Here are some of the weights for tomorrow's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue:
Ernest Mazyck 329 vs. Ryan Thompson 254 1/2
Willis Lockett 174 1/4 vs. Willie Williams 174 3/4
Danny Kisner 234 1/2 vs. Kevin Thompson (will weigh in tomorrow)
Jason Douglas 173 vs. Chris Edmonds 177
Horace Grant 246 1/4 vs. Mike Sheppard (will weigh in tomorrow)
Alexander Johnson vs. Brandon Singleton (both will weigh in tomorrow)
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This card is a perfect example that, as good a matchmaker as he is, Chris Middendorf's comments concerning Jake Smith's shows are just plain hypocritical. In a previous post Middendorf said Jake brings in "guys from Ohio" to fight his guys and his guys always win. Well, look who the now local guy, the big 7' drawing card Zeus is fighting -- you guessed it, he's fighting a guy from OHIO! I don't have a problem with it, I'm just pointing out Middendorf's hypocrisy. Also, Danny Kisner (another local guy) is fighting a guy from North Carolina! For the uninformed, if you think Ohio is the cradlebed of opponents you may be surprised to find out that most (not all but most) North Carolina fighters that go on the road have an even worse record than their Ohio brethren. There is a potentially nice local matchup between Willis Lockett and Willie Williams. That could be a good fight. Ray Grant, another local guy, is fighting a guy from West VA! To be fair, the WV fighter beat a guy that Ray lost to, so this could be a pick 'em fight. And finally Alex Johnson is fighting a guy that is coming all the way from Texas! This fight is a perfect example that Ballroom Boxing, because of the unique position and luxury that the promoter has by owning the venue and reaping the financial rewards thereof, has a far bigger budget than every other promoter in the area. I mean, come on, they're flying in a guy all the way from Texas (and presumably at least 1 cornerman) to fight a guy in a 4 round fight. No other promoter in the area would, or could do that unless the respective fighter's management was covering the travel expense (which may be the case but in this instance, I don't think so). Which gets me back to the Ohio comment Middendorf made about Smith. It's really a matter of budget. Ohio is a decent distance away but not so far away that the fighters can't drive. It's really just a budgetary thing having guys from Ohio (or from within a reasonable driving distance away from a respective show) to fight on that particular club show. And, of course, when Promoters have fighters under contract, and they are trying to build their fighters, they are matching them with guys that they hope their guys will beat. The true art form in this type of matchmaking is A) to make a competitive fight that the crowd will enjoy B) you want your guy to win and C) you want your guy to learn. I think Jake Smith and Josh Hall have done exactly that with their nice stable of young and developing fighters. And Chris, I'm not hating on you, I dig what you do. That's a nice card you put together and there were some last second fallouts. I'm just pointing out some flaws in your "Ohio" statement. See you tomorrow night.
yeah... but Costa Rica don't got no boxers...
I don't see where Middendorf sounded critical of Josh Hall's style of matchmaking. He was just pointing out what he thinks are the inferior results of it... and did sound a wee bit snobbish... probably as a result of all the flak he's getting from us posters from Thomas Snow spillover... I mean, look how defensive Snow got!!!
None of Josh's ticket-sellers are ever gonna become world class... but I'm sure if Josh gets a hold of a topnotch prospect, he'll do the right thing and match him properly. He knows what he's doing.
Middendorf apparently came up empty handed after digging all night for a Thomas Snow opponent... he arrived a couple of nights too late... other promoters had already dug a swath through the mortuary... Scott, Han, and Jake have left the place a ghost town...
The crowds get bored watching the same Smith prospects against guys from wherever who are just guys. The difference that I see between the styles is that Chris will put a guy in with increasingly tough guys as he says "to prepare them" for when they go to the next level. Because none of Smith and Josh's guys ever go to the next level, they are happy to keep them fighting the same level of opponents. That is why the pendulum is swinging back- Smith's crowds are shrinking and Michael's are coming back. Tomorrow looks to be a Ballroom fight of old. If they can keep the trend going it will be good for all, because Smith and Josh will have to start matching their guys a little tougher and the fights will get better. It is the natural ebb and flow of things. All in all, the competition between the two promoters makes it better for the fans.
No matchmaker east of the Mississippi can avoid using Ohio fighters (or North Carolina fighters). Because their state commissions act differently from ours, they have what seems like more opponents that flow through their systems. But keep in mind that Kelly Pavlik is an Ohio fighter and their are some very good ones. I think fighters evolve with each fight and the good ones, if pushed, take their games to the next level. And when there, they are ready to be challenged again. If you just match them against the same level of opposition, the fighter stagnates and does not seem to grow. If Tom is right, then maybe we will see the guys from Balt Pro Bouts get in with some real fighters and we will be able to see whether they can go to the next level. If so it will be very exciting for all fans in the area.
Look here, Jake's got guys that are pretty darn good:
Mike Paschall 13 and 0
Mike Dietrich 10 and 0
Jesse Nicklow 13 and 0
Plus, Dietrich and Nicklow are under 25 and Paschall is 28. I think Jake and Josh are matching these guys progressively tougher. There are Jake's guys, he promotes them. Ballroom has stated that they don't sign fighters and have no intention of doing so. Jake does, and he's moving his guys on his shows. He doesn't need other promoters to put his guys on. He's got his own thing going on. As far as nobody hearing of these guys outside of B-more, when they get to 15 and 0 and better, people will hear about them. They'll get on national TV and they could do big things because these guys do have talent.
To be brutally honest, Paschall, Dietrich and Nicklow are NOT going anywhere...
Alright, let's settle this. Digital, as someone who's covered boxing for 2 decades+, what do YOU think about Paschall, Dietrich and Nicklow?
Personally, out of the three, I think Nicklow has the best opportunity to make things happen. He's got good power and he is becoming more technically sound.
Paschall impressed me in Ocean City last month against Richard Stewart. He had a game plan and he followed it to the letter. I've been critical of Paschall in the past, but he showed me a lot.
Dietrich was doing well in his comeback but his legal issues are bound to be a problem.
The good thing about all three of them is that you can see improvement over their careers. Nicklow, especially, has also taken upward steps in his quality of opposition.
I think both series of shows are friggin great, honestly. The major difference is that there are completely different fighters for each ballroom show and Jake has regulars. There are different budgets number one... AND different goals.
Skinnyscott
From Scott Wagner:
Being a loyal Digital fan, I always follow the site and the comments, but have only once thrown my hat in the ring. I guess it's natural that folks will compare my shows against Jake's and vice versa. I feel that Jake does a tremendous job and I have and always have had a great deal of respect for him and his shows. Jake and I have worked together with many aspects of our promotions and we will continue to do so. From my standpoint, this is not a competition and in fact I am very pleased that Jake, Gene and other promoters along the beltway have shows and that they are successful. It's great because it keeps the fans and fighters active. Thanks to all that support ALL the shows.
Scott,
Have you really sold over 1,000 tickets in advance for tonight's show? If so, well done and how did that happen? When was your last show and what attendance figure did you do then?
Thomas Snow is the most difficult boxer that I had to deal with in past 15 years in boxing.
He is not going anywhere in this sport, he will remain as just the club fighter. so, who ever you are putting money into T.Snow, save your money and time leave him alone.
Yeah - well over 1000. Going to be a real nice crowd. How you ask... a combination of getting started early which created ongoing interest, being off for three months, the children going back to school and Dad's ready to get out of the house, and fighters selling tickets. Last show... not exactly sure, not great, probably 750-800.
Fantastic Figures! Mo money, Mo money, MO MONEY!
Middendorf also sends good local fighters into hostile territory to get defeated. When they go into hostile territory and win, he writes in this blog that the local fighter (Demetrius Davis) was not in shape and acts as though he believes Vaughn lost the fight.
I write with regard to the fight in Detroit where Vaughn bloodied his opponents nose and wipped his rear for a number of rounds. When ringside observers said, "We are from Detroit, but you got robbed."
Clearly, Middendorf makes fights. It's also clear that he skims through them as opposed to watching them.
He's a matchmaker who tells lies on blogs about 'Beltway fighters', as though the lies assist him or them. There's such a thing known as a grip,....., get one! You know Vaughn won the fight.
Way to fight real fights, get robbed, stay confident, request rematches, get 'em, and be ready.
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