Ballard Named to USA Junior World Team Headed to Armenia in May!

Congratulations to Temple Hills, MD middleweight D'Mitrius Ballard who has made the USA team that will compete in the 2009 AIBA World Junior Boxing Championships in Yerevan, Armenia May 23-30.

The event, formerly known as the Cadet World Championships, features the top 15 and 16-year old in the world in what is often a showcase for future Olympians. The team will convene in Chula Vista, CA from May 13-21 before heading to Armenia. There will be more than 285 boxers from 39 countries.

Weights From Woodlawn!

Here is the scale watch for tomorrow's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD:

Cecil McCalla 158 1/2 vs. John Mackey 158

James Stevenson 152 vs. Dwayne Shelton 153

Emmanuel Taylor 144 vs. Moussa Zakou 143 3/4

Robert McConnell 200 3/4 vs. Kevin Johnson 210 1/2

Steve Wheeler 196 3/4 vs. Kareem Wilson 196 1/2

Maurice Byarm 265 vs. Hannibal Otey 226 1/2

May 2 Amateur-Pro Boxing Doubleheader Update!

Saturday, May 2 will be a big day of boxing in the Beltway region. There is amateur boxing in the morning and pro boxing in the evening. We have updates on both shows.

May 2 will be day two of the Junior Olympic East Central Regionals that will take place at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD. The tournament will begin on Friday, May 1 at 5 pm. Because Saturday is also the running of the Kentucky Derby, the action on May 2 will start at 10 AM. The championship day on Sunday, May 3 also begins at 10 AM. For information on tickets, call Lisa Watts at 301-567-4000.

Here is the Potomac Valley team that will participate in this weekend's regionals.

101 Pounds: Patrick Harris (Headbangers)

106 Pounds: Darryl Little (Headbangers)

114 Pounds: Gary Antonio Russell (Headbangers)

119 Pounds: Elijah Mack (Dream Team)

125 Pounds: Shadeed Floyd (Langdon)

132 Pounds: Parris Chisolm (Headbangers)

138 Pounds: Michael Reed (Dream Team)

We also have a couple of updates on the Saturday evening card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. Once again, Great Falls, VA junior middleweight Jimmy Lange will have a star-studded corner as he challenges Frank Houghtaling of New York for the vacant WBC USNBC Junior Middleweight title. Hall of fame trainer Angelo Dundee will make his fourth appearance in Lange's corner and Jimmy Glenn, who has worked with the likes of Floyd Patterson and Michael Spinks plus many others in his 50-plus year career, will once again serve as cutman.

Dundee and Glenn will be joined by new head trainer Don Turner who has worked with champions like Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes. Lange just returned from a four-week training camp under Turner in Arapahoe, NC. Turner replaces Buddy McGirt in what was termed an amicable change.

One minor change on the card: Haymarket, VA rookie welterweight Juan "The Savior" Rodriguez (2-0, two KO's) will have a new opponent: Dwartney Wortham of Atlanta, GA (0-1) replaces Spencer Harsley.

Also, hope you had a chance to catch the "Express Night Out" feature in the Washington Post Express today on Manassas, VA's Jennifer "The Bolivian" Salinas (9-1, three KO's), who will face Philadelphia, PA's Christina Leadbeater (2-2). If not, here it is.

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/04/mama_said_knock_you_out_jennifer_salinas.php">

The weigh-in will be held on Friday, May 1 at the Alpine Restaurant, 4770 Lee Highway (near corner of N. Glebe Road) in Arlington, VA at 11:30 AM and it is free and open to the public.

Kennedy Wins Majority Decision in Columbus!

I'm late on this one because I couldn't get details on how the bout went but Windsor Mill, MD middleweight Julius Kennedy scored a nice victory this past weekend with a six-round majority decision over Aaron Pryor, Jr. last Saturday in Columbus, OH.

No word on the judge's scores, but Kennedy won the bout in his first scheduled six-round contest. Kennedy is now 5-1, two KO's while Pryor falls to 12-2, nine KO's. Both of Pryor's losses have come against Beltway Boxers. Joshua Snyder won an eight-round split decision over Pryor on December 27 in Pryor's hometown of Cincinnati, OH.

Former Heavyweight Champ Greg Page Passes at 50!

I'm straying a bit from the Beltway scene with this post, but I felt I had to say something about former WBA Heavyweight champion Greg Page, who passed away today in his hometown of Louisville, KY at the age of 50.

Mr. Page was a part of two pivotal moments in my boxing journalism career. The first took place almost exactly 14 years ago -- April 29, 1995 -- the night of the "Beltway Brawl" card featuring the IBF Junior Middleweight championship bout between titleholder Vincent Pettway and challenger and former champion Simon Brown at the old USAir Arena in Largo, MD. I was working with our TV show "Boxing Spotlight" and we were interviewing boxers and celebrities in the locker room area. I was honored to be able to interview Page, who at that time was training Oliver McCall.

Mr. Page was a gracious interview, especially when he talked about his joy after winning the WBA heavyweight title in South Africa on December 1, 1984 during the height of that country's apartheid regime. I also remember asking him about the state of the heavyweight division at the time of our interview. He said that McCall was at the top (he was the WBC Heavyweight champion at the time), but the division was wide open. Little did I realize what would happen a year later.

On June 12, 1996, Boxing Spotlight taped a card in Raleigh, NC. Participating on that card -- as an active boxer -- was Greg Page, who was boxing for the second time in three years. Page scored a first-round knockout on that card. Once again, I interviewed the former world champion and I reminded him about our previous interview in Maryland.

"That's just it," Page said. "I was training boxers to fight guys I could beat myself." The victory that night in Raleigh was the second of 14 straight wins Page registered during that stretch, 12 of those wins came in the first round (including nine straight.) The streak stopped in a draw against the late Jerry Ballard in January of 1998 in Tampa, FL.

Then came the fateful night -- March 9, 2001 -- when Mr. Page faced Dale Crowe in Erlanger, KY. Page lost to Crowe by 10th-round knockout. Page never recovered from the injuries suffered in that bout and died from them today. Greg Page fought those injuries as honorably as he battled in the ring and he will be missed.

Update to April 30 Card in Woodlawn!

Here is the update on the Baltimore Pro Boxing card coming to Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD this Thursday, April 30.

The main event remains the eight-round matchup between undefeated Baltimore middleweight Cecil "AK-47" McCalla (6-0, two KO's) and John "No Mercy" Mackey of Montgomery, AL by way of DC (11-2-1, five KO's).

In the co-feature, Undefeated Baltimore welterweight James "Keep 'em Sleepin" Stevenson (7-0, seven KO's) will battle Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton of Louisa, VA (2-0) in a six-round contest.

Edgewood, MD rookie welterweight Emmanuel "Transformer" Taylor (1-0, one KO) will take on the debuting Moussa Zakou of Nigeria in a four-round contest.

Ellicott City, MD cruiserweight Robert "Mack Attack" McConnell (4-2, two KO's) will go up against Edgewood's Kevin Johnson (2-1, one KO) in a four-round heavyweight battle.

In another heavyweight bout, Baltimore's Maurice Byarm makes his pro debut against fellow Baltimore boxer Hannibal Otey (1-1).

And in a long-awaited pro debut, Baltimore's Steve Wheeler will take on DC's Kareem Wilson (0-2) in a heavyweight contest.

Baltimore welterweight Tim "Pitbull" Coleman (15-1-1, four KO's) is also scheduled to participate on the card in a bout scheduled for either six or eight rounds.

L. Peterson Wins Interim WBO Junior Welterweight Title!

DC's Lamont Peterson captured the interim WBO Junior Welterweight championship with a seventh-round TKO over Willy Blain at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico tonight.

There were no official knockdowns in the bout, but Blain hurt his right thumb during the contest and he was unable to continue. The bout was stopped at 1:49 of the seventh.

Peterson was able to land most of his power shots throughout the match. Blain landed shots but lacked the power of his opponent. Peterson remains undefeated at 27-0, 13 KO's while Blain falls for the first time in his career and he is 20-1, three KO's.

Lockett Stops Marks; Peterson Weighs in; Kennedy Battles Pryor in Ohio!

Takoma Park light heavyweight Willis "The Prophet" Lockett scored the biggest victory of his career, stopping former world title contender Larry "The Laser" Marks in the fourth round last night at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE.

According to reports, Lockett dropped Marks in the first round and went on to victory when Marks could not come off his stool to begin the fifth round. With the victory, Lockett raises his record to 11-7-5, five KO's while Marks falls to 29-11-1, 16 KO's.

In Bayamon, Puerto Rico, DC's Lamont Peterson weighed in at the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds for tonight's interim WBO Junior Welterweight title bout against Willy Blain, who weighed in at 138. The bout will be the opening contest on HBO's Boxing After Dark tonight at 10 PM ET.

And in Cincinnati, OH, Windsor Mill, MD middleweight Julius Kennedy takes on Aaron Pryor, Jr. in a scheduled six-round contest. Kennedy (4-1, two KO's) is coming off a fourth-round TKO victory over James Denson on April 2 in Glen Burnie, MD. Pryor (12-1, nine KO's) will try to avoid his second straight loss to a Beltway Boxer. Pryor lost an eight-round split decision to Joshua Snyder on December 27 in his hometown of Cincinnati.

Today, Kennedy weighed in at the middleweight limit of 160 while Pryor came in at 161.

By the way, this card is being promoted by DC's own "Fight Lady" Wanda Bruce and is a benefit card to raise money and awareness to fight diabetes.

Tucker Wins Split Decision in Westminster!

Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker remained undefeated with an eight-round split decision over Ross "The Boss" Thompson of Buffalo, NY tonight at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD.

Tucker also gained a learning experience along the way as he was taken through the eight-round distance for the first time in his young career. Tucker, who gave up nine pounds to his opponent (180 1/4 to 189 1/4), had a tough time dealing with the awkward style of Thompson, who used solid defense and countering shots to gain advantages.

Thompson might have lost his advantage on the scorecards near the end of the fight, where he slowed his offensive assault and seemed to look only to counter Tucker. However, judge Malik Waleed thought Thompson did enough to win and scored the contest 77-75. The other two judges -- Gary Camponeschi and Kenny Chevalier -- saw the bout differently at 78-74 and 77-75 for Tucker. BATB scored the bout 78-74 for Thompson.

With the win, Tucker is now 9-0, seven KO's while Thompson is 27-12-2, eight KO's.

In the co-feature, Laurel, MD super featherweight Ikem "The Warrior" Orji won a six-round unanimous decision over DC's Ron "Teflon" Boyd.

Boyd's gameplan employed more side-to-side movement, staying outside Orji's forward attack. Boyd, however, did not use a lot of offense in combination with the movement, so he was not given a lot of credit for ring generalship. The judges preferred Orji's forward movement, even though he didn't land a lot of punches either. Orji pitched a shutout on judge Don Risher's card (60-54) while judges Chevalier and John Gradowski scored the bout 59-55.

Orji bounces back from his loss to Anthony Flores in New Jersey in February and raises his record to 5-1, one KO. Boyd is now even at 6-6, two KO's.

Also on the card, Baltimore junior middleweight Omar Sims fought to a spirited four-round split decision draw with Jamar Freeman of Wilson, NC. Both men gave and took extremely well but neither man turned out to gain a clear advantage. If there was any advantage at all, it would have gone to Freeman if a knockdown had been judged in his favor. Late in the third round, Freeman seemed to drop Sims with a right hand. However, as Sims fell, Freeman tripped over him and also fell. Referee Camponeschi ruled there was no knockdown and the bout continued.

Sims has his second straight tough draw and is now 1-0-2, one KO while Freeman remains undefeated at 2-0-1.

In the opening bout, DC middleweight Robert "Rated X" Reed made an impressive pro debut as he stopped Zaid Malik of Cleveland, OH with a short right hand at 1:24 of the first round. Malik is 0-2.

Two other bouts were scratched because boxers in those bouts did not meet the medical guidelines of the Maryland State Athletic Commission.

Here is the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up for this card:

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #163 - Full Report From The Shipley Arena!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I talk about the TNT Promotions card at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD, including the valuable lesson Mark Tucker received to stay undefeated in the main event.

Thorpe Honored by Ring 101 Sunday at Martin's East!

Many of you who have followed amateur boxing in the Baltimore area know the name Tracy Thorpe. She has served as a referee for amateur bouts throughout the state and serves as the registration chair for the South Atlantic Association of USA Boxing, the committee that regulates boxing for Maryland (except Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

On Sunday, April 26, Thorpe will become the first female and the first African-American to receive the Harry Jaffra Award from the SAA. The award was named after the Baltimore-born former world featherweight champion. Thorpe will receive the award during the association's deluxe bull and oyster roast at Martin's East, 9000 Pulaski Highway in Baltimore, MD. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling 410-661-8722.

Also, belated congratulations to Marvin McDowell, the new president of the South Atlantic Association.

Friday Westminster Card Rounds Out!

Here is the rest of the TNT Promotions card for Friday, April 24 at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD:

Undefeated Baltimore welterweight Lenwood "Mr. Composure" Dozier (5-0-1, two KO's) will take on Damon Antoine of Akron, OH (9-28-2, four KO's) in a four or six-round contest.

Baltimore junior middleweight Omar Sims (1-0-1, one KO) battles Jamar Freeman of Westminster (2-0) in a four-round contest. Sims is coming off one of the best bouts of 2009 on March 19 in Woodlawn, MD when he survived two knockdowns to battle Marcus Williams to a four-round draw.

DC super middleweight Robert Reed will make his pro debut against Ohio's Zaid Malik (0-1) and Geneva, NY super middleweight Nick Brinson (2-0, two KO's) will take on veteran Micky Stackhouse of Spartansburg, SC (6-18-1, five KO's).

The main event remains the same: Eldersburg, MD light heavy Mark "TNT" Tucker battles veteran Ross "The Boss" Thompson of Albany, NY in an eight-round contest. The co-feature matches Beltway featherweights Ikem "The Warrior" Orji and Ron "Teflon" Boyd in a six-round bout.

Beltway Boxers in Action This Weekend!

A couple of big bouts for Beltway Boxers outside the area this weekend.

On Friday, April 24, Takoma Park, MD light heavyweight Willis "The Prophet" Lockett (10-7-5, four KO's) will be battling New Castle, DE's Larry "The Laser" Marks (29-10-1, 16 KO's) in a six-round contest at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE.

Then on Saturday, April 25 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Lamont Peterson (26-0, 12 KO's) of DC goes after the interim WBO Junior Welterweight title when he faces undefeated Willy Blain of France (20-0, three KO's) in a scheduled 12-round contest. The bout will be shown on HBO as the co-feature contest starting at 10 PM ET.

Amateur Boxing Returns To Michael's Wednesday Night!

(Mike) Paschall Promotions is bringing an amateur boxing card to Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie on Wednesday, April 22. There are 12 bouts scheduled. Some of the better talent from the region are slated to participate.

This is the rescheduled card from earlier this month.

Results From Junior Olympics!

Congratulations to all the DC Junior Olympic Champions. All 13/14 and 15/16 year old boxers will be moving on to the East Central Junior Olympic Regionals, which will be held the first weekend of May here in the DC area. The event was held at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD and the results come courtesy of DC Amateur Boxing:

8-year-old division
Unopposed Champions
55lbs Chamar Flowers (Headbangers)
60lbs Malcolm Lowery (Headbanger)
65lbs Quinten Johnson (Hillcrest)

9/10-year-old division
65lbs. Anwar Henson (Headbangers) def. Gregory Burton (Langdon)

Unopposed Champions
70lbs. Jabar Henson (Headbangers)
75lbs. Mansabury Conde (Cherry Lane)
80lbs DaNardo Johnson (No Xcuses)

11/12-year-olds division
70lbs. Jordan White def. Demetrius Young (SRL)
75lbs. Zimmie Dickinson (Dream Team) def. Keyshawn Williams (Headbangers)
80bs. Gregory Ross Jr. (No Xcuse) def. Deonte Washington (DNR)



13/14-year-olds division
85lbs. Marcus Wright (Dream Team ) def. Tarryl Robinson (Headbangers)
106lbs. Jonathan Parker (Tony's Gym) def. Andrew Sharrod (SRL)

Unopposed Champions
90lbs. Aujee Tyler (Headbagers)
101lbs. Malik Jackson
110lbs Juwon Ennus (Cherry Lane)
114lbs Lamont Roach (NoXcuses)
132lbs Kareem Martin (Headbangers)
145lbs DaQuan Johnson (NoXcuses)


15/16-year-old division
106lbs. Darryl Little (Headbangers) def. Brandon Patterson (Cherry Lane)
132lbs. Parris Chisholm (Headbangers) def. Rashard Board (Keystone)
145lbs. Antoine Douglas (Headbangers) def. Tavon Body (Cherry Lane)

Unopposed Champions
95lbs. Lawrence Singh
101lbs Patrick Harris (Headbangers)
114lbs. Gary Antonio Russell (Keystone)
119lbs. Elijah Mack (Dream Team)
125lbs Eric Hernandez (Old School)
138lbs Michael Reed (Dream Team)
154lbs Demond Nicholson (Cherry Lane)
165lbs D'mitrius Ballard (NoXcuse)
176lbs Jerry Odom (NoXcuse)

The Junior Olympic Regionals will be held on May 1, 2 and 3 also at Rosecroft. By the way, the action on Saturday, May 2 will begin at 10 AM because that is also the same day as the Kentucky Derby and many people in the afternoon and evening will come to watch the event on the screens.

Updates to Westminister, Woodlawn and Fairfax Cards!

We are entering a stretch in which there are three pro cards in an eight-day stretch. Here is an update on all three of the cards.

Undefeated Glen Burnie, MD junior middleweight Lenwood "Mr. Composure" Dozier (5-0-1, two KO's) has been added to the Friday, April 24 card at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD. Dozier won a four-round unanimous decision over Ken Dunham on the last Westminister card on February 20. No word yet on who Dozier's opponent will be.

The opponent for undefeated Baltimore welterweight James "Keep 'Em Sleepin' Stevenson (7-0, seven KO's) on Thursday, April 30 at Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD has changed. Doel Carrasquillo is out and Parkersburg, WVA's Chad "Taz" Greenleaf is in for the eight-round co-feature. Greenleaf (11-11-1, five KO's) is coming off a six-round TKO victory over Jesse Williams on March 27 in Parkersburg.

And the Saturday, May 2 card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA is starting to round out. Undefeated Haymarket, VA welterweight Juan "The Savior" Rodriguez (2-0, two KO's) will take on DC's "The Capitol Punisher" Spencer Harsley (1-10) in a four-round encounter.

In a four-round light heavyweight rematch, Fairfax, VA's Otganbayer Daivii will battle "The African Warrior" Francois Ambang of Richmond, VA. Ambang (2-2) won the first contest by four-round unanimous decision on February 20 in Westminster and since then, looked impressive in a four-round unanimous decision victory over Darryl Johnson on April 11 in Lynchburg, VA. Daivii (2-2-1, one KO) has not fought since the February 20th bout.

A couple of four-round all-DC matchups will also be a part of the undercard. There will be a lightweight tussle between Kendrick "Holy Hands" Walker (1-2, one KO) and Taurean Edwards (0-1) and a heavyweight battle between Delonte Marshall (0-2) and the debuting Andrew Jackson.

The top of the card remains the same with the main event being the 12-round contest for the WBC USNBC Junior Middleweight title between Jimmy Lange and Frank Houghtaling; the eight-round middleweight co-feature between Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller and Thomas Wilt; the four-round female featherweight contest between Jennifer Salinas and Christina Leadbeater and the featherweight rematch between "Tattoo" Tom Mitchell and Yieta Johnson.

History Lesson: Beltway National Golden Glove Champions!

The seven Beltway amateurs heading to the National Golden Gloves in Salt Lake City, UT will attempt to join an incredible list of 16 Beltway-area boxers who have won national titles. The names represent a who's who of area legends.

1973 and 1974: Sugar Ray Leonard

1976: Louis "Heidi" Curtis

1978: William "Flip" Johnson

1979: Kenny "The Technician" Baysmore

1982: Warren "Chico" Thompson

1985: Eugene "Sonny" Speed

1986: Anthony Wilson

1988: Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson

1991: Melvin "Top Gun" Foster

1992: James Harris

1995: DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley

1995 and 1997: "Dangerous" Dana Rucker

1998: Lamont "Bay" Pearson

2001: Lamont Peterson

2003: Anthony Peterson

2005: Gary Russell, Jr.

This star-studded list went on to accomplish much later in the amateurs and in the pros. There are three Olympians on this list (Leonard and Curtis, 1976 and Russell, Jr., 2005) three pro world champions (Leonard, Johnson and Corley) and numerous regional titlists.

One other name is added to this list because although he is from Philadelphia, Steve "USS" Cunningham boxed for the US Navy when he was an amateur so he fought out of the DC Region. Cunningham went on to win the IBF Cruiserweight title.

Beltway Sends Seven to National Golden Gloves!

There will be seven Beltway amateurs that will make the trip to Salt Lake City, UT and next month's National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions by virtue of their victories tonight during the Regional Golden Gloves Championships at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf, MD.

In the 152-pound championship, David Grayton of DC won a tough decision over Moshea Aleem of Richmond, VA in what many considered the bout of the night. Both young men traded very well and often during this bout. Grayton won the Truman E. Tuttle Memorial Award as the Outstanding Boxer of the tournament.

Suitland, MD's Antonio Magruder captured the 119-pound title by RSC-1 over Keenan Williams of Virginia Beach, VA. Magruder was extremely sharp with his shots during this contest.

White Marsh, MD's Travis Peterkin won the 165-pound championship by decision over Lamar Russ of Fayetteville, NC. Peterkin got off to a slow start but picked up the pace in the second and third rounds to win the title. Former WBO Heavyweight champion and 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist "Merciless" Ray Mercer worked Russ's corner.

Delmar, MD's Alexis Guerrero won the 201-pound title by decision over Bryant Tune of the United States Marine Corps (USMC)/Camp Lejeune, NC. Guerrero was extremely sharp in this bout, repeatedly beating Tune to the punch.

Three other Beltway Boxers won championships by walkover: Erick Cruz of DC (112 pounds), Landover, MD's Kevin Rivers (125 pounds) and Thomas Williams of Fort Washington, MD (178 pounds).

Three boxers from the Virginia/North Carolina region will head to the Nationals. Willie Jones of Burlington, NC provided the highlight of the night in the 141-pound championship using one devastating left hook to stop Marlon Bolen of Bowie, MD in the first round. Jones's punch sent Bolen crashing to the canvas in the first minute of the round.

In the 132-pound title bout, Todd Dekinderen of the USMC survived the loss of two points to defeat Elvis Medrano of DC by decision. Dekinderen had two points taken away for hitting behind the head. Medrano lost a point for holding.

In the 201+-pound contest Jerry Forrest of Newport News, VA won by decision over Ron Gamble of Laurel, MD in a really spirited bout.

The National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions will take place May 3-10 in Salt Lake City, UT.

In the Novice Division Championships, Beltway Boxers took eight of the nine championships. Here are the results:

119 pounds: Edgar Llivichuzhca (Dundalk, MD) defeated Frazier Hunter (Richmond, VA)

125 pounds: Paul Jerry (Hillcrest Heights, MD) defeated Magdiel Matias (USMC/Camp Lejeune). This was a highly controversial decision.

132 pounds: Seth Billups (Washington, DC) defeated Elias Sanchez (USMC/Camp Lejeune)

141 pounds: Chris Hernandez (Largo, MD) defeated Kirabel Tegbaru (Springfield, VA) This was the best bout of the novice division.

152 pounds: Marques Taylor (Temple Hills, MD) won by walkover versus Ricky Blake (Norfolk, VA)

165 pounds: Reginald Lucas (Baltimore, MD) defeated Jorge Valencia (USMC/Camp Lejeune)

178 pounds: Manuel Ramos (Leesburg, VA) won by walkover versus Antwan Ward (Newport News, VA)

201 pounds: Ben July (Suitland, MD) won by walkover versus Anthony Aguilar (Norfolk, VA)

201+ pounds: Dennis Benson (Norfolk, VA) RSC-2 over Antonio Williams (Washington, DC)

Orji-Boyd Featherweight Tussle Added to April 24 Card in Westminster!

An interesting featherweight matchup has been added to the TNT Promotions card on Friday, April 24 at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD.

Laurel, MD's Ikem "The Warrior" Orji will battle DC's Ron "Teflon" Boyd in a six-round contest. Orji (4-1, one KO) will try to bounce back from suffering his first pro loss -- a six-round unanimous decision to undefeated Anthony Flores on February 27 in East Rutherford, NJ. Boyd's last outing saw him break a four-bout losing streak by winning a six-round split decision over Dean White on the last card in Westminster on February 20.

Also slated to appear on the card will be undefeated Westminister-based junior middleweight Jamar Freeman and Newport News, VA middleweight Jeremiah Wiggins (both are 2-0) in separate bouts.

A special guest slated to attend is two-time world champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams, coming off his big win over Winky Wright.

Undefeated Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker, who will be in the eight-round main event against Ross "The Boss" Thompson, will appear on the 98 Rock Morning Show with Mickey, Amelia and Speigel on Monday, April 20.

McCalla-Mackey Matchup Headlines April 30 Card in Woodlawn!

A nice eight-round middleweight matchup headlines the Baltimore Pro Boxing card on Thursday, April 30 at Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD. Undefeated Cecil "AK-47" McCalla of Randallstown, MD will take on his toughest foe to date -- John "No Mercy" Mackey from Montgomery, AL by way of Washington, DC.

McCalla (6-0, two KO's) is coming off a strong, six-round unanimous decision victory over Anthony Little on March 19 in Woodlawn. Mackey (11-2-1, five KO's) lost his last contest, a 10-round unanimous decision to Anthony Greenridge for the NABA US Middleweight title on December 13 in Atlanta, GA.

The co-feature is slated to be another eight-round bout as undefeated Baltimore, MD welterweight James "Keep 'em Sleepin'" Stevenson (7-0, seven KO's) faces perhaps his toughest foe to date as he battles veteran Doel Carrasquillo of Reading, PA (12-11-1, 10 KO's). Stevenson scored a second-round TKO over Ken Dunham on the March 19 card in Woodlawn. Carrasquillo's last five opponents (including Stevenson) have had a combined won-loss record of 50-4-1. Carrasquillo went to the distance with four of those five (only Bayan Jargal scored a knockout on Carrasquillo in the final round of a scheduled eight-round contest on November 6 in DC).

Also slated to appear on this card is Baltimore junior welterweight Tim "Pitbull" Coleman (15-1-1, four KO's) who will battle Joshua "Poison" Onyango of Trenton, NJ (14-17-1, 11 KO's) in a bout scheduled for either six or eight rounds.

Five other bouts are scheduled for this card.

Palma Added to May 9 Card in Winchester -- And Wants Fans to Join Him!

Alexandria, VA lightweight Jamie "The Punisher" Palma has been added to the Saturday, May 9 card at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA. In a novel idea, Palma has cooked up a way for more fans to join him.

Palma has hired a 50-seat chartered bus to make the trip and fans have been invited to join him. All you have to do is buy a $40 ticket to the bout and the bus ride is free.

For more information, contact Palma at (703) 597-2398 or by email at japalma_76@hotmail.com.

By the way, Palma has a brand new trainer in Kay Koroma.

Bout Sheet For Junior Olympic Second Round!

Here is the bout sheet for the second round of action at the Junior Olympic Boxing Tournament this Saturday, April 18 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

The following are championship bouts:

13/14, 106 pounds: Andrew Sherrod (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Jonathan Parker (Tony's Gym)

9/10, 65 pounds: Gregory Burton (Langdon) vs. Anwar Henson (Headbangers)

11/12, 70 pounds: Demetrius Young (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Jordan White (unattached)

11/12, 75 pounds: Zimmie Dickinson (Dream Team) vs. Keeshawn Williams (Headbangers)

11/12, 80 pounds: Deonte Washington (Diamonds N' The Ruff) vs. Gregory Ross, Jr. (No Xcuse)

13/14, 85 pounds: Marcus Wright (Dream Team) vs. Tarryl Robinson (Headbangers)

15/16, 106 pounds: Brandon Patterson (Cherry Lane) vs. Darryl Little (Headbangers)

15/16, 119 pounds: Elijah Mack (Dream Team) vs. Shadeed Floyd (Langdon)

15/16, 132 pounds: Rashad Board (Keystone) vs. Parris Chisolm (Headbangers)

15/16, 145 pounds: Tavon Body (Cherry Lane) vs. Antoine Douglas (Headbangers)

In a second-round bout:

9/10, 80 pounds: Deron Crosby (Cherry Lane) vs. Edwin Jovel (Sugar Ray Leonard)


Unopposed champions:

8, 65 pounds: Quinten Johnson (Hillcrest)

9/10, 70 pounds: Jabar Henson (Headbangers)

9/10, 75 pounds: Mansabory Conde (Cherry Lane)

13/14, 101 pounds: Malik Jackson (Limelite)

13/14, 90 pounds: Aujee Tyler (Headbangers)

15/16, 95 pounds: Lawrence Singh (Headbangers)

9/10, 80 pounds: DaNardo Johnson, (No Xcuse)

13/14, 114 pounds: Lamont Roach Jr., (No Xcuse)

13/14, 145 pounds: DaQuan Johnon, (No Xcuse)

15/16, 165 pounds: D'mitrius Ballard (No Xcuse)

15/16, 176 pounds: Jerry Odom, (No Xcuse)

'The Bolivian' Salinas to Appear in Female Bout on May 2 Patriot Center Card!

For the first time in recent Patriot Center history, there will be a female bout added to the Saturday, May 2 card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. The bout features a featherweight prospect making her hometown debut.

Her name is Jennifer "The Bolivian" Salinas (above) and her road back to the Beltway area has taken her to a number of places around the world. Salinas was born in Alexandria, VA to a Bolivian father and an American mother. At age two, Salinas and her family moved to Santa Cruz, Bolivia where she lived until age 15.

The family moved back to the United States and settled in Grand Rapids, MI where Salinas was an active athlete competing in soccer, swimming, dance..and wrestling, where she competed on the Rogers High School wrestling team and more than held her own. Salinas finished fourth in the state at 125 pounds and eighth in the nationals as a sophomore.

Salinas entered the work world after her sophomore year (eventually earning her GED) and eventually took up boxing, winning Golden Glove honors before turning pro in 2004, the same year she had her first child. Salinas compiled a 9-1, three KO record before taking off two years after the birth of her second child.

The 26-year-old Salinas now fights out of Manassas, VA and works as a trainer at the LA Boxing gyms in Chantilly and Reston. Salinas will take on Christina Leadbeater of Philadelphia, PA (2-2) in a four-round bout.

Weekend Recap From Lynchburg, Wilkes-Barre, Morgantown and Atlantic City!

Due to travel constraints (returning late from Lynchburg), I was unable to recap everything that happened individually this weekend, so here is the recap.

Bedford, VA light heavyweight Scott “Cujo” Sigmon won an eight-round unanimous decision over Charleston, SC’s Toris “The Bull” Brewer in front of a packed house at the Lynchburg City Armory in Lynchburg, VA Saturday night.

Sigmon used improving offensive skills, including a blistering body attack in the early rounds to win those rounds. Brewer came back late but it wasn’t enough. Sigmon is now 6-1, two KO’s while Brewer is 14-3, six KO’s.

In the co-feature, Portsmouth, VA cruiserweight William “The Storm” Bailey defeated Waynesboro, VA’s “El Guerro” Juan Carlos Robles for the second straight time, winning an eight-round unanimous decision.

A confident Bailey proved to be a stylistic nightmare for Robles, beating him to the punch repeatedly. Bailey spent the bulk of the bout with his hands down, but was still too fast for Robles to hit him with any regularity.

Bailey is now 10-16-2, five KO’s while Robles falls to 12-3, five KO’s.

Other bouts on the card: Francois Ambang (2-2)of Richmond, VA won a four-round unanimous decision over the debuting Darryl Johnson of Columbia, SC.

David “D-Hop” Hopkins of Roanoke, VA scored a vicious third-round knockout over David “Do or Die” Derby of Outer Banks, NC. With less than a minute to go in the round, Hopkins landed a crushing right hand that dropped Derby face first to the canvas. Referee Chris Wollesen immediately stopped the contest at 2:15 of the round.

Hopkins remains undefeated at 2-0, one KO while Derby remains winless at 0-2.

Palm Bay, Fl middleweight Richard Grant won a four-round unanimous decision over Dwayne Davis of Roanoke. Grant is now 2-2 while Davis is 0-2-1.

Heavyweight Donnell “The Real Touch of Sleep” Holmes of Ivanhoe, NC scored a second-round TKO over Curtis Taylor of Danville, VA. Holmes dropped Taylor three times in the second before the bout was stopped at 2:59 of the round.

Here is the BATB Post Fight Wrap-Up for this card:

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #162 - Full Report from Lynchburg!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I recap the Major League Boxing Card from the Lynchburg City Armory in Lynchburg,VA!




Also on Saturday, Two Beltway Boxers were in action at the Woodlands Resort in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Baltimore lightweight Raymondo Elliott scored his first pro victory with a second-round knockout over Clinton Douglas of Philadelphia. Elliott used a barrage of punches to eventually stop Douglas at 36 seconds of the second. Elliott is now 1-1, one KO while Douglas is now 2-3-2.

Also, Baltimore super featherweight Darrell Martin lost the six-round main event on that card to undefeated Antonio Espinosa of West New York, NJ by unanimous decision. Espinosa won by shutout (60-54) on all three judge’s cards. Martin is now 4-8, one KO while Espinosa is 10-0, one KO.

In Morgantown, WVA, “The People’s Champion” Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA won a four-round unanimous decision over Allen Prescott of North Carolina in a heavyweight bout. The win breaks a seven-bout winless streak for Felton, who raises his record to 6-14, five KO’s while Prescott falls to 2-3, one KO.

Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail “The Arsenal” Arvin was slated to take on Derek Ennis for the USBA title in Atlantic City Saturday night. Thanks to numerous sources who have checked in saying that the bout was scrapped because Ennis could not make the 154-pound weight limit.

Quick Reminder of Internet Pay-per-View!

Don't forget to join "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I tonight live from the Lynchburg City Armory on www.youcastr.com or www.majorleagueboxing.com for the "Beware of Dog" card.

The broadcast costs $4.99 and will be on the air at 6 PM ET. Hope you can join us!

Corley Loses Controversial Decision in Arizona!

DC's DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley scored a knockdown in the third round, but it wasn't enough as the former world champion lost an eight-round unanimous decision to undefeated Hector "El Flaco" Sanchez of Puerto Rico in front of a nationally televised ESPN2 audience at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, AZ.

Corley dropped Sanchez with a solid uppercut in the third and seemed to be doing well but lost his aggression in the later rounds. All three judges scored the bout 77-74. Terrible decision.

With the loss, Corley falls to 33-11-1, 19 KO's while Sanchez remains undefeated at 18-0, eight KO's.

Mayes Captures Maryland Title With Late Knockout!

Henry "Hurricane" Mayes captured the Maryland State Light Heavyweight championship with a 10th round TKO over fellow Baltimore boxer Willie "For Real" Williams in a Beltway Bout of the Year candidate at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

The third bout in this trilogy looked like the first two bouts between these two warriors -- even -- during the first five rounds. Both men had advantages with Mayes using his ring generalship in the early going and Williams picking up the pace as the bout headed to the middle rounds.

Mayes turned the tide of the bout for good late in the ninth round by landing a crushing left-right combination that dropped Williams to the canvas with 10 seconds remaining in the round. Williams barely beat referee Malik Waleed's count.

Mayes sealed the victory early in the 10th when he rocked the game Williams with lefts and rights, forcing the stoppage at 20 seconds of the round.

With the win, Mayes raises his record to 8-6-3, five KO's while Williams falls to 12-4-2, three KO's.

Other results on the card:

Tim "Pitbull" Coleman of Baltimore scored an impressive third-round TKO over Carlos "El Perro" Cisneros of Mount Rainer, MD in a junior welterweight matchup. Coleman was on top of Cisneros from the opening bell, making the bout a lot easier than their first matchup in 2007. The Cisneros corner threw in the towel and the bout was stopped at 2:50 of the third. Coleman is now 15-1-1, four KO's while Cisneros is 9-17-1, six KO's.

Waldorf, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell won a workmanlike six-round unanimous decision over Andrew Greeley of Monroe, LA. Mitchell pitched a shutout on all three of the judge's cards, winning 60-54 and raising his record to 11-0-1, seven KO's. Greeley falls to 14-26-1, eight KO's.

Ellicott City, MD cruiserweight Robert "Mack Attack" McConnell registered a fourth-round TKO over Fred McClinton of Wilmington, NC. McClinton was rocked late in the contest and was trying to hold on for dear life before referee John Gradowski stopped the bout at 2:08 of the fourth. McConnell, who donated his purse to the Wounded Veterans Foundation at Fort Meade, MD, raised his record to 4-2, two KO's while McClinton lost for the first time in his career and he falls to 1-1, one KO.

Severna Park, MD junior middleweight Shelly Seivert won a tough, four-round majority decision over Rachel Clark of Fayetteville, NC. This was a solid, give-and-take battle with both ladies landing crushing shots. Seivert won 39-37 on two of the judge's cards and raises her record to 4-1, one KO with the win. Clark falls to 2-1-1, two KO's.

Now, here is the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up for this card.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #161 - Full Report From Baltimore!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I recap an exciting card from Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, including the incredible matchup for the Maryland State Light Heavyweight title!

Tucker To Face 'Boss' Thompson April 24 in Westminster!

Undefeated Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker has an opponent for his Friday, April 24 main event contest at the Shipley Arena in Westminster, MD.

Tucker (8-0, seven KO's) will take on veteran Ross "The Boss" Thompson of Buffalo, NY in an eight-round contest. Thompson (27-12-2, 17 KO's) has fought a who's who of champions and contenders throughout his 16-year career including Kelly Pavlik, Jeff Lacy, Fernando Vargas, Aaron Davis, Mads Larsen and Antwun Echols. Thompson went the distance with Pavlik, Lacy and Echols and lost by fourth-round stoppage to Vargas for the IBF Junior Middleweight title. Thompson has only been stopped inside the distance three times in his career and it hasn't happened since 2003.

Tucker will be the third Beltway Boxer that Thompson has faced in his career. Thompson lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Henry Buchanan on March 1, 2008 in Carson, CA and stopped Antonio Reese in the fifth round on the "Triple Jeopardy" card on April 24, 1999 at Verizon Center in DC.

Corley Weighs 141 For ESPN2 Bout in Arizona!

Former WBO Junior Welterweight champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley weighed in at 141 pounds for his ESPN2 co-feature bout against undefeated Hector "El Flaco" Sanchez tonight at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, AZ. Sanchez tipped the scales at 140 1/4 for the eight-round contest.

The Friday Night Fights telecast starts tonight at 10:30 ET or immediately following the NBA telecast.

Weights From Baltimore!

Here is the scale watch for tonight's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, MD:

Henry Mayes 171 3/4 vs. Willie Williams 173 1/4

Tim Coleman 141 1/2 vs. Carlos Cisneros 141

Seth Mitchell 247 vs. Andrew Greeley 240 1/2

Rob McConnell 193 1/2 vs. Fred McClinton 195 1/4

Shelley Seivert 159 1/2 vs. Rachel Clark 152

Farmer, Jargal Headline May 9 Card in Winchester, VA!

Front Royal, VA junior welterweight Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer and Arlington, VA lightweight "The Mongolian Mongoose" Bayan Jargal will participate in co-feature bouts on the "Tomorrow's Champions 11" card on Saturday, May 9 at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA.

Farmer (11-1, seven KO's) is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over Cesar Vega back on August 9 in Salem, VA while the undefeated Jargal (11-0-1, eight KO's) scored a third-round knockout over Reggie Nash on the last Winchester card on March 14 and is working on a five-bout knockout streak. The opponents for both men have yet to be determined.

With this card, Left Hook Promotions, LLC, the company run by Scott Farmer, becomes the second area promotion to partner with TKO Promotions of Houston, TX under the "Hometown Heroes to World Champions" banner. Two other promotional companies will be involved in the card -- Pro-Motion Sports of Virginia and Let's Get It On Promotions of Reno, NV, the company that recently signed Jargal to a promotional contract.

Bouts Announced For Regional Golden Gloves!

The matchups are now official for the Regional Golden Gloves Championships that will take place on Friday, April 17 at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf, MD. The bouts pit the champions from DC and Maryland versus the winners from Virginia and North Carolina plus boxers from the US Naval Academy and the US Marine Corps.

Here are the scheduled bouts:

Novice Division:

119 pounds: Edgar Llivichuzca (Dundalk, MD) vs. Frazier Hunter (Richmond, VA)

125 pounds: Paul Jerry (Hillcrest Heights, MD) vs. Magdiel Matias (USMC, Camp Lejune)

132 pounds: Seth Billups (Washington, DC) vs. Elias Sanchez (USMC, Camp Lejune)

141 pounds: Chris Hernandez (Largo, MD) vs. Kirabel Tegbaru (Springfield, VA)

152 pounds: Marques Taylor (Temple Hills, MD) vs. Ricky Blake (Norfolk, VA)

165 pounds: Reginald Lucas (Baltimore, MD) vs. Jorge Valencia (USMC, Camp Lejune)

178 pounds: Manuel Ramos (Leesburg, VA) vs. Antwan Ward (Newport News, VA)

201 pounds: Ben July (Suitland, MD) vs. Anthony Aguilar (Norfolk, VA)

201+ pounds: Antonio Williams (Washington, DC) vs. Dennis Benson (Norfolk, VA)


Open Division:

112 pounds: Erick Cruz (Washington, DC) vs. Jesus Aguilera (US Naval Academy)

119 pounds: Antonio Magruder (Suitland, MD) vs. Keenan Williams (Virginia Beach, VA)

125 pounds: Kevin Rivers (Landover, MD) vs. Unopposed

132 pounds: Elvis Medrano (Washington, DC) vs. Todd Dekinderen (USMC, Camp Lejune)

141 pounds: Marlon Bolen (Bowie, MD) vs. Willie Jones (Burlington, NC)

152 pounds: David Grayton (Washington, DC) vs. Moshea Aleem (Richmond, VA)

165 pounds: Travis Peterkin (White Marsh, MD) vs. Lamar Russ (Fayetteville, NC)

178 pounds: Thomas Williams (Fort Washington, MD) vs. Monreco Goldston (Durham, NC)

201 pounds: Alexis Guerrero (Delmar, MD) vs. Bryant Tune (USMC, Camp Lejune)

201+ pounds: Ron Gamble (Laurel, MD) vs. Jerry Forrest (Newport News, VA)

The winners in the Open Division will advance to the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions May 3-10 in Salt Lake City, UT.

Beltway Boxing in Mainstream Press!

Here are a couple of articles concerning recent Beltway Boxing activity that were found in the mainstream news.

Terron Hampton of The Gazette covered the recent Washington Golden Gloves championships with an emphasis on the gyms in Prince George's County. His article can be found here:

"http://www.gazette.net/stories/04022009/laurspo124804_32472.shtml">a href="http://www.gazette.net/stories/04022009/laurspo124804_32472.shtml">

Also, Washington Times Columnist Thom Loverro gave glowing praise to last week's National Collegiate Boxing Championships on his blog "Lovey Land." That can be found here:

"http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/lovey-land/2009/apr/05/college-boxing-championships-maryland/">a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/lovey-land/2009/apr/05/college-boxing-championships-maryland/">

Rivera Injured And Off Saturday Card in Lynchburg!

Fluvanna, VA junior middleweight George "Wartime" Rivera suffered an injury in training and is off this Saturday's Major League Boxing card at the Lynchburg City Armory in Lynchburg, VA. No official word on what type of injury Rivera suffered.

The rest of the card remains intact as does the internet pay-per-view broadcast which will begin at 6 PM ET on www.youcastr.com. The broadcast, hosted by "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and yours truly, costs $4.99.

Mayes, Williams Discuss Trilogy Bout for MD State Title!

In these interviews, Baltimore light heavyweights Henry "Hurricane" Mayes and Willie "For Real" Williams discuss their Friday, April 10 bout -- the third contest between them -- for the Maryland State Light Heavyweight title. Find out how both men plan to avoid the same result as the last two encounters -- both draws.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #159 - 'Hurricane' Mayes Discusses Trilogy Bout!

Baltimore light heavyweight Henry "Hurricane" Mayes discusses his third bout against fellow Baltimore boxer Willie "For Real" Williams for the Maryland State Light Heavyweightt title on April 10 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.



Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #160 - 'For Real' Wiliams Discusses MD State Title Bout!

Baltimore light heavyweight and East Coast champion Willie "For Real" Williams talks about his third bout against fellow Baltimore boxer Henry "Hurricane" Mayes, a 10-rounder for the Maryland State Light Heavyweight title.

PVA Presents Junior Olympic Tourney at Rosecroft Beginning April 11!

The Potomac Valley Boxing Association is presenting the 2009 Junior Olympic Tournament beginning Saturday, April 11 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

The tournament will run each Saturday through April, followed by the regional championships which will take place on May 8-10, also at Rosecroft.

This is a general seating event costing $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets are sold for each day of action.

Update to April 10 Card in Baltimore!

The Baltimore Pro Boxing on Friday, April 10 at Du Burns Arena is coming together. Here's what's on tap so far:

The main event remains the 10-round matchup for the Maryland State Light Heavyweight title -- the third matchup between Baltimore Boxers Henry "Hurricane" Mayes and Willie "For Real" Williams. The first two contests ended in draws.

The co-feature will involve undefeated Baltimore welterweight James "Keep 'Em Sleepin'" Stevenson in a matchup scheduled for either six or eight rounds depending on who the opponent will be.

In an eight-round rematch, Baltimore junior welterweight Tim "Pit Bull" Coleman will take on Bladensburg, MD-based Carlos "El Perro" Cisneros.

Undefeated Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell will take on Monroe, LA's Andrew Greeley in a six-round contest.

Two of the Beltway Rookie Class of 2009 will try to build on their pro debut successes. Lightweight Emmanuel Taylor of Edgewood, MD will face DC's Derrick White, who will be making his pro debut. Baltimore junior welterweight Angelo Ward will also be in a four-round contest against an opponent to be determined.

In another pro debut, Bladensburg, MD's Ty Wright will take on debuting Darrell Kelly of Indiana.

In other bouts on the card, Ellicott City, MD cruiserweight Robert "Mack Attack" McConnell will face Fred McClinton of Winston-Salem, NC in a four-round bout. McConnell will donate his purse to the Wounded Warriors Foundation in Fort Meade, MD. Also, Severna Park, MD's Shelly Sievert returns to face Rachel Clark of North Carolina in another four-round bout.

There are also three scheduled amateur contests on the card. You can hear Baltimore Pro Boxing head Jake Smith along with legendary trainer Kevin Rooney and Shelly Sievert on the 98 Rock Morning Show with Mickey, Amelia and Speigel this Wednesday morning at 7:10 AM.

Beltway Amateurs Win Bouts in Wilmington!

Six Beltway amateurs won bouts at the Azalea Festival Tournament in Wilmington, NC over the weekend. Here are the winning results:

70 pounds: Jordon White defeated Talon Coraboho

80 pounds: Greg Ross defeated Trone Mims

114 pounds: Lamont Roach defeated Mekyla Collins

132 pounds: Dusty Harrison defeated Carl Perry

152 pounds: Wally Allen defeated Roger Downs

165 pounds: Dimitrius Ballard defeated William Light

Navy Boxers Capture Two Titles; Army Wins Second Straight Team Title at Collegiate Nationals!

In front of a raucous crowd at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum, boxers from four of the country's service academies captured 10 of 12 individual titles at the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) Collegiate Boxing Championships.

The US Naval Academy won two titles during the evening. Mike Steadman won his second straight 175-pound title defeating Sam Greenwood of The Citadel. Steadman was named the outstanding boxer for participants 147 pounds and over. Also, Evan Nordstrom won the 195-pound championship, defeating Patrick Frost of the US Coast Guard Academy by RSC-2.

For the second year in a row, the team trophy went to the US Military Academy. Army boxers won four titles with two of the championships going to defending champions. Danilo Garcia captured his second straight 125-pound title defeating Jake Winowich of Penn State University. Garcia also captured the Outstanding Boxer trophy for participants under 147 pounds. In the 156-pound category, Ryle Stous won his second title in his second weight class, defeated Ryan Kotey of University of Nevada-Reno. Stous was the champion at 165-pounds last year. Last year, Kotey won the 156-pound championship.

In the heavyweight category, Army boxer Cedric Frasier won the championship over the Navy's Nathan Jester. Also, Terrell Anthony of the US Military Academy won the 139-pound class by medical walkover against Antone Aku of the Naval Academy. Despite being unable to participate in the final because of a cut along his eye, Aku won the tournament's Sportsmanship Award.

The US Air Force Academy won three titles. Matt DeMars won the 112-pound title defeating Logan Hershman of the Naval Academy while Jesse Horton captured the 119-pound championship with a victory over the US Military Academy's Andrew Manglicmont. Also, Boyce Loomis won the 185-pound crown with a win over Army boxer Jody Chapman.

In other title bouts, Travis Murray of the US Coast Guard Academy won the 165-pound title with a victory over the Army's Will Myers. Marc Sanchez of San Jose State won the 132-pound championship, defeating Jarrell Hill of Mansfield University and Jamyle Cannon of the University of Kentucky captured the 147-pound title with a win over Steve Henoa-Escobar of the US Military Academy.

There was also a women's national invitational earlier in the evening. The University of Maryland's first female boxer -- Elizabeth Morgan -- won the 125-pound championship defeating Bonnie Kirkpatrick of University of California-Berkeley. Two other Cal-Berkeley boxers won their bouts. Lauren Pettis captured the 147-pound division with a victory over Renae Santa Cruz of the University of San Francisco and Inga Lamick won the 132-pound class, defeating West Virginia University's Mary Beth Giles.

The University of Maryland Terps Boxing Club hosted the three-day event, which long-time observers called the most competitive national tournament in recent years. Among the guests in attendance was Ben Alperstein, a member of the Maryland Boxing team who was the first Terps athlete to win a national title in ANY sport at the University of Maryland. Also, there were some familiar Beltway faces among the NCBA officials -- Brent Bovell served as a referee and a judge during the event while Rick Ellis was the timekeeper. DC Boxing Hall of Famer Henry "Discombobulating" Jones served as ring announcer.

A good amount of sound from this event for you.

BATB had the honor to talk to two writing legends -- Thom Loverro of The Washington Times and legendary historian Bert Randolph Sugar, a DC native and member of the last University of Maryland varsity boxing team in 1955.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #156 - Writing Champions Comment on Collegiate Championships!

Two of the best writers around --Thom Loverro of the Washington Times and legendary historian Bert Randolph Sugar ( a DC native and a member of the 1955 Maryland Boxing team) discuss the importance of the college boxing program.




BATB also talked to one of the more popular boxers of the evening -- two-time 175-pound champion Mike Steadman of the US Naval Academy.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #157 - Two-Time Collegiate Champion Talks to BATB!

Two-time 175-pound national champion Mike Steadman of the US Naval Academy talks about his title win over Sam Greenwood of The Citadel. After this interview, Steadman won the Outstanding Boxer trophy for boxers over 147 pounds.




And, in a very special edition of the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up show, long-time boxing writer and collegiate boxing official JR Jowett joins me in a detailed breakdown of tonight's championship bouts (first couple of minutes are a little garbled but it DOES clear up.)

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #158 - Post-Fight From NCBA Collegiate Nationals!

Long-time boxing writer and collegiate official J.R. Jowett joins me to break down the action from the final day of the NCBA Collegiate Nationals at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum !

Wade Wins By Second-Round TKO in Memphis!

(Photo by John Gleeson)


Largo, MD rookie middleweight Dominic Wade won his second pro bout by knockout with an end of second-round TKO over Luis Hodge at Haney Park in Memphis, TN.

Wade scored a knockdown in the first round and continued his assault through some roughhouse tactics that Hodge tried to employ. Wade's hard punches convinced Hodge's corner to keep their man on his stool after the end of the second round.

Wade is now 2-0, two KO's while Hodge falls to 5-8-1, three KO's.

Snow Recovering from Gunshot Wound!

Capitol Heights, MD featherweight Thomas "KO" Snow is recovering from gunshot wounds suffered in an apparent case of mistaken identity last night.

Reports say that Snow and Gary Russell, Jr. were leaving the gym after a workout when gunmen fired on them. Snow was shot once in the leg and Russell was not injured. Reportedly, Snow is in good condition and recuperating in a local hospital.

Snow was slated to take on Wilshaun Boxley on a card in St.Paul, MN tomorrow evening.

Lynchburg Major League Boxing Card to be Shown Live on Internet PPV!

Here are some more details on an item mentioned during last night's BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up -- the internet Pay-Per-View broadcast on Saturday, April 11 originating live from the Lynchburg City Armory in Lynchburg, VA.

The Major League Boxing promotion will feature Lynchburg, VA's own Scott "Cujo" Sigmon (5-1, two KO's) taking on Toris "The Bull" Brewer of Charleston, SC (14-2, six KO's) in an eight-round light heavyweight battle.

Also on the card, Waynesboro, VA cruiser "El Guerro" Juan Carlos Robles (12-2, five KO's) facing Pearl Dotson (7-2, four KO's) of Huntington, WV in a six-round bout and Fluvanna, VA middleweight George "Wartime" Rivera (10-4, three KO's) will battle Michael "The Godfather" Corleone of New York City (11-23-3, two KO's) in a six-round contest. There will be four other bouts on the card.

I am excited to say that I will be handling the play-by-play duties for the internet broadcast alongside "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears.

The webcast will cost $4.99 and will be shown by going to www.youcastr.com and clicking on the link

http://majorleagueboxing.youcastrsports.com/live

Major League Boxing also has a page on Youcastr.com that shows their upcoming events. That can be found here: http://majorleagueboxing.youcastrsports.com/home

MORE INFO: In order to watch the pay-per-view, you have to be registered with Youcastr.com (don't worry, its free). The payments are processed through Amazon.com so you may want to set up an account prior to April 11.

Wade Weighs 161 For Friday Fight in Memphis!

Largo, MD middleweight Dominic Wade weighed in at 161 pounds for his bout in Haney Park in Memphis, TN tonight. Wade's opponent, Luis Hodge, tipped the scales at 163 pounds.

This bout will be part of a free outdoor card that's part of the commemoration of the 41st anniversary of the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The card is being televised by ESPN2, but Wade's bout is not scheduled to appear on the Friday Night Fights telecast.

Paschall, Kennedy, Johnson Victorious in Glen Burnie!

"The Persecutor" Mike Paschall won a six-round unanimous decision over "The Punching Policeman" Sam Hill in the co-feature super middleweight bout during the Ballroom Boxing/TKO Promotions card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Paschall gained a shutout on the card of judge Don Risher at 60-54. Judges Gary Camponeschi and Kenny Chevalier scored the bout 59-55. Paschall raises his record to 19-1-1, four KO's while Hill falls to 17-11-1, 10 KO's.

"Vicious" Julius Kennedy of Baltimore stopped Akron, OH's James Denson in the fourth round of their junior middleweight contest. Kennedy is now 4-1, two KO's while Denson is now even at 4-4, two KO's.

In a heavyweight bout, Kevin Johnson of Baltimore won a four-round unanimous decision over Kareem Wilson of DC. Johnson is now 2-1, one KO while Wilson is 0-2.

Tyrell Samuel fought a four-round exhibition with Mickey Bey of Cleveland, OH.

In other bouts on the card, the main event saw Calgary, Alberta Canada middleweight Albert "The Punisher" Onolunose win an eight-round unanimous decision over Phoenix, AZ's Anthony Bartinelli. Onolunose, a native of Nigeria who was making his US debut, remains undefeated at 17-0, six KO's while Bartinelli falls to 20-12-2, 13 KO's.

Hartford, CT featherweight and WBC Youth Featherweight and WBC USNBC titleholder Matt "The Sharpshooter" Remillard scored a third round TKO over Jesus "El Deficil" Perez of Miami by way of Colombia. Perez was dropped once and could not answer the bell for the fourth round. Remillard is 17-0, eight KO's while Perez is 25-25-3, 14 KO's.

Ballroom Boxing and TKO Promotions combined to work on this card. The matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.

Here is the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up for this card.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #155 - Full Report From Glen Burnie!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I recap the Ballroom Boxing/TKO Promotions card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie!

Weights From Glen Burnie!

Here are the weights for tomorrow night's Ballroom Boxing/TKO Promotions card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:

Mike Paschall 168 1/2 vs. Sam Hill 166

Julius Kennedy 154 vs. James Denson 155 3/4

Kevin Johnson 219 3/4 vs. Kareem Wilson 209 1/4

Matt Remillard 127 1/2 vs. Jesus Perez 131 1/2

Albert Onolunose 159 1/2 vs. Anthony Bartinelli 161


There are some changes to the card. Baltimore's Tyrell Samuel is off the card. No official reason has been given for this situation. The four-round heavyweight bout was a late addition between Baltimore's Johnson (1-1, one KO) and DC's Wilson (0-1). Also, Remillard will now face Perez in place of Mickey Bey, who was Perez's scheduled opponent.

Winners From VA/NC Golden Gloves!

Here are the winners from the Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves Championships that took place this past weekend in Virginia Beach, VA:

Novice Division:

119 pounds: Frazier Hunter (Ninth Dimension Sports Circle)

125 pounds: Magel Matias (USMC Boxing)

132 pounds: Elias Sanchez (USMC Boxing)

141 pounds: Kirabel Tegbaru (Annandale Boxing Club)

152 pounds: Ricky Blake (Team Norfolk)

Sub-Novice 152 pounds: Sam Datta (Staunton Boxing Club)

165 pounds: Jorge Valencia (USMC Boxing)

Sub-Novice 165 pounds: Sam Brooks (757 Boxing Club)

178 pounds: Antwan Ward (Peninsula Boxing Academy)

Sub-Novice 178 pounds: Patrick Coye (Alexandria Boxing Club)

201 pounds: Anthony Aguilar (757 Boxing Club)

201+ pounds: Dennis Benson (Team ILA)

Sub-Novice 201+ pounds: Frank Jones (Melrose Athletic Club)


Open Division:

132 pounds: Todd DeKinderen (USMC Boxing)

141 pounds: Willie Jones (Inner-City Boxing Club)

152 pounds: Moshea Aleem (Ninth Dimension Sports Circle)

165 pounds: Lamar Russ (Fayetteville State University)

178 pounds: Monreco Goldston (Inner-City Boxing Club)

201 pounds: Bryant Tune (USMC Boxing)

The Inner-City Boxing Club of Raleigh, NC won the team title. Elias Sanchez of the USMC Boxing team won the best novice award while Moshea Aleem from Ninth Dimension Sports Circle took the award for best open boxer.

These are the boxers that are slated to take on the DC/MD champions at the Regional Golden Glove Championships on Friday, April 17 at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf, MD.

Maryland Independent Covers Golden Gloves in Waldorf!

The recent Washington Golden Gloves in Waldorf received some nice coverage from Tammy Showalter of the Maryland Independent. Showalter's article covers the "Golden Victory" for the Beltway amateurs. Staff photographer Emily Barnes provides the nice pictures.

Here is the link:

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