Results From Glen Burnie!

Here are the results from the Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:

The main event saw Baltimore, MD cruiserweight and NABA Champion "Slick" Nick Kisner win an eight-round split decision over Lamont Singletary of Dover, DE.  Both men posed awkward challenges for each other as Kisner showed fast hands and continually switched from conventional to southpaw while Singletary would come leaping in at times trying to land punches.  Neither man was in danger of being knocked down but both men would have their moments in the contest.

Kisner won on the scorecards of Don Risher (78-74) and Kenny Chevalier (77-75) while Paul Wallace scored the bout for Singletary (77-75).  Kisner raises his record to 19-3-1, six KO's while Singletary falls to 8-2, five KO's.

In the co-feature, Sherman "The Tank" Artis of Severn, MD made his return to the ring a successful one as he won a four-round unanimous decision over Steve "Show Stealer" Wheeler of Catonsville, MD in a heavyweight contest.  Artis, in his first bout since April of 2014, used his counter-punching skills to great use.  Artis hardly used a jab at all during the contest but was able to catch Wheeler coming in with right hands to drop Wheeler in the second and third round.  Artis would win the bout on all three scorecards, 38-36.  Artis's record is now 3-1 while Wheeler, who was returning to the ring for the first time since September of 2010, loses for the first time and is now 6-1, five KO's.

In a very spirited bout between debuting welterweights, Jamal Dyer of Baltimore captured a four-round split decision over Evgueny Metchenov of Gaithersburg, MD by way of Sofia, Bulgaria.  Both men showed great fundamentals for debuting boxers.  In the second round, Metchenov seemed to gain an advantage as he rocked Dyer with a flurry of punches.  However, during the flurry, Dyer landed a punch that knocked out Metchenov's mouthpiece.  The stoppage to return the mouthpiece seemed to give Dyer new life and he was able to remain competitive in the contest.  Dyer would win on the scorecards of judges Risher and Brent Bovell (39-37).  Wallace saw the bout for Metchenov (39-37).

The opening bout saw Baltimore super featherweight Ernest "Lightning" Hall of Baltimore win a four-round unanimous decision over Lamont 'Superman" White of Waldorf, MD. Hall was the busier boxer in the contest, using solid left jabs and good foot movement to gain the win (39-37) on all three scorecards.  Hall is now 2-0, one KO while White remains winless at 0-7, one NC.

Jake Smith leads Baltimore Pro Boxing.  The matchmaker was Bryan Hagan.  The ring announcer was "The Auctioneer" Brad Dudley.

There were two amateur bouts held during the evening.  Brian Haneschalger of Baltimore Boxing won a heavyweight contest over Gabriel Fiorenza of Pasadena, MD and Deshawn Chase of Baltimore Boxing won his bout over Cameron Smoot of Last Round Boxing Club of Waldorf, MD at 156 pounds.

Dezurn To Face Undefeated Davila April 14 In Oxon Hill!

Undefeated Baltimore super bantamweight Glenn Dezurn now has an opponent for his nationally-televised contest on Friday, April 14 at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD.

Dezurn (8-0, six KO's) will take on unbeaten two-time national amateur champion Leroy Davila of New Brunswick, NJ in an eight-round bout that will open the ShoBox telecast on Showtime at 10 PM ET.

Davila (5-0, three KO's) comes off a third-round TKO over previously undefeated Anthony Taylor on January 20th in Atlantic City, NJ.

BATB is also learning that two more Beltway Boxers have been added to the Banner Promotions/Greg Cohen Productions card -- Accokeek, MD super welterweight "Slick" Justin Hurd (2-0, one KO) and Washington, DC super bantamweight Malik Jackson (2-0, two KO's).

Weights From Glen Burnie!

Here is the scalewatch for the Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:

Nick Kisner 204.6 vs. Lamont Singletary 204.2

Steve Wheeler 213.8 vs. Sherman Artis 212.4

Evgueny Nechenov 143.6 vs. Jahmal Dyer 140.2

Ernest Hall 134.6 vs. Lamont White 139

There are two scheduled amateur bouts that will precede the pro portion.  If you can't make the card, the Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android will broadcast the pro portion beginning at approximately 8:45 PM ET.

Sigmon-Arias Contest Has New Date And Location!

Bedford, VA middleweight Scott "Cujo" Sigmon's attempt for the USBA Middleweight title will take place in a new location and will come one day earlier.

The bout for Sigmon (29-10-1, 16 KO's) against defending champion Luis "Cuba" Arias (16-0, eight KO's) of Milwaukee, WI was originally scheduled for April 1 in Maplewood, MN but will now be held on Friday, March 31 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead, PA.

Changes In March 30th Michael's Card!

There are a number of changes in the Baltimore Pro Boxing card that will be held on Thursday, March 30th at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

The main event remains the same -- an eight round cruiserweight contest between "Slick" Nick Kisner of Baltimore, MD (18-3-1, six KO's) and Lamont "The Problem Solver" Singletary of Dover, DE (8-1, five KO's).

Baltimore's Steve "Show Stealer" Wheeler (6-0, five KO's) will be in a four-round heavyweight bout against Severn, MD's Sherman Artis (2-1).  Both men return to the ring after long absences.  Wheeler has not competed since 2010 while Artis last fought in 2014.

In a four-round super featherweight bout, Baltimore's Ernest "Frost" Hall takes on Lamont White of Washington, DC.  Hall (1-0, one KO) made his pro debut on the last card at Michael's on January 13 and stopped Cleveland Hemphill in the second round. White (0-6) last fought on February 11th and lost a four-round unanimous decision to Tyrek Irby.  

In a battle of debuting welterweights, Jahmal Dyer of Baltimore takes on Bulgarian Evgueny Nechenov.

Update on April 14 MGM National Harbor Card!

The Banner Promotions/Greg Cohen Promotions card that will take place on Friday, April 14 at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD is coming together.

There will be a strong Baltimore contingent of boxers on the card and two of them will be a part of the Showtime Shobox telecast. Undefeated welterweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins will have the toughest test of his young career when he battles equally undefeated Juan "El Nino" Ruiz of Tijuana, Mexico in an eight-round co-feature bout.  Hawkins (10-0, seven KO's) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over Antonio Chaves Fernandez on November 11 in Sloan, IA.  Ruiz (18-0, 11 KO's) is originally from Venezuela and won his last bout by first-round TKO over Fernando Carcamo on November 26 in Las Vegas, NV.

Undefeated Baltimore featherweight Glenn Dezurn will make his national television debut competing in his first scheduled eight-rounder against an opponent to be determined.  Dezurn (8-0, six KO's) last fought on December 15 and scored a second-round TKO over Devon Jones in Charenton, LA.  Dezurn has knocked out his last three opponents and will be looking to get the second straight win for the family.  Dezurn's wife, Franchon Crews-Dezurn, needed just 29 seconds to get her first pro win on March 25 in Washington, DC.

The pro debut of heavyweight Hasim Rahman, Jr. will take place on the non-televised undercard.  Rahman, Jr. will face Brian Imes of Kansas City, MO in a four-round encounter.  Imes (1-4, one KO) will try to bounce back from dropping a four-round split decision to Andrew Todhunter on May 20 in Tulsa, OK.

This will be a family affair as Rahman, Jr.'s older brother Sharif "C3" Rahman has been added to the card.  Sharif Rahman, a super middleweight, has not fought since making his pro debut in December of 2015 in Baltimore.  Rahman scored a first-round TKO against Alex Asbury in that contest.

The main event on this card will be a 12-round contest for the interim WBA Light Heavyweight title.  The champion is Dmitry Bivol of Vsevolzhsk, Russia who will battle Samuel Clarkson of Cedar Hill, TX.  Bivol (9-0, seven KO's) will make the second defense of his title that he won on May 21 in Moscow.  Bivol won a unanimous decision over Felix Valera.  On February 23, Bivol defended the title with a fourth-round stoppage of Robert Berridge in Nizhny Tagil, Russia.

Clarkson (19-3, 12 KO's) is riding a nine-bout winning streak that includes two wins over Beltway Boxers.  In his last outing, Clarkson scored a first-round TKO over Larry Pryor on December 9 in Dallas, TX.  Clarkson's biggest win came in a third-round stoppage of Jerry Odom on a nationally-televised card in July of 2015 in Bethlehem, PA.

Another Beltway Boxer, Another Strap: Douglas Wins WBC Latino Middleweight Title By KO In Dominican Republic!

Burke, VA middleweight Antoine "Action" Douglas has captured the WBC Fedelatin Middleweight championship with a second-round knockout over Eduardo Mercedes of La Romana, Dominican Republic tonight in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The knockout came at 1:15 seconds of the second round.  Douglas wins his second bout by knockout this month and his record rises to 21-1-1, 15 KO's.  Mercedes is now 32-17, 27 KO's.

Results From VA/NC Golden Gloves!

The members of the Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves team were decided during spirited competition at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA on Sunday.  The boxers will compete in the Regional Golden Gloves championships on Saturday, April 22 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

Three members of the Alexandria Boxing Club will lead the Open Division team.  USA Elite Boxer Troy Isley, recently returned from international competition in Germany, scored a dominating second-round TKO over Rah'quand McDaniel of Port City Boxing in Wilmington, NC in the 165-pound championships. Keyshawn Davis, who was named the Outstanding Boxer of the Open VA/NC tournament, was equally impressive winning a decision from his former teammate Nick Sullivan of Team Norfolk at 132 pounds.  Davis once trained at Norfolk and he and Sullivan grew up together.

The third member of the Alexandria Boxing Club, Jean-Jacques Broussard, won a close decision over Nigel Fennell of Down Under Gym in Salisbury, MD in the 152-pound division.  Fennell is also eligible to compete in Virginia.

The Alexandria Boxing Club captured the Outstanding Team Trophy in the Open Division.

The VA/NC team will also be strengthened by the return of Diego Abregu (Herndon) who defeated Andreas Bostic (Port City, Wilmington, NC) to capture the 141-pound championship.  Abregu was a Regional champion in 2015.

Here are the rest of the Open Results:

123 Pounds: Javon Campbell (Brick City, Raleigh, NC) over Donte Dunnaville (Gator Boxing, Roanoke, VA)

201+ Pounds: George Harris (Unattached) over Andre Clarke II (Crossroads Boxing, Fredricksburg, VA)

Unopposed Champion:  

178 Pounds: Williams Jones (Combat Sports, Richmond, VA)

In the Novice Division, The Herndon Boxing Club won the Outstanding Team Trophy by placing two returning champions on the VA/NC team. Outstanding Novice Boxer Khari Clinkscales defeated Taeshaun Patterson of Team Norfolk to win the 141-pound title while Ian Homan captured the 132-pound championship with a victory over Pablo Cossio (Unattached). Both Clinkscales and Homan make their second straight trip to the Regional championships.  Homan has won championships in two weight divisions -- he was the 123-pound titleholder in 2016.

Also returning to the Regionals will be Christian Fayne of 9th Dimension Boxing Club in Richmond. Fayne defeated Christian Salinas (Box-N-Go, Norfolk) to win the 165 Pound championship. Fayne is the defending regional champion.

Here are the rest of the Novice Division results:

178 Pounds:  Jason Ampy (Combat Sports, Richmond) over Torase Tucker (Jasards, Roanoke Rapids, NC)

201 Pounds:  Giovanni Suderi (Unattached) over Joshua Horton (Unattached)

201+ Pounds: Rickey Campbell (Unattached) over Manuel Ramos (Olympia, Falls Church)

The 152-Pound division championship will be decided during the Washington Golden Gloves championships on Saturday, April 1.  Bawanhi Smith (Team ILA, Norfolk) won his bout over Angel Castro (Unattached) on Sunday.   Smith will face Joan Planas (Herndon) in the championship on Saturday.  The winner of the Smith-Planas bout will compete in the Regional championships on April 22.

Results From DC -- Quigley Wins By KO!

Here are the results from the GQ Promotions card held Saturday at the University of the District of Columbia Physical Activities Center in Washington, DC:

(Photo by Daniel Cork)

The main event saw the co-promoter, Gerome "GQ" Quigley scored a fourth-round TKO over Dennis Sharpe of Bayonne, NJ in a rematch of an April 2016 bout that Quigley won by first round TKO in Springfield, VA.

The rematch was delayed for about three minutes after the introductions because Quigley forgot to take his earring out of his left ear.  Once the bout started, Quigley proceeded to batter Sharpe for the duration of the bout.  Quigley would focus his attack on the body and knock Sharpe down in the third round before completing the job with the stoppage at 1:02 of the fourth round.  Quigley remains undefeated at 16-0, 15 KO's while Sharpe falls to 17-24-4, four KO's.

The co-feature saw Baltimore, MD super middleweight Franchon Crews-Dezurn win her first pro bout as she needed just 29 seconds to stop Latashia Burton of Houma, LA.  Crews-Dezurn, who last her pro debut to two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields in November, overpowered Burton in the corner before referee Vic DeWysocki stopped the contest.  Crews-Dezurn is now 1-1, one KO and Burton drops to 17-25-4, four KO's.

In another female contest, "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown of Washington, DC won a four-round unanimous decision over a very game Natalie King of Wilson, NC in a featherweight contest.  Brown was in complete control landing solid shots to King's face and body.  King fought back valiantly but could not keep up with the speed and accuracy of Brown, who also is a police officer in DC.  Brown is now 2-0, one KO while King is 0-7.

In an all-Maryland heavyweight contest, Luther "Lights Out" Smith of Crofton scored a third-round TKO over "The DC Diamond Cutter" Carlos Black of Rockville.  Smith landed the harder shots early in the contest, including, unfortunately, a left hand that nailed Black after the bell rang to end the first round.  Referee DeWysocki did not penalize Smith for the infraction.  By the third round, Smith gained complete control over the game Black and finally stopped him with right hands near the end of the third round.  The bout was stopped at 2:55.  Smith, who recently has competed as a cruiserweight, is now 8-1, seven KO's.  Black's record falls to 1-5.

In a spirited featherweight rematch, Marq "Monster" Johns of Fort Washington, MD and Stephon McIntyre of Jonesboro, GA fought to a four-round draw -- the second draw the two boxers have fought against one another.  Much like their first contest in December of 2013 in Fort Washington, both men traded shots equally in the first two rounds.  Johns seemed to gain the upper hand in the third round with strong and accurate jabs.  However, McIntyre came storming back in the fourth with right hands that rocked Johns, who was able to hang on.  McIntyre's final round output may have given him the bout on judge Paul Wallace's scorecard, 39-37.  Johns won the bout according to Tammye Jenkins's card, 39-37.  Judge Wayne Smith saw the draw at 38-38.  Johns's record is now 7-1-2, six KO's while McIntyre is 2-29-3.

Undefeated Clinton, MD super featherweight Cobia "The Soldier" Breedy won a relatively easy six-round unanimous decision over Roy Garcia of Alice, TX.  Breedy, who competed in a six-rounder for the first time, was in complete control of the bout.  The native of Bridgetown, Barbados had no problem landing jabs and hooks to Garcia's face and body.  Garcia, to his credit, managed to stay upright throughout the bout but could deliver no offense in return.  Breedy won by shutout (60-54) on all three scorecards.  Breedy is now 9-0, four KO's while Garcia 4-22-1, three KO's.

Glenarden, MD super lightweight Drayvontay Speed Rawls remained undefeated by stopping Rynell Griffin of New Orleans, LA at the end of the third round.  The hand speed of Speed Rawls proved to be the difference in the contest as he generated power from his speed.  In the third round, Speed Rawls picked up the pace and knocked Griffin down with a left hand to the body late in the round.  After the round was over, Griffin could not come out of his corner for the fourth round.  Speed Rawls remains undefeated at 8-0-1, six KO's while Griffin falls to 7-28-2, two KO's.

The Bell Twins -- super middleweights Justin and Jason of District Heights, MD --  both won their pro debuts.  Justin had a rough time with veteran Greg "Hot Shot" Hackett of Philadelphia, PA.  Hackett was crafty as he tried to lean and tie up with Justin Bell.  Bell's output was spotty at times but he threw more punches in the contest.  Hackett's shots seemed to be more effective but he did not throw as many punches.  The judges seemed to like Bell's output and gave him the bout by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 (twice).  Hackett's record is now 2-17-1.

Jason Bell had an easier time in his pro debut, scoring a first-round TKO over David "Rock Steady" Rohn of Villa Park, IL  Bell used a fierce body attack as he dropped Rohn with two strong left hand body shots.  Bell would follow with a right hand to the head to knock down Rohn a second time, forcing referee Sharon Sands to stop the contest at 1:40.  Rohn remains winless at 0-8-1.

In the opening contest, debuting super middleweight Leo Alcanera of Fort Washington, MD won a four-round unanimous decision over the equally debuting Alex Rojas of West Palm Beach, FL.  Alcanera landed the stronger shots throughout the contest as all three judges scored the bout 39-37.

The bout featuring Shakeem Hodge of Reading, PA was cancelled when his opponent, Dustin Caplinger, did not come to the arena.

GQ Promotions is led by Quigley and his manager Jeff Gatling.  The matchmaker was Brian Dillon and the ring announcer was Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.
 

Weights From UDC!

Here is the scale watch for the GQ Promotions card Saturday at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Physical Activities Center in Washington, DC:

Gerome Quigley 157.6 vs. Dennis Sharpe 152.4

Franchon Crews-Dezurn 165 vs. Latashia Burton 161

Dravontay Speed-Rawls 134.8 vs. Rynell Griffin 143.6

Tiara Brown 129.2 vs. Natalie King 132.2

Cobia Breedy 134.6 vs. Roy Garcia 135

Justin Bell 166 vs. Greg Hackett 173.6

Luther Smith 211.2 vs. Carlos Black 223.2

Marq Johns 128.2 vs. Stephon McIntyre 126.2

Leo Alcanera 161 vs. Alex Rojas 165.6

Jason Bell 167.2 vs. David Rohn 170.2

Shakeem Hodge 165.6 vs. Dustin Caplinger 174.6

The card is scheduled to get underway at 7 PM ET.  If you can't make the card, you can hear the bouts live on the Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android.  IOS users can hear the call of the card on the BATB Spreaker page -- http://www.spreaker.com/show/boxing_along_the_beltway
or the Iheartradio.com page https://www.iheart.com/show/22903291/   The broadcast will begin at 6:55 PM ET.

Hackett Catches Championship at Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open in Albuquerque!

Congratulations to Beltway amateur Jalil Hackett of Washington, DC who won a championship today at the Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open in Albuquerque, NM.

Hackett defeated Isaiah Garcia of Adelanto, CA to win the Intermediate 114-pound championship.

Bout Sheet For Washington Golden Gloves Championships!.

This is the bout sheet for the Washington Golden Gloves Championship Finals that will be held on Saturday, April 1 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Novice Division:

114 Pounds:  Luis Estrada (Dover Boxing) vs. Brandon Brockington (Headbangers)

123 Pounds:  DeAngelo McDonald (Tony's Gym) vs. Brient Rodriguez (Champions)

132 Pounds:  Blaze Fidler (Hillcrest) vs. DaJuan Concepcion (Headbangers)

141 Pounds:  Ian Simmons (Hillcrest) vs. Sean Cormier (Kicked-Up)

152 Pounds:  Davonte Warren (Odenton) vs. Darnell Pittman (Knowledge)

165 Pounds:  Tory Hilton (Unattached) vs. Elan Trombley (Headbangers)

178 Pounds:  Aziz Williams (MVJ Athletics) vs. Victor DeFreitas (Sugar Ray Leonard)

201+ Pounds: Justin Maggi (Simon Brown) vs. James McMurdo (Main Street)

Unopposed Champion:

201 Pounds:  Tyler Langer (Mack Lewis)

Open Division:  

114 Pounds:  Paul Jerry (Hillcrest) vs. Rasheed Wright (Headbangers)

123 Pounds:  Marcus Wright (Keystone) vs. D'Jon Brown (NOMIS)

132 Pounds: Ebrima Jawara (Laurel) vs. Tommy Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

141 Pounds:  Donnell Poe (Old School) vs. Wilfredo Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

152 Pounds:  Keeshawn Williams (Next-Up) vs. Kalonni Daly (Sugar Ray Leonard)

165 Pounds:  Ashton Sykes (Odenton) vs. Stephaun Hopps (Headbangers)

178 Pounds:  Genc Pllana (Simon Brown) vs. Keon Burroughs (Headbangers)

201 Pounds:  Shaka Williams (NOMIS) vs. Thomas Mottinger (Main Street)

201+ Pounds:  Nathaniel Copeland (Tony's Gym) vs. Malik Titus (Time 2 Grind)

The first bout begins at 7:30 PM ET.  Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.  Call 301-843-6165 for details.

If you can't make the event in person, we will have live blow-by-blow coverage on the Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android beginning at 7:25 PM ET. IOS listeners can hear the broadcast on the Boxing Along The Beltway pages on Spreaker.com and IHeartRadio.com.

Funeral Services For Montell Pridgett This Week In Baltimore!

The funeral services for Baltimore amateur boxer Montell Pridgett will be held this week.  The 24-year-old Pridgett was shot and killed on March 15th near his home.

Pridgett was a well-respected boxer who participated in numerous Washington Golden Gloves tournaments.

Mr. Pridgett's viewing will be held on Thursday, March 23rd at John L. Williams Funeral Home located at 4517 Park Heights Avenue in Baltimore at 3 PM.

The funeral will be on Friday, March 24th at Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church at 4016 Park Heights Avenue at 10 AM.

BATB sends his deepest condolences to the Pridgett family and all who knew him.

Results From Second Washington Golden Gloves Semifinals!

Here are the results from the second semifinal contest at the 2017 Washington Golden Gloves held Saturday at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Junior Division:

16 Years, 119 Pounds (Championship): Nyah Smith (Dover Boxing) over Abbe Pannucci (Bowerhouse)

Novice Division Female Championship:

116 Pounds:  Emelyn Shea (MVJ Athletics) over Lydia Narayansamy (Baltimore Boxing)

132 Pounds: Sine'ad Schenk (Georgetown) over Nerissa Turner (Elite Boxing)

Novice Division:

123 Pounds: DeAngelo McDonald (Tony's Gym) over Anthony Dominelli (Fight Factory)

132 Pounds: Blaze Fidler (Hillcrest) over Omar Drakeford (Sugar Ray Leonard)

141 Pounds: Sean Cormier (Kicked-Up) TKO-3 over Seung Moon (Sugar Ray Leonard)

141 Pounds: Ian Simmons (Hillcrest) TKO-3 over Charles Scott, III (Charm City)

152 Pounds: Davonte Warren (Odenton) over Victor Williams (Raw Assassin)

165 Pounds:  Tory Hilton (Unattached) over Stefon Jordan (Champions)

178 Pounds: Victor DeFreitas (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Anthony Bryant, Jr. (Hillcrest)

178 Pounds: Aziz Williams (MVJ Athletics) over Lorenzo Jones (Fight Factory)

201+ Pounds: James McMurdo (Main Street) over Steven Sparks (Madhouse)

201+ Pounds: Justin Maggi (Simon Brown) TKO-3 over Christopher Conklin (Unattached)

Open Division:

123 Pounds: D'Jon Brown (NOMIS) over Jaqueem Hutcherson (Hillcrest) 

132 Pounds: Tommy Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Andrew Barrett (Laurel)

141 Pounds: Donnell Poe (Old School) over Dionte Burts (Woodland)

152 Pounds:  Keeshawn Williams (Next-Up) over Brian Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

152 Pounds:  Kalonni Daly (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Champ Moultrie (Laurel)

178 Pounds: Genc Pllana (Simon Brown) over Leonard Poe (Hillcrest)

201+ Pounds: Malik Titus (Time 2 Grind) wins by walkover

The Washington Golden Gloves championships will be held on Saturday, April 1 at Rosecroft.  Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Also this reminder:  The Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves championships will be held Friday-Sunday, March 24-26 at the ABC Sports Complex (also known as the Annandale Boys and Girls Club).   For more information on both events, call 301-843-6165.

Spring Beltway Boxing Schedule!

Today's semifinal action at the Washington Golden Gloves at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD kicks off an extremely busy spring season of local, national and international Beltway Boxing.  There are numerous local events as well as boxers competing out of town and out of the country.  Here is the schedule as of today (bouts and events subject to change without notice):

Local Events: 

Friday-Saturday, March 24-26 -- Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves at ABC Sports Complex, Springfield, VA.

Saturday, March 25 -- GQ Promotions card at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Physical Activities Center, Washington, DC.

Thursday, March 30 -- Baltimore Pro Boxing Pro-Am card at Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD.

Saturday, April 1 -- Washington Golden Gloves Championships at Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD.

Saturday, April 8 -- Top Rank Boxing nationally-televised (HBO) card at MGM National Harbor Casino, Oxon Hill, MD.

Friday, April 14 -- Greg Cohen Promotions/Shabazz Brothers nationally-televised (Showtime) card at MGM National Harbor Casino.

Friday-Saturday, April 14-15 -- Junior Olympics local championship at Rosecroft Raceway.

Saturday, April 22 -- Regional Golden Gloves championships at Rosecroft Raceway.

Saturday, April 29 -- Victory Boxing pro card at ABC Sports Complex

Saturday, May 27 -- PBC Boxing card at MGM National Harbor Casino


Out-of-Town Bouts Featuring Beltway Boxers

Thursday, March 23 -- Malik Jackson in four-round contest at The Skylands, Randolph, NJ.

Friday, March 31 -- Mack Allison IV in bout at the 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA.

Saturday, April 1 -- Scott Sigmon battles Luis Arias in 12-round bout for USBA and WBC USNBC Middleweight titles at the Aldrich Arena, Maplewood, MN.

Saturday, April 1 -- Alando Pugh in four-round heavyweight bout against Donnie Palmer at the Palladium, Worcester, MA.

Saturday, April 1 -- Jonathan Baxter in four-round welterweight contest against Daron Hester at the Tara Center, Jonesboro, GA.

Saturday, April 22 -- Jerry Odom in eight-round super middleweight bout against Gabriel Pham at the Claridge Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ.

April 30-May 7 -- Winners from Regional Golden Gloves participate in National Golden Gloves in Lafayette, LA.

Saturday, May 6 -- Emmanuel Taylor in 10-round welterweight bout against Lucas Matthysse, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV.

Saturday, May 13 -- Matthew Abregu, Mack Allison IV, Eric Hernandez, Seth Billups, Renaldo Gaines and Benjamin Olinga participating on a Ponytail/Sho Nuff Promotions card at the Masonic Temple, Norfolk, VA.

Saturday, May 20 -- Gervonta Davis defends IBF Super Featherweight title against Liam Walsh at the Copper Box Arena, London, England

Grayton Battles In Technical Draw; Aleem Drops Unanimous Decision In Reading!

Beltway Boxers had tough outings in two nationally-televised (Bounce TV) bouts Friday night from the Santander Arena in Reading, PA.  DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton fought to a majority draw against former two-time world champion Kermit "Killer" Cintron of Reading in a bout that was stopped after five rounds.

After a tough first four rounds, Grayton seemed to finally get the advantage in the bout as he dropped Cintron early in the fifth with a right hand. However, later in the fifth, the two clashed heads and Cintron came away the worse for wear.  Referee Gary Rosato brought Cintron to see the doctor who ruled that Cintron could not continue.  The result went to the scorecards where one judge had Cintron winning 49-46 while the other two saw a draw at 47-47.

“I won that fight. I think he could have continued. I was in control of the fight, but I was in his hometown, and you know how that goes,"  Grayton told reporters after the contest.

With the draw, Grayton's record is now 15-1-1, 11 KO's while Cintron is now 39-5-3, 30 KO's.

In the opening bout of the telecast, junior middleweight Moshea "The Machine" Aleem of Richmond, VA lost a six-round unanimous decision to Chordale "The Gift" Booker of Brooklyn, NY.

Aleem started off well in the first two rounds, however by the mid-point of the contest, Booker's activity and accuracy picked up. Aleem did have his moments but it wasn't enough as the judges scored the bout 58-56 and 59-55 (twice).

Aleem loses for the first time and his record falls to 4-1-1, two KO's.  Booker remains undefeated and he is now 6-0, three KO's. Both men deserve credit as they took this bout on a week's notice and both men passed through six rounds for the first time.

Isley Falls in Chemistry Cup Semis In Germany!

Middleweight Troy Isley of Alexandria, VA lost his semifinal bout at the Chemistry Cup Tournament in Halle, Germany on Thursday. Isley dropped a tough 3-2 split decision to Max van Der Pas of the Netherlands.

Isley won his first Open international bout earlier in the week.

Grayton, Aleem Hit Scales In Reading, PA!

(Photo by Ryan Greene -- Premier Boxing Champions)

David Grayton and Moshea Aleem weighed in for their nationally-televised contests Friday night at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA.

Grayton (right) tipped the scales at 146 pounds for his 10-round co-feature contest against Kermit Cintron.  Cintron weighed in at 146.8.

Aleem weighed in at 152.4 pounds for his six-round encounter with Chordale Booker that will open the telecast.  Booker tipped the scales at 154.7 pounds.

The Bounce TV telecast gets underway at 9 PM ET.

Isley Wins First International Bout In Germany!

Congratulations to Alexandria, VA's Troy Isley who won his first Open Division international amateur contest on Wednesday at the Chemistry Cup tournament in Halle, Germany.  Isley, who is competing as a middleweight, won a split decision over Vladyslav Rolenko of the Ukraine.

Isley will head into the semifinals on Friday when he will battle Max van Der Pas of the Netherlands Isley was a member of the Washington Region team at the 2016 Golden Gloves and won a bout in Ireland in 2013 as part of the Belfast-Beltway Boxing classic.

Grayton-Cintron Bout To Be Televised; M. Aleem Also on Televised Portion Of Card!

 BATB recently told you about the Friday, March 17th bout between Washington, DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton and former two-time world champion Kermit "Killer" Cintron that will be held at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA. We can now tell you that the scheduled 10-round bout will be shown on the Bounce TV telecast that will begin at 9 PM ET.

The bout will be the co-feature contest on the King's Promotions card.  The main event will be a heavyweight contest between Travis "My Time" Kauffman of Reading and Amir "Hardcore" Mansour of Wilmington, DE.  That bout will be for the vacant WBC USNBC Heavyweight title and is scheduled for 12 rounds.

Opening the telecast will be Richmond, VA super welterweight Moshea Aleem who will take on equally undefeated Chordale Booker of Brooklyn, NY in a six-round encounter.  Aleem (4-0-1, two KO's) last fought on April 30th and battled to a four-round draw against Martez Jackson at the DC Armory.  Aleem is the older brother of newly crowned WBC Silver Middleweight champion Immanuwel Aleem.  Booker (5-0, three KO's) is coming off a first-round TKO victory over Andre Baker on February 18th in Greensboro, NC.

Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves Comes to Springfield March 24-26!

The 2017 Virginia/North Carolina Golden Gloves Championships will be held at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA Friday through Sunday, March 24th-March 26th.  The ABC Sports Complex (also known as the Annandale Boys and Girls Club) is located at 6728 Commercial Drive in Springfield.

On Friday, March 24th, the bouts begin at 7 PM.  Saturday, March 25th, the action gets underway at 6 PM and the championship finals will start on Sunday, March 26th at 1 PM.

Tickets will be on sale at the door -- Ringside Tickets cost $30 and General seating will be $20.

The winners from this event will head to Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD on Saturday, April 22nd for the Regional finals where they will face off against the winners in the Washington/Maryland/Delaware championships, which will be held at Rosecroft on Saturday, April 1.

Washington Golden Gloves Second Semifinal Bout Sheet!

Here is the bout sheet for the second Washington Golden Gloves Semifinals that will be held on Saturday, March 18th at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Junior Division:

16 Years, 119 Pounds (Championship): Nyah Smith (Dover Boxing) vs. Abbe Pannucci (Bowerhouse)

Unopposed Champion:

11, 115 Pounds:  Caroline Cruickshank (Madhouse)

Novice Division Female Championship:

116 Pounds:  Emelyn Shea (MVJ Athletics) vs. Lysia Narayansamy (Baltimore Boxing)

132 Pounds: Sine'ad Schenk (Georgetown) vs. Nerissa Turner (Elite Boxing)

Unopposed Champion: 

178 Pounds (Open): Schmelle Baldwin (MVJ Athletics)

Novice Division:

123 Pounds: Anthony Dominelli (Fight Factory) vs. DeAngelo McDonald (Tony's Gym)

132 Pounds:  Omar Drakeford (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Blaze Fidler (Hillcrest)

141 Pounds:  Seung Moon (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Sean Cormier (Kicked-Up)

141 Pounds:  Ian Simmons (Hillcrest) vs. Charles Scott, III (Charm City)

152 Pounds:  Davonte Warren (Odenton) vs. Victor Williams (Raw Assassin)

165 Pounds:  Tory Hilton (Unattached) vs. Stefon Jordan (Champions)

178 Pounds:  Anthony Bryant, Jr. (Hillcrest) vs. Victor DeFreitas (Sugar Ray Leonard)

178 Pounds:  Lorenzo Jones (Fight Factory) vs. Aziz Williams (MVJ Athletics)

201+ Pounds:  Steven Sparks (Madhouse) vs. James McMurdo (Main Street)

201+ Pounds: Justin Maggi (Simon Brown) vs. Christopher Conklin (Unattached)

Open Division:

123 Pounds: Jaqueem Hutcherson (Hillcrest) vs. D'Jon Brown (NOMIS)

132 Pounds:  Tommy Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Andrew Barrett (Laurel)

141 Pounds:  Dionte Burts (Woodland) vs. Donnell Poe (Old School)

152 Pounds:  Keeshawn Williams (Next-Up) vs. Brian Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

152 Pounds:  Kalonni Daly (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Champ Moultrie (Laurel)

178 Pounds:  Leonard Poe (Hillcrest) vs. Genc Pllana (Unattached)

201+ Pounds: Ralph Alexander (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Malik Titus (Time 2 Grind)

The first bout begins at 7:30 PM.

Boxing Returns To Michael's Eighth Avenue March 30th!

A pro-am card comes to Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD on Thursday, March 30th.  The card will be promoted by Baltimore Pro Boxing.

Headlining the pro portion of the card will be NABA Cruiserweight champion "Slick" Nick Kisner of Baltimore, MD who will take on Lamont "The Problem Solver" Singletary of Dover, DE in an eight-round non-title bout.  Kisner (18-3-1, six KO's) won the NABA title in his last outing, capturing a 10-round majority decision over Brian Holstein on November 23 in Columbus, OH.  Singletary (8-1, five KO's) returned to action after an almost-three year absence to score a first-round knockout over Dan Biddle on February 17th in Wilmington, DE.  Singletary's only loss came against Travis Reeves in November of 2013.  Reeves knocked out Singletary in the first round.

In a super middleweight contest scheduled for four-rounds, "Dangerous" Donald Wallace of Baltimore will face Barry Trotter of Columbia, MD.  Wallace (2-0, one KO) fought on the last card at Michael's Eighth Avenue and won a six-round unanimous decision over Tahir Thomas on January 13.  Trotter (2-2, one KO) fights sporadically and has not competed since being knocked out by D'Mitrius Ballard in the first round in August of 2014 in Brooklyn, NY.

Also on the card will be Baltimore welterweight Joey "Bazooka Joe" Veazey who will battle Washington DC's Lamont White.  Veazey, a very popular and successful amateur, competes in Maryland for the first time as a pro after making his pro debut in Winchester, VA on October 22.  Veazey won a four-round decision over Alberto Delgado.  White (0-6) has never been knocked out in a contest.  White last fought on February 11th and lost a four-round unanimous decision to Tyrek Irby in Fort Washington, MD.

The card will also mark the return of Catonsville, MD cruiserweight Steve "Show Stealer" Wheeler (6-0, five KO's). Wheeler has not fought since September of 2010 when he scored a first-round knockout over Donnie Crawford in Baltimore, MD.

The amateur portion of the card will feature former East Coast heavyweight titlist Brian “Bam Bam” Haneschlager of the Baltimore Boxing Gym. Haenschlager, is expected to turn pro in the near future.

Results From First Semifinal of Washington Golden Gloves!

Here are the results from the first semifinal night of competition at the Washington Golden Gloves held March 11th at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

Novice Division:

123 Pounds: Brient Rodriguez (Champions) over Jeremiah Duckett (Last Round)

132 Pounds:   Dajuan Concepcion (Headbangers) over Isaiah Harris (Dog Pound) 

141 Pounds (Female): Destiny Day-Owens (Time 2 Grind) over Ladasia Lewis (Tony's Gym) 

141 Pounds: Seung Moon (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Isaac Allen (Deanwood)

152 Pounds: Darnell Pittman (Knowledge Boxing) over Quenten Stevens (Headbangers)

152 Pounds:  Victor Williams (Raw Assassin) over Salvador Jovel (Sugar Ray Leonard)

165 Pounds: Stefon Jordon (Champions) won by walkover

165 Pounds: Elan Trombley (Headbangers) over Leon Tsai (Sugar Ray Leonard)

178 Pounds: Victor DeFreitas, Jr. (Sugar Ray Leonard) won by walkover

Open Division:

123 Pounds: Marcus Wright (Keystone) over Chris Glenn (Hagerstown)

132 Pounds: Embrima Jawara (Laurel) over Ahmad Jones (UMAR)

141 Pounds: Donnell Poe (Old School) over Reco Todd (Upton)

141 Pounds:  Wilfredo Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Emmanuel Rodriguez (Down Under) 

152 Pounds:  Keeshawn Williams (Next-Up) over Michael Peoples (Tony's Gym) 

152 Pounds: Brian Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Deonte' Washington (Diamonds N The Ruff) 

178 Pounds: Keon Burroughs (Headbangers) over Milton Williams (Dream Team)

201+ Pounds: Nathaniel Copeland (Tony's Gym) over Cortez Dunston (UMAR)

The semifinals continue on Saturday, March 18th at 7:30 PM at Rosecroft Raceway.

Douglas Scores Fifth-Round Knockout In Louisiana!

Burke, VA middleweight Antoine "Action" Douglas returned to action on Saturday, March 11th and scored a fifth-round TKO over Pablo Munguia of Mexico City, Mexico at the Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton, LA.

For Douglas, it was his first bout since his 10th round TKO loss to Avtandil Khurtsidze in March of 2016.  Douglas raises his record to 20-1-1, 14 KO's.  Douglas is ranked number 12 by the WBC. Munguia falls to 21-12, 12 KO's.

According to Douglas's promotional company, GH3 Promotions, Douglas will make a quick return to action on Monday, March 27th as he will travel to the Dominican Republic to battle Eduardo Mercedes of La Romana, Dominican Republic (32-16, 27 KO's) for the WBC Fecarbox Middleweight title.

Boxing Finds Home At MGM National Harbor Casino With Two Cards In Six Days!

It looks like boxing has found a home at the MGM Casino at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD.  The April schedule will have two cards at the new location in a six-day period.

We already know about the Saturday, April 8 card that features two world and one regional title bout headlined by Vasyl Lomachenko defending his WBO Super Featherweight championship against former WBA Super Featherweight titleholder Jason Sosa.  The main bouts will be televised by HBO.

Now, my writing partner, Juan Marshall of ProAm Fight Talk is reporting that the new casino will be the site of the Interim NABA Welterweight title bout between undefeated Malik "Iceman" Hawkins of Baltimore, MD and Taras Shelestyuk of Los Angeles, CA by way of the Ukraine on Friday, April 14th.  That bout will be part of a ShoBox telecast on Showtime. 

Marshall is also reporting that Baltimore light heavyweight Travis "Seveer" Reeves will appear on this card because his scheduled IBF International Light Heavyweight title bout slated for March 18 in Queensland, Australia has been postponed due to a rib injury suffered by his opponent, Trent Broadhurst.

Also, the card featuring WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell, Jr.'s title defense against Oscar Escandon that was originally scheduled for March 11th has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 27th.

Quarles Drops Split Decision; Rodriguez Wins Split Decision In Philadelphia!

Two Beltway Boxers were involved in split decisions Saturday night at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, PA with different results.

"The Pride of Alexandria (VA)" Brandon Quarles dropped an eight-round split decision to Philadelphia's Tyrone "Young Gun" Brunson in the junior middleweight main event.  According to reports, the bout was an action-packed one with Brunson using less of the power that got him first-round knockouts in his first 19 career bouts.  Brunson was able to use his jab to set up his power shots.  Quarles was able to land power shots to keep Brunson honest and he did get the decision on one scorecard, 77-75.  However, Brunson won the other two judge's cards, 78-74 and 77-75.  The loss breaks a five-bout winning streak for Quarles and he is now 18-4-1, nine KO's while Brunson rises to 24-6-2, 22 KO's.

In the co-feature, Haymarket, VA super lightweight Juan "The Savior" Rodriguez won a six-round split decision over David Gonzales of Philadelphia.  Reports say this bout was a tough battle in which Rodriguez may have caught a break thanks to his opponent.  In the final 30 seconds of the contest, Gonzales lost a point for holding.  The point deduction allowed Rodriguez to win on two cards, 57-56 and 58-55 while Gonzales took one card, 57-56.  The win breaks a four-bout losing streak for Rodriguez and he is now 7-6-1, five KO's.  Gonzales suffers his second straight defeat and he is now 8-2-2, two KO's.

Ballard, Rincon Score Knockout Wins In Verona, NY!

Beltway Boxers D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard and Alex Rincon scored knockout wins tonight at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

According to my Fightnews.com colleague "Boxing" Bob Newman, Ballard, of Temple Hills, MD, had to deal with some rugged tactics from his opponent, Zoltan Sera of Budapest, Hungary.  Here's how Newman described the action.

The stocky Sera mugged, ducked, mauled his way as Ballard tried not to get drawn into the tactics. At the end of round three, Sera tackled Ballard to the canvas, who appeared to have hurt his lower back in the fall. Referee Benjy Esteves had already taken a point from Sera earlier in the round for holding and issued a DQ warning for the take down. After the rest period to start the fourth, Ballard decided he had had enough and bludgeoned Sera to the canvas twice with a mix of head and body shots, the second time with Sera shaking his head “No” to his corner and prompting Esteves to halt matters at 1:16 of the round. 

Ballard remains undefeated at 16-0, 12 KO's while Sera falls to 26-12, 17 KO's.

Rincon, a native of Carrollton, TX who now trains in the Beltway area, made his pro debut a successful and easy one as he dropped Shaun Lee Henson of Albuquerque, NM twice with body shots en route to a first-round knockout at 52 seconds of the second round. Henson falls to 2-4, two KO's.

More Weights: Quarles, Rodriguez Tip Scales in PA; Douglas Weighs In LA!

Three more Beltway Boxers weighed in for bouts on Saturday.  At the Sugar House Casino in Philadelphia, PA, Brandon Quarles tipped the scales at 155.6 pounds for his eight-round main event bout against Tyrone Brunson.  Brunson came in at 156.3 pounds. For a six-round contest on the card, Juan Rodriguez weighed in at 139 1/2 while his opponent, David Gonzales, came in at 141.9.

Meanwhile at the Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton, LA, Antoine Douglas and his opponent, Pablo Munguia, both weighed in at 163 pounds for their six-round contest.  This will be the first bout for Douglas (19-1-1, 13 KO's) since suffering his first loss, a 10-round TKO to Avtandil Khurtsidze in March of last year. Munguia (21-11, 12 KO's) is a native of Mexico City who has lost five of his last six contests.

Ballard, Rincon Hit Scales For Bouts In Verona, NY!

D'Mitrius Ballard and Alex Rincon weighed in for their Saturday bouts at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

Ballard weighed in at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds for his eight-round bout against Zoltan Sera, who came in at 167 1/2.

Rincon, a new NoXcuse-trained, Golden Boy-promoted boxer originally from Dallas, TX, makes his pro debut on this card against Shaun Lee Henson of Albuquerque, NM (2-3, two KO's). Rincon was a Ringside World Champion in 2011 and a USA National Champion in 2013.  Rincon and Henson weighed in at 154 3/4 pounds for their four-round encounter.

Both bouts will be shown on RingTV.com.

Ballard Battles Sera Saturday At Turning Stone!

Undefeated Temple Hills, MD super middleweight D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard will face veteran Zoltan Sera of Budapest, Hungary in an eight-round contest at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY on Saturday, March 11.

Ballard (15-0, 11 KO's) has knocked out his last four opponents, including a second-round stoppage of Gergo Horvath in his last outing on October 22 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  Sera (28-11, 19 KO's) has already fought twice this year and has won two straight by knockout in his hometown against lesser competition.  The last time Sera ventured outside Budapest was when he was knocked out by Derrick Webster in the fifth round on November 11th in Philadelphia, PA.  Webster was 20-1 going into the bout.

'Iceman' Hawkins Challenges For Interim NABA Welterweight Title April 14 On Showtime!

Undefeated Baltimore, MD welterweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins will take a big step up in competition when he takes on fellow undefeated boxer Taras Shelestyuk of Los Angeles, CA by way of the Ukraine in a 10-round bout for the vacant interim NABA Welterweight title on Friday, April 14 at a venue to be determined.  The bout will be a co-feature contest on a Showtime ShoBox telecast.

Hawkins (10-0, seven KO's) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision victory over Antonio Chaves Fernandez on November 11 in Sloan, IA.  Hawkins has never gone past the sixth round in his pro career.

Shelestyuk (15-0, nine KO's) is looking for his third regional title, already holding the WBA Inter-Continental Welterweight and the NABO Welterweight titles.  Shelestyuk made a successful defense of the NABO title in his last bout, winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Jaime Herrera on November 4 in Corona, CA. Shelestyuk also faced Fernandez during his career in January of 2015 and knocked him out in the first round.

BATB Honors Legendary Lou Duva!

On Wednesday, the boxing world learned of the passing of legendary trainer and manager Lou Duva at the age of 94.  Mr. Duva actually had strong ties to the Beltway area.  I talk about this in my latest podcast.  Please listen.

Listen to "Beltway Boxing News And Notes Special Edition 3/8/17 -- Tribute to Lou Duva" on Spreaker.

Washington Post Profiles New World Champion Hurd!

There is a really nice article that appeared in Wednesday's Washington Post about new IBF Junior Middleweight champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd.  The creator of the DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg, talks about how Hurd, literally, stays close to home.

Here's a link to the article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/03/08/this-boxer-became-a-world-champion-now-its-time-to-move-out-of-his-parents-house/?hpid=hp_local-news_boxer-830am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.6d6f34c49356#comments

Davis To Defend IBF Super Featherweight Title May 20 In London!

IBF Super Featherweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis will make the first defense of his title against undefeated number one ranked contender Liam "Destiny" Walsh of Cromer, Norfolk, United Kingdom on Saturday, May 20th at the Copperbox Arena in London, England.

The 22-year-old Baltimore, MD native (17-0, 16 KO's) won his title on January 14th with a seventh-round TKO over Jose Pedraza in Brooklyn, NY.  The 30-year-old Walsh (21-0, 14 KO's) will make the first attempt at a world title after winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrey Klimov on October 8th in Harrow, London, England.  Walsh has won a European title in his career.

No word yet on whether the bout will be televised in the United States.

Golden Gloves Semifinal Bout Sheet!

Here is the Bout Sheet for the first semifinal night of competition at the 2017 Washington Golden Gloves that will take place on Saturday, March 11 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Junior Division:

15-16, 133 Pounds:  Jo'i Lee (NOMIS) vs. Malik Warren (Upton)

Unopposed Champions:

14, 114 Pounds (Female): Shanyia Foster (UMAR)

16, 118 Pounds: Chamar Flowers (Unattatched)

16, 138 Pounds (Female):  Mia Ellis (Upton)

15, 147 Pounds: Edwin Angel (No Xcuse)

16, 150 Pounds: Zorri Curry (UMAR)

16, 158 Pounds:  Vincent Goedecke (Unattached)


Novice Division:

123 Pounds: Brient Rodriguez (Champions) vs. Jeremiah Duckett (Last Round)

132 Pounds:  Isaiah Harris (Dog Pound) vs. Dajuan Concepcion (Headbangers)

141 Pounds (Female): Ladasia Lewis (Tony's Gym) vs. Destiny Day-Owens (Time 2 Grind)

141 Pounds: Seung Moon (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Isaac Allen (Deanwood)

152 Pounds: Darnell Pittman (Knowledge Boxing) vs. Quenten Stevens (Headbangers)

152 Pounds:  Victor Williams (Raw Assassin) vs. Salvador Jovel (Sugar Ray Leonard)

165 Pounds: Stefon Jordon (Champions) vs. Stephen Blewitt (Dog Pound)

165 Pounds: Elan Trombley (Headbangers) vs. Leon Tsai (Sugar Ray Leonard)

178 Pounds: Victor DeFreitas, Jr. (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Dante Barnes (Mack Lewis)

201 Pounds: Jordon Scott (Woodland) vs. Daryl Palmer (Raw Assassin


Open Division:

123 Pounds: Marcus Wright (Keystone) vs. Chris Glenn (Hagerstown)

132 Pounds: Embrima Jawara (Laurel) vs. Ahmad Jones (UMAR)

141 Pounds: Donnell Poe (Old School) vs. Reco Todd (Upton)

141 Pounds:  Emmanuel Rodriguez (Down Under) vs. Wilfredo Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

152 Pounds: Michael Peoples (Tony's Gym) vs. Keeshawn Williams (Next-Up)

152 Pounds: Deonte' Washington (Diamonds N The Ruff) vs. Brian Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

178 Pounds: Keon Burroughs (Headbangers) vs. Milton Williams (Dream Team)

201+ Pounds: Nathaniel Copeland (Tony's Gym) vs. Cortez Dunston (UMAR)

Unopposed Champion: 

106 Pounds (Female): Candice Carter (Upton)

The first bout begins at 7:30 PM.  General seating is $20 and children under 12 are five dollars.

Results From Final Washington Golden Gloves Quarterfinals!

Here are the results from the last quarterfinal night of the Washington Golden Gloves held Saturday, March 4 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Junior Division:

11-12 Years, 75 Pounds (Championship):  Richard Dodson (Keystone) over Kardan Chatman (No Xcuse)

16, 125 Pounds (Championship):  Shakell Daly (Sugar Ray Leonard) RSC-2 over Fernando Ramos (Old School) 

16, 135 Pounds (Championship):  Montre' Nichol (Down Under) over Jordan Thompson (Tony's Gym)

15-16, 141 Pounds (Championship):  Traron Marshall (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Joshua Hill (Tony's Gym)

14-15, 156 Pounds (Championship): Brian Perry (Woodland) wins by walkover

15-16, 133 Pounds:  Malik Watson (Upton) over Jay Stancil, III (Sugar Ray Leonard) 

Novice Division:

123 Pounds: Anthony Dominelli (Fight Factory) over Tyre Phillis (Laurel) 

132 Pounds:  Blaze Fidler (Hillcrest) over Daniel Thompson (Sharp Shooters)

141 Pounds:  Sean Comier (Kick-Up) over Daniel Hall (Charm City) 

141 Pounds: Ian Simmons (Hillcrest) over Joshua Zimmerman (Honeycomb)

152 Pounds: Darnell Pittman (Knowledge Boxing) over Steven Jackson (Hillcrest)

152 Pounds: Quenton Stevens (Headbangers) wins by walkover

165 Pounds: Tory Hilton (Unattached) RSC-2 over Steve Layer, Jr. (Unattached)

165 Pounds: Elan Trombley (Headbangers) wins by walkover

165 Pounds: Leon Tsai (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Antonio Williams (Deanwood)

178 Pounds: Anthony Bryant (Hillcrest) wins by walkover

Open Division:

123 Pounds:  Marcus Wright (Keystone) vs. Dwayne Holmes, Jr. (Sugar Ray Leonard)

132 Pounds: Embrima Jawara (Laurel) over Tariq Harris (First Class)

132 Pounds: Tommy Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Marcus Johnson (Limelite)

141 Pounds: Dionte Burts (Woodland) over Adonis Wilkins (MVJ Athletics)

141 Pounds: Donnell Poe (Old School) wins by walkover

141 Pounds: Wilfredo Avelar (Sugar Ray Leonard) RSC-2 over Sipriano Zeldon (Headbangers)

152 Pounds: Champ Moultrie (Laurel) over Corey Moore (Main Street) 

152 Pounds: Kalonni Daly (Sugar Ray Leonard) over Michael Scott (Dover Gym)

The semifinals begin on Saturday, March 11 at Rosecroft Raceway starting at 7:30 PM.

Three Title Bouts To Take Place On April 8 MGM National Harbor Card!

The Top Rank card that will take place at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD on Saturday, April 8 will include three televised title matches.  All three bouts will feature boxers from the Ukraine.

We know about the main event for the card  -- Vasyl Lomanchenko (7-1, five KO's) will defend his WBO Super Featherweight championship against former WBA super featherweight champ Jason Sosa of Camden, NJ (20-1-4, 15 KO's), who recently gave up his title.

There will also be a bout for the WBO Cruiserweight title as champion Oleksandr Usyk defends his title against equally undefeated Michael Hunter of Las Vegas, NV.  Usyk (11-0, 10 KO's) will be making the second defense of his title that he won against Krzysztof Glowacki by unanimous decision on September 17 in Gdansk, Poland. Usyk defended the title with a ninth-round knockout over Thabiso Mchunu on December 17 in Inglewood, CA.

Hunter (12-0, eight KO's) is the NABO Cruiserweight champion, winning that title in his last outing -- a 10-round unanimous decision victory over previously undefeated Isiah Thomas on May 13 in Las Vegas.

The NABF Light Heavyweight championship will also be on the line as champion Oleksandr "The Nail" Gvozdyk defends his title against Yunieski "The Monster" Gonzalez of Miami, FL.  Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KO's) will be making the third defense of the title he won with a second-round knockout over Nadjib Mohammedi on April 9 in Las Vegas.  Gvozdyk has won his last six bouts by stoppage.

Gonzalez, a native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba (18-2, 14 KO's) has righted his career by winning two straight bouts by first-round knockout in Miami after losing two in a row.  This will be Gonzalez's first try at a regional title.

All three title bouts will be shown on HBO, marking the first time the network has televised a boxing card in Maryland.

The non-televised portion of the card will feature undefeated Beltway Boxers Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed and Patrick Harris as well as undefeated super middleweight contender Jesse "Hard Work" Hart of Philadelphia, PA, who holds numerous regional titles.

Grayton Faces Former Champ Cintron March 17 in Reading, PA!

Washington, DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton will face the biggest name in his career when he takes on former two-time world champion Kermit "Killer" Cintron of Reading, PA in a 10-round contest on Friday, March 17 at the Santander Arena in Reading.

Grayton (15-1, 11 KO's) bounced back from suffering his first pro loss by scoring an eighth-round TKO over fellow Beltway Boxer Kareem Martin on August 23 in Bethlehem, PA.  Cintron (39-5-2, 30 KO's) returned to a busy schedule in 2016 after being off for two years.  Cintron picked up four wins last year, his last two coming by stoppage.  Cintron won the interim WBO welterweight title with an eighth-round TKO over Teddy Reid in July of 2004 in Houston, TX.  Cintron would get knocked out by Antonio Margarito in his next contest for the WBO title in April of 2005.  Cintron would then compete at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD and score a third-round TKO over Francisco Javier Parra in September of 2005.

Cintron would win the vacant IBF Welterweight title by knocking out Mark Suarez in the sixth round in October of 2006 and defend it three times before dropping the belt in a rematch against Margarito in April of 2008.

Bouts on this card will be shown on Bounce TV. However, no word yet on whether the Grayton-Cintron bout will make the telecast.

Boxing Returns To UDC March 25!

With the postponement of the March 11th card in Oxon Hill, MD, the next scheduled Beltway Boxing pro card will be on Saturday, March 25th at the Physical Activities Center on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia.  This will be the third time that boxing has been held on the UDC campus. A new promotional group -- GQ Promotions -- will promote the card.

The "GQ" in GQ Promotions will headline the card.  Undefeated Montgomery Village, MD welterweight Gerome Quigley will battle James Wayka of Mounds View, MN in a 10-round contest.  Quigley (15-0, 14 KO's) last fought on June 4 in Springfield, VA and scored a first-round knockout over Reggie Nash.  Five of Quigley's last six bouts -- including his last three -- have ended in the first round, including a win over Vito Vendetta in Hessen, Germany for the vacant IBA Intercontinental Super Welterweight title.

That fact may mean that things may not bode well for Wayka (16-14-1, eight KO's) who has lost his last two bouts by first-round knockout to Beltway Boxers.  Wayka was stopped by Tony Jeter in December of 2014 in Springfield, VA and by Dusty Hernandez Harrison in Norfolk, VA in September of 2015.  Wayka has not fought since the Harrison bout.

Speaking of Harrison, the undefeated USBA Welterweight champion will appear on this card in a 10-round, non-title bout against Matthew "Mayhem" Strode of Greensboro, NC.  Harrison (30-0-1, 16 KO's) won the USBA title in his last outing, a 10-round unanimous decision win over Thomas LaManna on September 15 in Philadelphia, PA.  The last time a boxing card was held at UDC, Harrison was in the main event, winning by fifth-round TKO over Edgar Soto in May of 2013.

Strode (24-4, nine KO's) will be trying to break a two-bout losing streak which includes a fourth-round TKO loss to Ramon Alvarez on December 17 in Chiapas, Mexico.

In six-round contests, Clinton, MD super lightweight Cobia "The Soldier" Breedy returns to action in his first scheduled six-round contest when he takes on Dominic Coca of Watts, CA.  Breedy, a native of Bridgetown, Barbados (8-0, four KO's), is coming off a four-round unanimous decision over Nicholas Rodriguez on December 10 in Springfield, VA.  Coca (8-11, twota KO's) will be trying to break a nine-bout losing streak.  Coca has not fought since losing by second-round TKO to Fernando Martinez in February of 2016 in Los Angeles, CA.  Seven of the losses in this losing streak have come to undefeated boxers.

Glenarden, MD super lightweight Drayvontay Speed-Rawls will compete in a six-round bout against veteran Roy Garcia of Alice, TX.  Speed-Rawls (7-0-1, five KO's) is coming off a first-round knockout victory over David Perez on June 4 in Springfield, VA.  Garcia (3-21-1, two KO's) has lost 10 in a row and will be competing outside the state of Texas for just a six-round unanimous decision to Eric Hernandez on December 10 in Springfield.

An all-Maryland heavyweight contest highlights the four-rounders on the card as undefeated Mike "Silverback" Balogun of Upper Marlboro matches up with "The DC Diamond Cutter" Carlos Black" fighting out of Rockville.  Last time out, Balogun (9-0, eight KO's) scored a first-round TKO over Brandon Lee Hinkle on October 20 at the Mayflower Hotel in DC.  Black (1-4) was knocked out by the debuting Darmani Rock in his last outing on May 13 at the DC Armory.

Two women's bouts are on the card.  Multi-time amateur champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn will take on Latashia Burton of Houma, LA.  Crews-Dezurn made her pro debut on November 19 and lost a four-round unanimous decision to two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields in Las Vegas, NV.  Burton (4-8)  has lost six in a row.

Also on the card will be super featherweight "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown of Bladensburg, MD who will take on the debuting Olivia Fisher of South Carolina.  Brown, who was a world amateur champion in the amateurs, made her pro debut on September 30th at the Sphinx Club in Washington, DC and scored a first-round TKO over Khadija Sanders.

The card will also mark the pro debuts of DC super middleweights The Bell Twins -- Jason and Justin.  Both men competed in the local and regional Golden Gloves.  Justin Bell will battle Brandon Pennington of Virginia Beach, VA (1-0) who made his pro debut on December 10 in Springfield, VA and won a four-round majority decision over Carlos Cruz.  Jason Bell will take on David "Rock Steady" Rohn of Villa Park, IL.  Rohn (0-7-1)  will face his sixth straight Beltway Boxer.

Also on the card will be undefeated Reading, PA super middleweight Shakeem Hodge who will take on Dustin Caplinger of Chillicothe, OH.  Hodge (4-0, three KO's) is coming off a four-round technical decision over Noe Lazano on December 10 in Springfield, VA. Caplinger (2-10, one KO) has lost nine in a row.

'Tranzformer' Taylor Faces Matthysse May 6 In Las Vegas On Canelo-Chavez Jr. Undercard!

Edgewood Arsenal, MD welterweight Emmanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor will have another big bout in store as he will face Lucas Matthysse of Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday, May 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  The bout will be featured on the HBO pay-per-view portion of the Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. card.

After consecutive losses to Antonio Orozco and Adrien Broner in 2015 and 2014, Taylor (20-4, 14 KO's) recalibrated himself and scored two knockout wins against under-.500 competition in 2016. All four of Taylor's losses have been to quality opponents.

Matthysse (37-4, 34 KO's) has not fought since losing by 10th round TKO to Viktor Postol in October of 2015 in Carson, CA in a bout for the WBC Super Lightweight title.  Matthysse suffered a broken orbital bone around his eye in that bout.  Matthysse, a former interim world title holder, is also a fan-friendly boxer who has defeated two other Beltway Boxers in his career.  He scored an eight-round TKO over Demarcus Corley in January of 2011 and knocked out Lamont Peterson in the third round in May of 2013. Matthysse has also fought the likes of Danny Garcia, Ruslan Provodnikov and John Molina, Jr. during his career.