BATB Year-In-Review: Beltway Boxer of The Year!

To say this was a tough decision is an understatement. As some have said, each candidate really made some good strides this year.

However, the decision came down to two and, although the two took divergent paths to get this recognition, there was not enough distinction between the two to give it to just one Beltway Boxer.

Therefore, BATB’s choices for Beltway Boxers of the Year are:

Lamont Peterson, junior welterweight, Washington, DC, 26-0, 12 KO’s and “The OC Bomber” Joshua Snyder, middleweight, Ocean City, MD, 8-3-1, three KO’s.

Lamont Peterson was able to maintain his present course en route to a world title, winning three bouts and an interim NABF junior welterweight title. Peterson started 2008 with a solid 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated (34-0) Antonio Mesquita on January 10 in Biloxi, MS. While Mesquita had more in-ring experience, Peterson handled his foe easily winning by shutout on one judge’s card and by a 99-90 score on another.

Peterson also made two visits to Las Vegas, winning his bout in July over Rogelio Castaneda, Jr. by ninth-round TKO and a 10-round unanimous decision over Lanardo Tyner in November.

Peterson has been able to not only upgrade his competition, but also change the perception of some in the sport who started 2008 believing that he had not reached world championship-caliber status. With three quality wins, Peterson has officially reached that level. Peterson is scheduled to get an interim WBO title shot in the first quarter of 2009, but a full-scale world title shot should be in his future by the middle of this year.


But in 2008, no one Beltway Boxer made a bigger move from virtual obscurity to prominence than the “OC Bomber” Joshua Snyder.

Snyder’s rise really started in November of 2007 when he pinned the first (and so far, only loss) on rising Pittsburgh, PA prospect Jimmy Lubash. In retrospect, the victory over Lubash was a sign of things to come.

Snyder’s four opponents in 2008 had a combined won-loss record of 37-2-1. The year started with a tough eight-round majority decision loss in January to then-undefeated Jessie Nicklow at the Pikesville Armory. To that point, no boxer had given Nicklow that much difficulty.

The next month, Snyder raised some eyebrows with a fourth-round TKO over tough Charles Norwood in Winchester, VA. This was the first time Norwood had been stopped in his six-bout career.

In June, Snyder received an opportunity to fight on national television (ESPN2). His opponent -- John Mackey – was undefeated going into the contest and had been boxing very well. The bout impressed those at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, PA as well as the national TV audience. Snyder knocked Mackey down twice in the bout, including a solid fourth-round knockdown that gave Snyder the four-round majority decision victory.

Snyder and Mackey would meet again in November at Fight Night 2008 in DC. The two battled hard once again – this time for six rounds. This time, however, judges couldn’t decide on a winner and the bout was declared a draw.

Snyder sealed his claim to this award in December with his eight-round split decision victory over previously undefeated Aaron Pryor, Jr. in Pryor’s hometown of Cincinnati, OH. That victory is one of those where a boxer who has become a champion can look back and see where the ascension to the next level began.

It was fun seeing Snyder sneak up on the boxing world. It will also be fun seeing Snyder continue his rise to the next level of the sport.


Others deserving consideration:

Anthony Peterson, lightweight, Washington, DC, 28-0, 19 KO’s

Peterson was able to win a NABF Interim title but was stymied by the politics of the sport. Without a substantial break in action, Peterson dropped from number one to number three in the WBO rankings. Look for Peterson to finally break through and earn a title shot once the logjam at the top finally breaks.

“The Persecutor” Mike Paschall, super middleweight, Baltimore, MD 18-1-1, four KO’s.

Paschall took a nice step up in competition, facing foes that had a lot more in-ring experience. After his relatively easy victory over Gary Lavender in January, Paschall put in an outstanding effort in April, scoring a fourth-round TKO over Bruce Rumbolz followed by a dominating eight-round unanimous decision in May over former world-title contender Larry Marks.

The Marks victory led to a nationally-televised (Showtime) bout against highly-touted prospect Andre Dirrell in Tacoma, WA in August. Paschall more than held his own during the bout before Dirrell opened up a nasty cut on the bridge of Paschall’s nose. The bleeding could not be stopped by the ringside official and the bout was stopped in the fourth. Paschall showed his heart by wanting to continue the bout.

Paschall bounced back with a rather lackluster six-round unanimous decision win over James Johnson in November.

Paschall’s goal for 2009 is to get back to the level where can get another Dirrell-like opportunity.

Fernando Guerrero – see Rookie of the Year


Bayan Jargal – see Prospect of the Year.