision to Ken Humphreys on the Dec. 9 Fairfax card. The opponent for Farmer (4-1, four KO’s) is still to be determined but the bout is scheduled to be Farmer’s first six-round contest and may give Farmer and his fans a true opportunity to see where he stands in the sport.

Also scheduled to appear is Norfolk, VA’s Antwon “Supreme” Barrett. Barrett will also have something to prove on January 13th. Barrett suffered a setback in his pro debut on November 9 in Glen Burnie, MD when he lost by third-round technical knockout to Martin Wright. Barrett will be taking on Edward “Nuckie” Anderson from Richmond, VA (3-7, three KO’s. The bout is scheduled for 4 rounds in the junior welterweight division.
Other bouts include Staunton, VA’s own amateur champion George Rivera. Rivera will be making his pro debut against veteran “The American Dream” Jay Watts from Virginia Beach, VA. Watts (2-8, two KO’s) is coming off a first-round TKO win over DC-area media personality JP Flaim on December 9th in Fairfax, VA.

In a six-round heavyweight special attraction, Charlottesville, VA’s “Big Lonnie C” Alonzo Cutchins will take on Stafford, VA’s “The People’s Champ” Jonathan Felton. Cutchins (7-15, six KO’s) is coming off a four-round unanimous decision loss to Boone Pultz on December 9 in Fairfax. Felton (2-5, two KO’s) lost by second-round TKO to Lenroy Thomas in his last outing on October 23 in Woodlawn, MD.

Rounding out the card will be cruiserweight Gairy Campbell from Richmond, VA by way of Jamaica. Campbell will be taking on an opponent to be determined in his pro debut.

Hensley said Major League Boxing will continue to run shows at the Patriot Center. Recent shows have featured many top regional stars including Jimmy Lange, Purcell Miller and Dean White participating in 12, 10 and eight-round encounters.

"Rising Stars is another avenue to develop talent in a smaller, more intimate atmosphere,” Hensley said. “Our plan is to have three shows at the Patriot Center in 2007 and four shows at the August Expoland in 2007. Keep guys busy and active and develop talent, that’s what we’re trying to do.”


UPDATE: Joe Hensley informed me today that the date of his first Rising Stars card has been moved to Saturday, February 3.

70 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work Joe. We need you right now. Cassandra White has set us all back by writing 17 bad checks to the boxers last week. It will be a sad Christmas for most of them. She refuses to answer her phone and is staying in a hotel in Waldorf Maryland with a sdmall-time body guard. Again Joe, we need more people like you involved in boxing. Merry X-mas Joe!

Anonymous said...

Joe, I am so glad to hear that someone is looking out for the boxers. That lady Cassandra really left a bad taste in everyones mouth. I hope all works out well for you. The lady Cassandra has now left town and to be honest I hope she stays gone. She continues to blame everything on Juice, yet it was her that wrote all the bad checks. She would not even give the boxers from out-of-town gas money to get back home. It was not Juices show-it was her show! She blames Juice for stealing 400 dollars, she sure has a lot of nerve. That man did nothing wrong. He took the money because she owed him and he refused to take a damn bad check. I just hope Joe can bring everything back to normal. We are all pulling for you Joe.
Good Luck my friend>>>

Anonymous said...

It make me sick to my stomach to hear the name Cassandra White.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like a good idea but don't most promoters put their up and comers in four and six round fights on the undercards of all of their shows?

Anonymous said...

Gary- With all your polls of your readers for best this and best that, and Hensley's Rising Stars series, it makes me wish you would go to a select group of the promoters and matchmakers as well as some of the press in the area and ask them to each list their three best prospects or "Rising Stars". All that your poll really does is allow gyms to get get behind their favorite fighter and elect him the best this or the best that, but that is really just a contest with no meaning.
Lets let Hensley, Jake Smith, Wagner, Hall, Middendorf, Tiberi, Crider (and Cassandra if anyone can find her)Molovinsky, JD Brown, Discombobulating Jones, yourself and a few others tell us who are the ones to watch each year. Then we could have a lot of fun each December reading through the choices from the year before. Plus if you speak to any of these folks they are fairly opinionated as to who they think is good and who is not. Lets put them to the test!!!!!
You can call it: The Expert's Picks
Tom M.

ps. a further suggestion would be to have it be two categories:
Fighters who have fought ten rounders
Fighters who are still developping
I think that that is better than making the cutoff on number of wins, because you could have someone who is being brought along carefully and at 12-0 has not fought a ten rounder in the same category as Tony Thompson.
Let the fun begin!

Gary Digital Williams said...

Tom,

Yes the promoters do put their prospects on the undercards, but this is an opportunity to give them main event status on smaller shows to see how they handle that pressure. It's very much like a Triple-A player who is a star in his market who is trying to get to the big club.

Your idea has a lot of merit. I may try it at the first of the year. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Gary- A few more thoughts:
the other way to do it would be to give each of them a paragraph or two to make their predictions about area fighters for 2007. Make sure to tell them to be specific about which area fighters will pan out or flame out.
Maybe you could even come up with a prize for the winner each year. Force these folks to prove to us their expertise. You included!!!!

Anonymous said...

Rising Stars Division:

Sounds fun, but Fishersville, VA is west of Charlottesville, and hardly qualifies as anything remotely like "along the beltway".

Gary Digital Williams said...

I never said it was along the Beltway. However a number of Beltway Boxers are involved. And since Joe Hensley HAS done shows along the Beltway, it deserves the publicity.

Some of the promoters along the Beltway may want to take a tip from this.

Anonymous said...

I like the idea. And damn, Farmer's only 19??

Anonymous said...

i am hearing so many bad things about boxing in the d.c area. what's going on ??? i came up at srl gym in the mid 80's and mid 90's before going into the military and fighting overseas. i wanted to come back and give to boxers in the area, especially palmer park where i trained when it first opened, but all this bad press is discouraging. what happened to md/d.c boxing, this area was thriving at one time????

Anonymous said...

There are good things happening in Maryland with several promoters who are actively doing regular shows. In Virginia you have Hensley and a few others doing shows. But in DC the situation is terrible. What DC needs is a promoter prepared to do a consistent quality series of shows. But there are few venues, even fewer where the costs are reasonable, and a commission that has taken more interest in feathering their own nests than working with the fighters and the promoters to keep the scene vibrant. The best talent, such as the Peterson brothers have had to adopt Memphis as their home to fight regularly. But the overall scene in the area is still strong with knowledgeable fans, active promoters and a pretty good crop of strong young talent.
This combined with the power of the internet, as exemplified by what Mr. Williams is doing with this blog; strong and outspoken champions of the boxing community such as Henry Discombobulating Jones (the areas preeminent ring announcer), and quality boxing writing from Mr. Williams on Fightnews and Cliff Rold on Ringtalk.com make this area one of the strongest boxing communities in the US. Take a minute to go to a few shows in the area, follow the talent in their performances in and outside DC, and you will start to get a better feel about what is happening here.
Welcome back.

Gary Digital Williams said...

Slickwalt,

This particular problem stems back to a conversation on this blog when it first started.

What we have seen this year is that for every good promotion we have, we are seeing promoters trying to force shows or they are in over their heads.

We have run into a few promoters who have made bad business decisions.

We saw one very popular promotion run itself into the ground this year. The Ballroom Boxing promotion is in trouble. I don't think there is any doubt about that now. The loss of television has crippled that once-proud franchise.

What happened in Cassandra's situation is an extreme case and has to be learned from. You can't pay your boxers out of ticket sales. That is a cardinal sin.

It also goes back to what many rookie promoters try to do -- try to book shows in venues that are just too big and too expensive for the cards they are trying to put on.

That is why Joe's idea is so important -- even though the show itself is not in our area. If it is successful, it could serve as a model for future promoters to follow.

And that's why I disagree with Tom's thoughts on my awards. It SHOULD be more than just one gym getting behind their fighter.

Fans around here should know enough about the boxers in this area by now to make educated suggestions on these awards. The information is here for them and many of them have seen or heard about a number of these boxers to make these decisions.

But as bad as things seem to be, there are some positive situations on the horizon if people can follow through on their plans. Jake Smith is still going strong. Mark Johnson wants to promote shows and other promoters are trying to step in.

The fans here can help this by discussing (but not focusing) on the negative and, more importantly, accentuating the positive.

Gary Digital Williams said...

DC's situation is hampered by a commission who is more interested in grandstanding than getting things done.

Both Maryland and Virginia have solid commissions who have been very helpful to the promoters. Maryland has hosted 17 cards for the second straight year.

I like what I have seen and heard from Virginia's Department of Occupational Licensing and Regulations thus far. They seem to be a proactive group of folks and I like what I have heard from their leader, David Holland in the brief conversations I have had with him.

I have worked with and around the DC Commission since the days when Jeffrey Gildenhorn and Burtell Jefferson ran the commission. This was back in the 80's.

The commission went downhill when they forced the glue of the commission (people like Gilbert Ware and Paul Artisst) away from them. These were well known figures around the boxing world.

Simply put, the DC Commission does not have "boxing people." That is defined as people who are well known in boxing circles. They visit the conventions and have good, respected names in boxing circles.

Gildenhorn ran a restaurant on Connecticut Avenue. That's where commission meetings were held at that time. Jefferson was DC Police chief. Cora Wilds did almost irrepairable damage to the commission by taking money from it. The current chair, Dr. Arnold McKnight, is a nice guy but he is not a true boxing person in my opinion.

When the leadership is not in place, you have trouble.

Anonymous said...

Hmm...Very interesting and thought-provoking comments here gentlemen...

Anonymous said...

What happened to that guy Bo something with the ringcard girls who were found out to be ladies of the evening about three years ago in DC?

Gary Digital Williams said...

A number of Bo's ladies left his employ because they were not getting paid.

They formed their own company and were working as ring card girls and models throughout DC and other areas. A few of them appeared in national magazines.

By the way, NONE of them were ladies of the evening.

Anonymous said...

Gary i agree with you 100%.I think boxing in DC is in bad shape.We need more boxing people on the commission.Also there's not to many small venues in DC like in MD and VA.2007 will be a good year in boxing DC watch what I tell you.I think the people in DC need to make a stand.The people on the commission don't care all they care about is there GOVT> check and that's real.We have some of the best fighters in DC Gary tell me what happen.

Anonymous said...

cassandra white has hired a lawyer.
I hope she did not write him a bad check too.

Anonymous said...

thanks gentlemen for your insight. in germanye things seem to be so organized and regulated, but boxing is huge in europe and has been for years. you can't a succeful commission without boxing people, it just doesn't work.. in germany everyone affiliated with the commission are boxing people.

i boxed there for years in their amateur program which was run like a professional program and it was incredible. i intend to have a few pro fights here and then go into managing and promoting. i look forward to working closely with you guys in the near future..

Anonymous said...

She need more than a lawyer.She should have had somebody else to help her.The problem was that she tried to have her fight on the wrong date. I hope she have learned her lesson about Juice and the rest of those crooks. I can't believe boxing in DC is fucked up like that

Anonymous said...

Is this blog a commercial for Major League Boxing? Never has so much been written about so little. Lets check out these 'rising stars' down the road and see who has risen and who has slunk off into the Virginia woods. Virginia has always been a backwater for boxing, except for Sweat Pea, and it does not seem to be changing. Bring these guys to Martins West some night or the Armory and we will see who are the rising stars.

Anonymous said...

Virginia is coming for you Maryland! Hey anonymous, we know it's really you Pat P (you know the rest) writing those things!

Anonymous said...

I think one was a lady of the evening because she did a spread in Players Mag about two years back. Buck naked and talked about tricking.

Anonymous said...

Virginia was ahot spot for boxing in the area but it also has been going through bad times. Besides Sweet Pea you also has Oliver McCall out of Martinsville. But they had championship televised fights all over the state. Check the records. VA, DC and MD will never be a hot spot for championship fights as long as there is not a casino.

Gary Digital Williams said...

No it is not a commercial for Major League Boxing or anyone else. Joe has his own site for that.

Beltway Boxers are involved in this and Joe has done work in this area in the past. I would do this for anyone getting involved in this manner.

Anonymous said...

“… an extreme case and has to be learned from. You can't pay your boxers out of ticket sales. That is a cardinal sin.”

Taking Cassandra out of the equation and speaking in a general sense, doesn't paying boxers out of ticket sales go beyond sin and enter the territory of fraud? My impression is that the job of a promoter is to put the operating costs up front and, in exchange for taking that risk, reaping the profit when the revenue exceeds those operating costs.

I'm hoping somebody who has a greater understanding than I of the business side of boxing will weigh in. Unless a fighter is compensated through a percentage of his personal ticket sales or the total gate, shouldn't the entire purse be covered in the operating budget?

While I'm sure that I'm oversimplifying things to an extent, it sounds like a promoter depending on ticket sales to pay operating costs isn't doing his job by assuming the risk or, more specifically, risking money that doesn't belong to him, but belongs to the participants. It's one thing if, as in the case of the Farmers or the Langes, the participants have a management stake in the event. But how can a promoter be entitled to any profit when things go well, if it's the participants who take the loss when things do not?

I'm not trying to be rhetorical, but rather looking for an explanation of the legal and other responsibilities that one takes on when assuming the role of promoter. Thanks to anybody who can shed some light.

Anonymous said...

As a professional boxer who isn't a dummy and has a good business sense, I can tell you that only about half the ticket sales would occur if the boxers themselves didn't sell tickets on local shows. These boxers hit the streets and sell tickets to there buddies and family. I can tell you from personal experience, it's a real pain in the ass and takes away from their dayjob. It's only fair that they get a percentage. In fact, fighters are sometimes required to sell enough to pay for their opponent's purse before they're allowed on the card. It's often very difficult making a show profitable. That's why there aren't people clamoring to become boxing promoters. Tickets are expensive and don't sell themselves. Good question though Chris.

Anonymous said...

Got dam people stop about Chris and Cassandra She tried to do what she thought was right but she fucked up and who didn't your are so quick to pass judgement. Don King robbed people his first shows so now what. Your are quick to past judgement. I don't see your trying to host a show. I'm tired of the negative statements about people on the blog. If your are that bad use your real name and stop faking. I will say the DC commission drop the ball they always do that's why I'm in the problem I'm in

Anonymous said...

Hey gary when are we going to have some new. News the same bull crap

Anonymous said...

Gosh...A little testy today...take it easy...Gary doesn't make the news he reports it.
Linda

Anonymous said...

Everyone speaks of having tickets sellers on local cards to make it in the boxing game.

Then promoters should work with the boxers who can sell tickets, especially the high priced ones? Add in some up and coming boxers and eventually they will become a tickets seller themselves. Then you have solid boxing cards and a packed house!

Most boxers in the Metro DC area are not locked up in exclusive management contracts that would prevent them from fighting on different cards.

Other than Jimmy Lange, who else is a ticket seller in the Metro DC boxing scene?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

Ahmen! You are dead on about ticket sellers. Jimmy Lange is the only boxer in this area that can sell tickets. I heard that he and his father sold over $100,000 of tickets themselves for the show in December! None of the other fighters can sell anything. Has a show ever sold out, even on live TV, at The Showplace Arena in Maryland? Didn't think so. I don't think anyone else in the area could even come close to the figures Jimmy Lange does. Most people have no idea how much money goes in to a boxing promotion. I have helped out a couple of promoters, and believe me when I tell you this, it's a grind! Really, it's beyond a grind. You've got to be nuts to be a boxing promoter! And you have to have your own money in the bank. If you are expecting to sell tickets to pay your expenses, which is what looks like recently happend in DC, you're a darn fool! It is almost impossible to make money on a boxing show that is not shown on live TV! In fact, you're almost guaranteed to LOSE money! I'm not talking about when Ballroom Boxing was on TV, I'm pretty sure they had to pay for the TV production costs, they didn't get money from Comcast. I'm talking about ESPN, Showtime, HBO, etc. when the network cuts the promoter and check for the show. Boxing shows are expensive, you have the venues, the purses, the state fees, insurance, etc., etc. People see 600 people at a club show and think the promoter made a ton of money! WRONG! They may break even with 700 to 800 at a small venue with significant sponsorship money, but that's about it! If they do a thousand people and they have sponsorship money, they may make a couple of thousand dollars, which is nowhere near worth it for what a promoter goes through! Club show boxing is done to develop talent and get guys fights and try to break even or turn a small profit. It's not really about the money. You would never get rich as a boxing promoter running club shows. There's no money in it. I don't even think the shows at The Patriot Center with 5,000 people made a whole lot of money. I say that based on my experience of dealing with larger venues and the fees they charge. Also, when boxers are fighting 8, 10, and 12 round fights the purses go up dramatically. If they made money, it wasn't a whole lot, or nowhere near what most people think they made. Boxing is a hard, hard business. It's hard for the fighters and it's just as hard for the promoters.

Anonymous said...

Cassandra White swore she was the next Don King. Look what heppened to her dumb ass. I told her several times that was a bad date to have a show. She argued with me to no end. Well you see what happened. Now she is going to court for having wrote all those bad checks. She can blamr Juice all she wants, but it is her fault, not his.
He was just trying to help. Its emmbarrassing!!! I hope will all do not suffer because of her stupity???

Anonymous said...

Cassandra has hired a lwayer and filed bank ruptcy. you cannot touch her now.

Anonymous said...

Ms Cassandra White has even made the former Mayor Barry look bad. He was backing her on this dumb move. People have been complaing to him about all the bad checks.
I think she should relocate to bumb-f%$#@&-ejupt

Anonymous said...

Kasanra White better go back to work at Clancy's.

Gary Digital Williams said...

Billy D:

You (as well as others) make great points. This has turned into a rather decent discussion that I will comment on in full hopefully by the end of the year.

I singled you out because you mentioned the Show Place Arena and why it never sold out for boxing.

As beautiful a venue as the Show Place Arena is, it is in a bad location. People want things to do near a venue before and after a show. The Show Place is in a rather remote location in a town that shuts down on weekends before it gets dark. Not only has boxing not done particularly well, but neither has minor league basketball or hockey or many other events.

It is great for events like graduations or church events because the majority of them happen during daylight hours.

I would love to see the Show Place be a major venue in the boxing community again, but it will be a tough sell unless those promoters who use it do exactly what the definition of "promote" is.

Marty:

If this is actually who I THINK this is, please get in contact with me. If this is him, you know how to get a hold of me.

Your points are well taken and the DC Commission has a lot of blame to take up for in your case as well as in Cassandra's.

Anonymous said...

Hey Billy d
Yeah Lange can sell tickets but can't fight for shit, look at Dean White, comes in fighting a guy with a 34-4 28 KO's and steals Langes thunder. Dean White gave the people what they came to see, not Lange.

Anonymous said...

So what, you're mistaking talent for drawing power. Without Lange, that card, as good as it was, is in some hotel or ballroom or something, not a big arena. That's just the way it is in boxing. Dean White is a good fighter and he fought a great fight that night, but I bet there weren't 100 people who bought tickets to see him. Dean White is lucky Jimmy Lange was in the Main Event and he got to fight in front of 5,000 people. Without Lange, Dean is fighting for $1,500 in a 6 round fight against a guy with under 10 fights. Dean White better thank Lange for fighting in Fairfax, that's all I call tell you. And that doesn't just go for Dean, that goes for all those guys on the show, Dorin Spivey, Boone Pultz, etc.

Anonymous said...

You have know idea what your talking about, Dean went to Las Vegas and didn't sell one damn ticket and fought a 20 yr old kid who was 14-0 with 12 ko's, on the undercard of the so called Castillo vs Corrales III, and walked away with a draw on his promoters card (Gary Shaw)and made a name for himself. People want to see fighters like Dean, and when he starts getting the recognition that he deserves, you'll wake up and see what I'm talking about. And I guarantee that Dean sold over a hundred tickets,In case you didn't know, Dean fought out of Reston back in the 90's, out of the same gym Lange fought out of.

Doug Howell

Anonymous said...

Any promoter in his right mind would want Dean White on his card, because people pay good money to see a fight, not a dance.

Anonymous said...

The problem with VA boxing is that there is no central location to pull in all of the state. There is also nobody that has a big enough pull to get one of the major promoters to invest money by having their upcoming boxers fight in the area. The last person that did this was the old VA commisioner Doc Beavers. There were matches every 6 - 8 weeks at the ABC complex that featured the best of the beltway and NJ and Philly boxers.

Anonymous said...

Cassandra has hired a lwayer and filed bank ruptcy. you cannot touch her now.

I'm sure that there must be at least one lawyer on this blog. Again, taking Cassandra out of the equation and speaking in general, isn't the passing of bad checks a criminal matter, which wouldn't be set aside by a bankruptcy filing? My impression is that the discharge of a debt, and the action of passing a bad check are two entirely different issues.

P.S. Who or what is "The Juice"?

Anonymous said...

Doug and everybody else,

You guys got me all wrong. Dean White is one hell of a fighter. Very exciting guy, very tough guy. His fight with Spivey was the best fight on that show in December, don't get me wrong. I wasn't trying to single Dean White out either. This goes for Dorin Spivey, Boone Pultz, and everyone else on that card, which as Gary noted, was one hell of a card. That show would not have taken place in a big arena if Jimmy Lange was not on that show. Period! End of sentence, end of story! Say what you will about Jimmy's talent, I think he's one hell of a tough guy who is going to fight his best each time out. That said, he's the draw and he's the reason people were there. If that Promoter would have booked The Patriot Center with Dean White and Dorin Spivey in the Main Event for some title, as GREAT of a fight as that was, he would not have sold 1,500 tickets, that's just the way it is! Jimmy Lange made that show a successful show because he sells tickets. Him and his father actually move over $100,000 in tickets for each show they fight on! I'm sure that Dean White, Dorin Spivey, Boone Pultz, Fontaine Cabell, and every other fighter on that show made at least decent paydays because they were able to fight in a large arena and not some ballroom or armory. As for the guy who brought up Doc Beavers, I don't want to pick on the deceased, but the records speak for themselves. The man was a CROOK! He is what is bad about boxing! A commissioner who had his hand out trying to get as much money as he could. And for the person who said they were running shows at The ABC Sports Complex every 6 to 8 weeks. When the heck was that?

Anonymous said...

Gentlemen, gentlemen!

One has asked who is Juice? Lets just say juice is everyones friend when you need one! And when you don't need a friend, there is Juice with his hand out! lol! I grew up and still live in the DC area and the juice will always be around the boxing game!

As for Lange being the only ticket seller? There are two other boxers that sell.

The Ding-a-Ling Man and Perry Ballard. They both have degrees, own their own business and they don't really care about the money. From what Digital stated in previous posts in the past several months, they both box for the passion of boxing.

They both bring huge sponsors and give a great show no matter if they win or lose.

As for Dean White's last fight! Good fight but he should have not gotten the nod. He just slugged and missed most of his punches during the fight! Actually, his face looked really bad and Spivey had a little bloody nose!


Smash DC

Anonymous said...

Chris,

Who are you? Are you a writer? If so, write what you see at the shows and not what they tell you!

Did you box at one time?

Anonymous said...

Dean White is 36 yrs old as you get older you tend to swell a little easier. Dean White was not the favorite that night or for that matter any other night, but there are 2 things for sure he beat spivey decisively, and he brings his A game every fight, and by the way it wasn't a split dec, or a draw, it was a UNANIMOUS DECISION!!!!!

Doug

Anonymous said...

Hey Brad

If we can pry Monte Clay out of the hills of West Virginia that would be a nice rematch for Dean.

Doug

Anonymous said...

Cassandra Whit VS Juice Gatling
4 rounder

Anonymous said...

I heard that Cassandra White was dating that other crook in the area named Marty Wynn. Wynn ripped off everyone on the Tyson fight and I heard his wife just left him to.

I fought for him on a card and he stiffed me on my paycheck to.

Anonymous said...

"The Juice"? Hmm...*Scratches head* I was going to say Steroids or O.J Simpson, but I'm obviously an out-of-touch West Coast bloke.

Cheers and Happy Holidays. Peace all...

Anonymous said...

Billy D

Around 2000 you had regular fights at the ABC sports complex with many of the beltway boxers being on the show. Look up the records. Now that leads me into the second point. If you don't know about the events taking place then you also don't know about what the late Doc Beavers didfor boxing in VA. Yes he made a mistake and got caught up. The man had no problem saying what he did was wrong but I can not be as judgemental and throw out the good he did.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous - Here are the Pro Boxing Shows in Virginia in 2000 from BoxRec.com

2000-02-03 Thu Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
2000-03-18 Sat Annadale, Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
2000-04-20 Thu Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
2000-09-09 Sat Annandale, Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
2000-11-08 Wed Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
2000-12-09 Sat Danville, Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling

What are you talking about, regular shows at the ABC Sports Complex? And please, Doc Beavers being good for boxing in VA? Unfrigginbelievable! Did you ever buy a ticket to a good show in VA while Beavers was the Commish? Didn't think so? There was nothing professional about the shows that were done at that time. You had one guy who couldn't fight at all against another guy who was even worse, or homeless, or on drugs, or wearing tennis shoes! And you say this guy was good for boxing in VA? How in the heck is that? The shows in Fairfax were good shows because they had to be. They were in a big venue and the promoter seems to know what he's doing. Doc Beavers was a crook! Did you know that he was the VA Commish, and his wife and son used to manage the fighters. Talk about unethical. Listen, the guy was a nice man, but he did't do the right thing as a Commissioner, and it was just more than one thing believe me. The VA shows are now on par with Maryland's shows and Maryland has had thriving shows for years. VA was a joke until recently, bottom line. Doc Beavers was the biggest reason for that. The fish rots from the head!

Anonymous said...

1999-01-14 Thu Virginia
1999-02-07 Sun Alexandria, Virginia
1999-02-10 Wed Virginia Beach, Virginia
1999-02-28 Sun Alexandria, Virginia
1999-03-02 Tue Virginia Beach, Virginia
1999-03-17 Wed Norfolk, Virginia
1999-03-24 Wed Chantilly, Virginia
1999-04-11 Sun Alexandria, Virginia
1999-04-22 Thu Virginia
1999-04-25 Sun Virginia
1999-05-15 Sat Annandale, Virginia
1999-06-17 Thu Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Boxing and Wrestling
1999-06-21 Mon Portsmouth, Virginia
1999-06-30 Wed Virginia Beach, Virginia
1999-08-14 Sat Portsmouth, Virginia
1999-08-26 Thu Virginia Beach, Virginia
1999-08-27 Fri Annandale, Virginia
1999-09-25 Sat Bassett High School, Bassett, Virginia
1999-10-20 Wed Club Rogues, Virginia Beach, Virginia
1999-10-23 Sat Springfield, Virginia
1999-11-20 Sat Virginia
1999-12-11 Sat Springfield, Virginia
1999-12-15 Wed Club Rogues, Virginia Beach, Virginia


So I was off a year shoot me. And to have a wife that was one of the few woman cut people in boxing and a son that trains boxers has nothing to do with being a commish. No different than the Duvas who train and promote fighters. You also need to know it was different being the commish and being the ranking chief for the IBF. The late Bee Scottland was one fighter that fought many times at these events. If you look you will see that Jimmy Lange also cut his teeth at these events. In the boxing world it takes having local club fights to become a champion. Watch any rising star and you will see a one sided match because it is for them to learn but not lose.

Anonymous said...

USA, Virginia, Richmond, Richmond Coliseum
Terry Norris 150¾ W Vincent Pettway 151 TKO 8 12
Oliver McCall 232 W Oleg Maskaev 229½ TKO 1 10
Tony Tucker 242 L Orlin Norris 215 SD 10 10
Franklin Edmondson 177 L Darrin Allen 170 TKO 10 10
Carl Daniels 162 W Tim Dendy 160 TKO 6 0
Terron Millett 141 W Clifford Hicks 141 TKO 3 0
Tim Austin 118 W Miguel Espinoza KO 1 0
William Guthrie 175 W Jerome Hill 168 TKO 2 0
Ysaias Zamudio W Armando Diaz KO 7 0
David Kamau 141 W Tomas Valdez TKO 2 0
Sam Hampton 232 W Mark Johnson 216 KO 2 0
Tim Scott 160 L Clem Tucker 152 TKO 2 0
Christy Martin 136 W Del Pettis TKO 1 0


Pretty good show that was put on while Doc Beavers was commish.

Gary Digital Williams said...

I was actually at that Richmond show! it was a good show.

I knew Doug Beavers when he was commissioner in VA. He did his best during his time but his affiliations with the IBF screwed him royally.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

2 shows in Springfield, VA in 1999 hardly counts for "Regular fights at the ABC Sports Complex" which is what you said in a previous post. I would hardly call two shows in a two month period "regular shows". I would call Ballroom Boxing and Baltimore Boxing "regular shows". Maybe Major League Boxing can put on "regular shows." Look more closely at those shows in Virginia in 1999 and I bet you will see some of the most god awful boxing anywhere in the history of the sport! Mismatch, among mismatch, among mismatch with not even a full card of good boxing if you added all the cards together from 1999 in Virginia. Look at Dorin Spivey, for example. He's a heck of a fighter, but he was fighting guys who were beyond no hopers, he was fighting guys they pulled out of the crowd! To call them bums would be a compliment. The man in Virginia now, I don't recall his name I'm sorry, would probably turn down 90% of what Beavers sanctioned as legitimate fights! I was at some of those shows because I am a boxing fan but to call those shows legitimate professional boxing was an insult to my intelligence and my wallet! VA is on the right track now with the Patriot Center shows. I was at the last 3 in VA and the last two, in particular, were among the best live boxing cards I have ever seen! Those guys are doing a terrific job with their promotion. The VA Commission is finally out of the shadow of the "Weak Southern Circuit" that Doc Beavers was a poster boy for! I was also at the Richmond show in 1996 and it was a Don King show. That was a pretty good show, but that was like finding a needle in a haystack during crooked Doc Beavers tenure.

Anonymous said...

You have an excuse for every thing so since I have proven my point I will drop it. Commissioners do not promote matches but they can assist a promoter. Promoters go to boxing friendly states. Va was friendly and is getting back to that point. DC is about politics. Beltway boxers should box in the beltway and for the most part they don't. Believe me I know more about the internal of VA boxing than you do. I also know what happens behind the scenes which from your replies you don't. If you knewwhat you are talking about you would know that it was Beavers that brought King to VA to promote boxing. He also brought Cedric Kushner and Butch Lewis to VA. They promoted matches in Richmond, Roanoke and the beach area. Now the new VA commish is on the rebound but there are fewer promoters operating in VA. Also it is not the commission that reports fights so I know that all are not listed. Han Kim has the most exciting boxer in Nwdo and he was promoting fights in VA. I agree there were some bad matches but there were good ones. My point being there were world class cards in VA and there were more matches during the reign of Doc Beavers. Now there is more action going on in WV and Dover Downs than there is along the beltway. Continue to support the patriot center shows because we need more of any type to keep boxing alive.

Anonymous said...

Gary I agree with you 100%. Doc Beavers will be remembered for the IBF scandal but there was more to him than that. He was a wealth of boxing knowledge that I don't see in VA now. He also knew everyone in the boxing game and was able to attract people. It was in a boxer's best interest to fight in front of the IBF ranking man. While I will admit the bad he did I can and will admit the good he did.

Anonymous said...

This is a very interesting thread here folks. Props...

Anonymous said...

Dean White got lucky in 2006. Let's face it he's a club fighter. He's just like Lange they will never be World Champions.

Gary Digital Williams said...

Maybe White won't be a world champion, but to consider him lucky is to belittle the year Dean had. He fought some tough guys this year, including Spivey, Nick Casal, Oronde Dawley and Monty Meza-Clay and held his own in all of those bouts.

The draw with Casal was particularly impressive to me because I think Casal is a great talent. If he didn't have the drug and legal problems he had this year, he would have been in strong consideration for prospect of the year by the major boxing writers in the country.

As it was, Dean traveled to Vegas and put on a good show against him.

Let's be positive and give the guy some credit for a solid year.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gary

These are the people who want to bring everybody down, no matter who or what they do. Dean White has more Heart and Determination than a lot of fighters out there. We'll see if Dean ever gets a Title, but anonymous put a name on your writing, so I can say I told you so. Thanks for the support Gary, the White camp appreciates it.

Doug

Anonymous said...

When is Dean next fight. And do he have a promoter. People around here get a kick out of talking bad about people. But they don't have the courage to put a name with a face that's what's punks do. So wants again Dean good luck on your next fight. I will be talking to your people later.

Anonymous said...

Mark you are giving him to much credit.He's not you he's a bum just like I said.Gary you know he got lucky.Lange and Dean will never be champ.I'm not haiting I'm telling the truth.Ok he won a fight now Toosharp is giving him so big ups come on hell no

Anonymous said...

Too Sharp

Thanks for your support, I know you want Michael Warrick and Dean to fight, he has a fight already set to fight Francico Zepeda in Jan. We're taking one fight at a time, but I can tell you Dean would love a rematch with Monty Clay. So maybe some where down the road Dean and Mike can hook up, but he would have to get down to 135. Thanks Again.

Doug

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or does anyone else notice that when Too Sharp posts it is immediately followed by another post that is Anonymous and it retorts what Too Sharp said. Things that make you go HMMMM. Too Sharp nobody cares about Warrick. The last time I saw him he was asleep in the ring. Is he awake yet? Wake up Michael, it's time to go to sleep again.

Anonymous said...

Brad
Once again my hats off to you. It's nice to hear from people who know boxing and who have seen the same determination that I've witnessed in Dean. When it comes right down to it, nobody that he's faced has been in better phyical condition than him. And they say he's old. I beg to differ. He works a full time job, has a family to take care of, doesn't have a gym he can call his own, and he sure as hell doesn't get the hometown decisions.

Doug

Anonymous said...

Billy d might be right about the too sharp bait and switch.