Another Opinion on Beltway Prospects!

It is nice to know that other boxing reporters around the country are taking a look at our Beltway Boxing prospects. Tom Luffman, a former Fightnews.com colleague who now writes for my good buddy "Bad" Brad Berkwitt at Ringsidereport.com, did a thumbnail sketch of a number of boxers in Maryland, Virginia and Philadelphia. Here's what Luffman (who did a BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up with me in Ocean City last August) said about some of the Maryland prospects:


Darnell “Ding-a-ling Man” Wilson who hails from Takoma Park, which is about 17 miles away from Sugar Ray Leonard’s crib, is 22-5, 19 KO’s. It’s not often you’ll see a guy with five losses hailed as a prospect, but Wilson’s rise is as sure as it has been precarious. Entering his August 18th, 2005, match with fellow cruiserweight prospect Vadim Tokarev, the Ding-A-Ling Man had a decent record of 18-1-3, 15 KO’s. Tokarev totally dominated the match and won every round on two cards. This trouncing would begin a four-fight skid that saw Wilson lose decisions to Owen Beck, Felix Cora, JR., and Andre Purlette. However, since then Wilson has knocked out four in a row starting with Daniel “Zab’s brother” Judah, contender Dale Brown, former IBF Cruiserweight Champ, Kelvin Davis and Emmanuel Nwodo. The last performance was on ESPN 2’s “Fight Night Fights.” Wilson was losing on the cards when he knocked Nwodo down in the tenth. He followed that with a brilliantly brutal left hook knockout in the next round that Teddy Atlas called the most devastating he had ever seen on the program. Next up for Wilson is BJ Flores on the February 8th. Flores is 20-0, 13 KO’s, but largely untested.

Featherweight Thomas Snow 10-0, 8 KO’s, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, is a rare hard punching 125 pounder who can box and close the show. He’s a work in progress, but locals have compared him to Super Bantamweight kingpin Rafael Marquez.

Severn, Maryland, product light middleweight Jessie “Beast” Nicklow 14-0-1, 5 KO’s, is a slick boxer who avenged his draw to Matt Berkshire in the rematch last May with a 3rd TKO. He has fought four more times since against club level fighters and won them all. He’s only 20, but his fast hands and movement around the ring belay his perceived deficit in years aged.

Southpaw light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall 14-0, 2 KO’s from Baltimore, like Nicklow, has fast hands and is defensive minded. His current claim to fame is his victory over Mike “No Joke” Stewart’s little brother Richard.