Johnson Battles Mekhontsev To Draw, Womack Falls In First In Tucson; Barnett Suffers First-Round Stoppage In Oakland!

A number of Beltway Boxers battled on the West Coast of the United States Saturday night and there was a minor surprise in one outcome.

At the Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson, AZ, light heavyweight Alexander "The Great" Johnson of Washington, DC battled unbeaten Egor Mekhontsev to an eight-round majority decision draw.  Mekhontsev won one decision on a judge's card (78-74) but according to Fightnews.com, Johnson gave the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist from Russia (now training in Los Angeles) everything he could handle (the other scores were 76-76). Johnson is now 16-4-1, seven KO's while Mekhontsev is 11-0-1, seven KO's.

On the same card, Baltimore, MD welterweight Kevin "The Scarecrow" Womack, Jr. was stopped in the first round by Alexander Besputin of Russia.  The time of the stoppage was 2:08.  Womack is now 7-12-3, two KO's while Besputin is 4-0, four KO's.

At the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA, DC light welterweight Ty Barnett was also stopped in the first round by undefeated Maurice "Mighty Mo" Hooker of Dallas, TX. Fightnews.com reports that Hooker dropped Barnett with a left hook and a follow-up barrage earned the stoppage at 2:17. Barnett's record drops to 23-5-1, 15 KO's.  Hooker remains undefeated at 21-0-2, 16 KO's.