Bernard Hopkins Title Bout in DC Caps Packed Spring Beltway Boxing Schedule!

Our Post-Fight Wrap-Up cut off before we could announce some of the events slated for the spring Beltway Boxing schedule, so we are going to announce some of the cards here.

Normally, we post a schedule in chronological order. However, what is slated to happen at the end of the schedule is going to be big so it will get top billing.

What you may have heard or read is true.  The oldest man to ever hold a world championship -- 49-year-old Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins  -- will be coming to the DC Armory on Saturday, April 19 to try and become the oldest man to unify portions of a world title.  IBF Light Heavyweight champ Hopkins will face the WBA titleholder Beibut Shumenov of Kazakhstan in the 12-round main event on this card.

If you know anything about the career of Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KO's)  you know that a number of the big moments in his career took place in the Beltway region.  Hopkins made his first try at a world title on May 22, 1993 when he lost a 12-round unanimous decision to Roy  Jones, Jr. for the vacant IBF Middleweight title at RFK Stadium in the co-feature to Riddick Bowe-Jesse Ferguson.  On April 29, 1995, Hopkins would finally win his first title -- the IBF crown -- at the USAir Arena in Landover, MD, scoring a seventh-round TKO over Segundo Mercado in the co-feature to the title bout between Vincent Pettway and Simon Brown.

Hopkins would successfully defend the IBF title against four legendary Beltway Boxers -- Brown, Andrew Council, Keith Holmes and William Joppy -- during his career and also make a title defense in DC when he defeated Robert Allen on February 6, 1999 at the Washington Convention Center.

Hopkins told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael that he is looking forward to returning to the nation's capitol.

"When I was in Washington (on Jan. 25) promoting the Lamont Peterson (junior welterweight title) fight at the Armory, the people there showed me a lot of love and respect," Hopkins said. "I got mad respect for the fans there and they got mad respect for me in D.C. Fighting in D.C. is like fighting in Philly as far as I'm concerned. It will definitely be a Bernard Hopkins house and I will give them something to cheer about."

If speculation turns out to be true, April 19 may be a strong house for a local boxer as well.  There are rumors that there will be another title bout on this card.  Speculations run rampant that undefeated Capitol Heights, MD featherweight "Mr." Gary Russell, Jr. will be on the card and will challenge WBC Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez for the title in the co-feature bout.  If this pans out, it will be the first time that Russell will compete in front of his home fans.  We'll keep you posted.

That is just part of what looks to be an outstanding Spring slate of Beltway Boxing.  Here is what the rest of the schedule looks like at this moment:

The Saturday, March 1 card slated to be in Millersville, MD at Club One Fitness is off. If you want to see some Beltway Boxers in action on that day, you can go to the Boonsboro Ruritan Club in Lynchburg, VA for the rematch between Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow and Scott "Cujo" Sigmon.  Nicklow won the first bout against Sigmon in March of 2010 via a 10-round unanimous decision in one of the trilogy of contests between Nicklow, Sigmon and Julius Kennedy that was named the Beltway Boxing Bout of the Year in 2010.

Also slated to be on that card are undefeated Baltimore Boxers James "Keep Em' Sleepin'" Stevenson and Jeremy "The Truth" Trussel.

We know already that there is a card on Saturday, March 7 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.  That Keystone Boxing card is set.  There was also scheduled to be a card on March 7 in DC co-promoted by Headbangers Promotions and Iron Mike (Tyson) Promotions.  That card has been postponed and is slated to take place on Friday, April 11 at the Washington Convention Center.  If that holds up, that means there will be two cards in DC in an eight-day period.

Northern Virginia is back in the mix as well as there will be a card at the ABC Sports Complex on Saturday, March 15 that is slated to feature Brandon Quarles and "The King's Son" Jerry Odom in separate bouts.

April may be a crazy month.  Not only do we have the two shows slated for DC, Maryland may have three shows on the docket, with two tentatively scheduled for the same night.  We are hearing that Hardwork Promotions may have a card on Saturday, April 12 at the Patapsco Arena in Baltimore, MD.  Also, there are two cards slated for Friday, April 18.  Keystone Boxing has one at Rosecroft while the Maryland Boxing Club is slated to return to the Shipley Arena.  In the wake of the Mark Tucker loss Friday night, however, that could change.

BATB has also received word that there will be a card co-promoted by Jeter Promotions and RBA Promotions that will take place at the ABC Sports Complex in Arlington on Saturday, April 26.

Of course, running every week during this time will be the Washington Golden Gloves at Sugar Ray Leonard Center in Palmer Park and, by the end of April, the Waldorf Jaycees Center in Waldorf, MD.

That is just the local schedule.  We also have a number of boxers scheduled to compete around the country during this period.  We'll have that for you on Sunday.