Monday, January 30, 2017

Final Registration For Washington Golden Gloves Saturday In Hillcrest Heights!

The final registration for the 2017 Washington Golden Gloves, including the physical exam, will be held this Saturday, February 4, from 9:00 am to noon at the Hillcrest Bingo Hall located at 4104 23rd Parkway in Hillcrest Heights, MD.

The Washington Golden Gloves will begin later in February.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Lamont Roach, Jr. Wins WBC Youth Silver Super Featherweight Championship With First-Round Knockout!


Upper Marlboro, MD's Lamont Roach, Jr. scored a blistering first-round knockout over former world title contender Alex Valdez of Ciudad Sonora, Mexico to win the vacant WBC Youth Silver Super Featherweight championship at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA Saturday night.

Roach landed a solid right uppercut before knocking Valdez down with a straight right hand.  Moments later, Roach landed another crushing right uppercut to Valdez's solar plexus that knocked him down for the count.  Referee Edward Hernandez stopped the count at 1:41 of the first.

The win is Roach's second straight by knockout and he remains undefeated at 13-0, five KO's.  Valdez is now 26-9-2, 20 KO's.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Golden Gloves Registration Begins Saturday In Hillcrest Heights!

Registration for the 2017 Washington Golden Gloves begins on Saturday, January 28 at the Hillcrest Bingo Hall, located at 4104 23rd Parkway in Hillcrest Heights, MD from 9 am to Noon.  The registration will include the physical exam.


Hurd Competes In World Title Eliminator February 25 In Birmingham, AL!

Undefeated Accokeek, MD super welterweight "Swift" Jarrett Hurd will battle Tony "Superbad" Harrison of Detroit, MI in a 12-round world title eliminator on Saturday, February 25 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. The bout will be the co-feature to Deontay Wilder's world heavyweight championship title defense and will be shown on FOX.  The telecast begins at 8 PM ET.

Hurd, the 2016 co-Beltway Boxer Of The Year (19-0, 13 KO's), is coming off an outstanding six-round TKO over Jo Jo Dan on November 12 in Philadelphia, PA.  Hurd has knocked out his last five opponents and is ranked sixth in the world by the IBF.

Harrison (24-1, 20 KO's) is ranked number two by the IBF and has won three straight since suffering his only loss to Willie Nelson by ninth-round TKO in July of 2015 in Tampa, FL.  Two of Harrison three wins came against Beltway Boxers.  Harrison won a 10-round unanimous decision over Cecil McCalla in October of 2015 in Houston, TX then defeated Fernando Guerrero by sixth-round TKO on March 5 in Bethlehem, PA.

This will be the second major contest for a Beltway Boxer announced for this card.  As BATB posted earlier, Alantez Fox of Forestville, MD will challenge Kenneth McNeil of Birmingham for the vacant NABF Middleweight championship on the undercard.




Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Roach Competes For WBC Youth Super Featherweight Title January 28 In Indio, CA!

Undefeated Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. will have the biggest bout of his young career when he challenges Alejandro Valdez of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico for the vacant WBC Youth Super Featherweight championship on Saturday, January 28 at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA.

Roach, the 2015 Beltway Boxing Rookie Of The Year and one of the three Beltway Prospects Of The Year for 2016 (12-0, four KO's), is coming off one of his best performances of his young career, scoring a third-round knockout over Mario Antonio Macias on September 2 in Los Angeles, CA.

Valdez (26-8-2, 20 KO's) is a former world title contender who has lost three of his last four bouts, all by knockout.  This includes a seventh-round knockout loss to Orlando Cruz on July 15 in Kissimmee, FL for the NABO Super Featherweight title.   Valdez has challenged for the WBA and WBC Bantamweight crowns in the past, losing both bouts by knockout.

L. Peterson Challenges For Interim WBA Welterweight Title; Williams Faces Undefeated Foe February 18 in Cincinnati!

Former world super lightweight champion Lamont Peterson of Washington, DC returns to action to challenge for the Interim WBA Welterweight title when he faces interim champion David Avanesyan of Pyatigorsk, Russia on Saturday, February 18 at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH.  The bout is the co-feature to Adrian Broner's next bout and will be shown on Showtime.

This will be the first bout for Peterson (34-3-1, 17 KO's) since his 12-round majority decision win over Felix Diaz in October of 2015 at the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, VA.  Peterson will be participating in his seventh world title bout.

Avanesyan (22-1-1, 11 KO's) will make the second defense of his title that he won over Charlie Navarro by ninth-round TKO in November of 2015.  Avanesyan successfully defended the title by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Shane Mosley on May 28 in Glendale, AZ.

In another bout on the televised portion of the card, Laurel, MD light heavyweight Thomas "Top Dog" Williams, Jr. will battle undefeated "Sir" Marcus Browne of Staten Island, NY in a 10-round contest.  Williams (20-2, 14 KO's) will look to stay in the world title hunt after losing his bid for the WBC Light Heavyweight title to Adonis Stevenson by fourth-round KO on July 29 in Quebec City, Canada.  Browne, a 2012 US Olympian (18-0, 13 KO's), won the vacant WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight title by eight-round split decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic on April 16 in Brooklyn, NY.  Beltway fans may remember Browne competing in DC in April of 2014 when he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Otis Griffin on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins-Beibut Shumenov at the DC Armory.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

'SlyAza' Fox Challenges McNeil For NABF Middleweight Title February 25 In Birmingham, AL!

The previous post had information about the younger of the Fox Brothers.  However, the older brother is making some news also. We are learning that Forestville, MD middleweight Alantez "SlyAza" Fox will challenge for the NABF Middleweight championship on Saturday, February 25th at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL.

Fox will battle Kenneth McNeil of Birmingham in the contest. Fox (21-0-1, 10 KO's) has stopped six of his last seven opponents, including a second-round knockout of Ronald Montes on September 30th in Chicago, IL.  McNeil (10-2, seven KO's) makes his second attempt at the NABF title.  McNeil lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Ievgen Khytrov on March 5th in Bethlehem, PA.  McNeil bounced back from that loss to score a second-round knockout over Robert Burwell on July 16 in the Legacy Arena.

No word on whether this bout will be televised.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

'Professor' Fox Headlines Card February 11 At Rosecroft!

Boxing returns to Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD on Saturday, February 11 with a King's Promotions card.

Making his third straight appearance in a main event on a King's Promotions card will be undefeated Forestville, MD super lightweight and King's Promotions signee Mykal "The Professor" Fox who will take on Tre'Sean Wiggins of Newburgh, NY in an eight-round contest.  Fox (12-0, four KO's) is coming off an outstanding 2016 where he went 4-0, with two KO's including a seventh-round TKO of Juan Rodriguez in his last outing on November 5 at Rosecroft.  Fox was named one of the top prospects in the Beltway area in 2016.

Wiggins (7-2, six KO's) will look to bounce back from a six-round split decision loss to Benjamin Whitaker on April 15 in Verona, NY.  This will be the first scheduled eight-round bout for Wiggins and the second Beltway opponent.  Wiggins stopped Kevin Womack, Jr. in the third round in Brooklyn, NY in August of 2015.  Also, Wiggins holds a first-round TKO victory over current WBA Super Featherweight champion Jason Sosa.  That took place in September of 2010.

In what should be an interesting cruiserweight contest, Luther "Lights Out" Smith of Bowie, MD will battle Darnell "The Unknown" Pierce of Frederick, MD by way of Texas in a six-round bout.  Smith (6-1, five KO's) was successful in his cruiserweight debut on November 5 at Rosecroft scoring a first-round knockout of Mike Marshall.  Previously, Smith competed as a heavyweight.  Pierce (5-0, one KO) is coming off a four-round unanimous decision win over Louis King on August 12 in Verona, NY.

Greenbelt, MD cruiserweight "The Vanilla Gorilla" Sam Crossed will participate in his first six-round contest when he battles Hafiz Montgomery of Toms River, NJ.  The undefeated Crossed (5-0, three KO's) scored a second-round TKO over Michael Tillery on October 19 in Charlotte, NC.  Montgomery (3-1, two KO's) bounced back from a knockout loss to Darnell Pierce in April to score a first-round TKO over Julian Poole on November 11 in Chester, PA.  Both Crossed and Montgomery will be competing in a scheduled six-round contest for the first time.

In another six-round contest, undefeated Washington, DC featherweight Marcus "The Dreamcrusher" Bates will face off with Alec Christopher McGee of Reno, NV.  Bates (5-0-1, five KO's) scored a sixth-round TKO over Francisco Muro on the November 5th Rosecroft card. Bates is also a King's Promotions signee.  McGee (2-0) has won his first two bouts by four-round unanimous decision.

In four-round contests, DC lightweight Tyrek "I.G.B" Irby will take on fellow DC boxer Lamont White.  Irby had an outstanding amateur career, participating in the World Series of Boxing and the US Olympic trials. Irby made his pro debut on September 30 at the Sphinx Club in DC and scored a first-round knockout over Marquis Johnson.

White (0-5, one No-Decision) will be looking for his first win. White's last contest against Anthony Laureano on December 2 in Lincoln, RI ended in a no-decision when the bout was stopped because of an accidental headbutt in the third round.  White also fought on the November 5 Rosecroft card and lost a four-round unanimous decision to Greg Outlaw.  Outlaw, a native of Bowie, MD (1-0), is also slated to be on this card against an opponent to be determined.

In another all-Beltway four-round contest, Edgewood, MD middleweight Patrick "New Era" Rivera will compete against Gregory Clark of DC.  Rivera (2-0, one KO) won a four-round unanimous decision over Hakeem Atkinson on November 5 at Rosecroft.  Clark (0-1) lost his pro debut by a tough, four-round majority decision to Stephon Morris on November 12 in Baltimore, MD.

Also on the card, Accokeek, MD super welterweight "Slick" Justin Hurd will take on Dawond Pickney of Hot Springs, AK in another four-rounder.  Hurd (1-0) won his pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Hector Mercado on the November fifth Rosecroft Raceway.  Pickney (1-3-1) is winless in his last three contests and is coming off a four-round unanimous decision loss to Chordale Booker on December 10th in Bethlehem, PA.



Friday, January 20, 2017

Jackson Scores First-Round TKO Over Foster In Atlantic City!

Washington, DC junior featherweight Malik Jackson scored a first-round TKO over Christian Foster of Arlington, VA tonight at Bally's in Atlantic City, NJ.

According to Fightnews.com's John DiSanto, Jackson dropped Foster twice with body shots before referee Benji Esteves stopped the contest at 2:20 of the round.  Jackson is now 2-0, two KO's. Foster's record falls to 0-3.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Jackson Returns To Action January 20th In Atlantic City!

Washington, DC bantamweight Malik Jackson will compete for the second time as a professional on Friday, January 20th when he takes on Christian Foster of Alexandria, VA in a four-round contest at Bally's Event Center in Atlantic City, NJ.

Jackson, a former Regional Golden Gloves champion, made his pro debut on September 30th when he scored a first-round TKO over Javonta Cherry at the Sphinx Club in Washington, DC.  Foster (0-2) lost both his bouts by knockout on the road in Bayonne, NJ and Mashantucket, CT.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Beltway Boxing 2016 -- Knockout, Card And Boxer Of The Year!

Finally, we conclude our Beltway Boxing 2016 Awards.  The announcements were made on the Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD on Friday night prior to the events of Saturday evening.

(Illustrations by Ross Molovinsky)

The Beltway Boxing Knockout of the Year is:


Sam Crossed KO1 over Mike Estus, August 19, Crystal City Hilton, Crystal City, VA

On a card that featured a number of knockouts, the one created by "The Vanilla Gorilla" stood out.  Crossed crushed Estus with right hands that stretched Estus on the campus.  After two decision wins that made some question his power at the cruiserweight level, Crossed changed some ideas with this vicious knockout.

The Beltway Boxing Card of The Year took place on:



November 12, Coppermine Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, MD

The Shawstyle Promotions/Shabazz Brothers card contained a solid victory by Travis Reeves -- a second-round TKO over Aaron Quattrochi in the main event.  However, it was the middle bouts that made the card special.  Stephon Morris won a tough, four-round majority decision over Gregory Clark in a solid middleweight bout.  In another middleweight contest, Jeffrey McCalla worked hard to earn a third-round TKO over a game Jose Valderrama. Also, Devin Butcher won a close unanimous decision in an all-Maryland light heavyweight bout over Eric Govan.  This was a very competitive card.

The 2016 Beltway Boxers of the Year are:




"Swift" Jarrett Hurd, super welterweight, Accokeek, MD 19-0, 13 KO's 
                                         
                         and



Gervonta "Tank" Davis, super featherweight, Baltimore, MD 16-0, 15 KO's (prior to January 14)

No other boxers moved their careers better than these two undefeated boxers. It wasn't about the number of bouts both men had as each men fought just twice in 2016.  However, it was the quality of bouts and their successful performances under the bright lights that set them apart.

For Hurd, his movement came as a continuation of an ascent that began with his eye-opening sixth round TKO of Frank Galarza in November of 2015.  On June 25, Hurd was in a co-feature contest against fellow undefeated boxer Oscar Molina in Brooklyn, NY.  Hurd forced Molina's glove to touch the ground in the first round and proceeded to systematically break down Molina until the bout was stopped in the 10th and final round

On November 12th in Philadelphia, PA, Hurd, after one boxer became ill and another refused to face him, took on former world title contender Jo Jo Dan.  Hurd proceeded to batter Dan for six rounds before Dan's corner had the bout stopped.  The two wins have made Hurd one of the top 154-pounders in the world as he is ranked in the top 10 in three major governing bodies as well as Ring Magazine.  A title shot could be mere months away.

For Davis, the 22-year-old also used strong performances to put himself in contender position.  In front of a large Beltway crowd at the DC Armory in Washington, DC, Davis put on a very impressive performance with a sixth-round stoppage of Guillermo Avila on April 1.  Davis broke down Avila throughout the bout, dropping him with a brutal straight left hand late in the fifth round. Davis would close the show with two crushing right uppercuts that forced referee Michelle Myers to stop the bout at 29 seconds of the sixth round.

On June 3, Davis needed just 41 seconds to stop Mario Macias in Hollywood, FL.  The win against the two veteran boxers put Davis in the top ten rankings in the super featherweight division and, even though this selection was made before January 14, everyone can see why we made this selection.


DAVIS WINS IBF JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE; ALEEM CAPTURES WBC SILVER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE IN BROOKLYN!!!

January 14, 2017 will go down as an historic night in Beltway Boxing as two young men won incredible bouts in even more incredible fashion on national television at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.  One turned in what many have already called a "star-making" performance in winning his first world title while the other became an instant contender in a bout already in contention for Bout Of The Year and won a major regional title in the process.



Baltimore, MD's Gervonta "Tank" Davis won the IBF Junior Lightweight title with an impressive seventh-round TKO over former champion Jose "Sniper" Pedraza of Cidra, Puerto Rico. Davis pressured Pedraza early getting inside the taller Pedraza's defenses.  Davis was able to land solid combinations and uppercuts. Davis showed incredible poise throughout the contest, even as Pedraza attempted to put on the pressure in the middle rounds.

Davis responded to Pedraza in the sixth round by landing what turned out to be a life-changing body shot with his left hand. Pedraza never truly recovered.  In the seventh, Davis finished his work with a crushing right hook to Pedraza's head.  Pedraza fell backwards to the canvas.  Pedraza beat referee Ricky Gonzalez's count but was in no shape to continue and the bout was stopped at 2:36.

At age 22, Davis is now the youngest current world champion from the United States and follows Joe Gans, Vincent Pettway and Hasim Rahman, Sr. as world champions from Baltimore.  Davis's record is now 17-0, 16 KO's.  Pedraza, who was making the third defense of his title, loses for the first time and he is now 22-1, 10 KO's.



Earlier in the evening, Richmond, VA middleweight "The Chosen One" Immanuwel Aleem won the vacant WBC Silver Middleweight championship with an incredibly gutsy performance over Ievegen Khytrov of Brooklyn by way of the Ukraine in an early contender for Bout of the Year status.

Aleem got off to a great start in the contest, rocking the heavily-favored Khytrov with a vicious overhand right in the first round.  However, in the second, Aleem seemed to tire and Khytrov came back with hard shots of his own.  Aleem was not overwhelmed, however, and came back strong by knocking Khytrov down in the third round with a left hook. The equally-gutsy Khytrov came back in the same round and rocked Aleem late.

Aleem would knock Khytrov down again with brutal rights in the sixth round before finishing the job later in the round with a crushing left hook to the head that forced referee Eddie Claudio to stop the contest at 1:20 of the round.  Aleem, who trains in the Beltway, remains undefeated at 17-0-1, 10 KO's while Khytrov loses for the first time and he is now 14-1, 12 KO's.

One other note about this evening -- Even the main event of this card was shaped by a Beltway event.  The unification world super middleweight title bout between champions Badou Jack and James DeGale was created by a card that took place on April 30th at the DC Armory in Washington, DC.  WBC champ Jack fought Lucian Bute to a controversial draw (many, including this reporter, thought Jack won and Bute failed a post-fight doping test) while DeGale won a 12-round unanimous decision to keep his IBF title.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Nicklow Wins Unanimous Decision In Glen Burnie!


(Photos by Mike Greenhill)

Baltimore, MD super middleweight veteran Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow won an eight-round unanimous decision over Chauncey "Grimm" Fields of Lynchburg, VA in front of a packed house at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.  The bout was the main event of the Baltimore Pro Boxing promotions card.


Nicklow came forward and pressured Fields for the duration of the contest.  Nicklow also showed good footwork as he was able to cut Fields off at almost every turn.  There was one misstep in the third round, however, as the feet of both men tangled and Nicklow went down as Fields threw a punch.  Referee Kenny Chevalier ruled a knockdown in favor of Fields.

However, Nicklow remained undeterred as he continued his pressure, beating Fields to the punch.  Nicklow would go on to win by a 79-73 score across the board.  Nicklow's record now stands at 26-8-3, eight KO's.  Fields loses for the first time and is now 4-1, two KO's.

In other bouts on the card, Baltimore super welterweight Aaron "The Game Changer" Anderson scored a vicious first-round knockout over the debuting Roger Caruso of Dundalk, MD. Anderson dropped Caruso to one knee with a straight right hand to the head.  Caruso got back up but was met with a brutal Anderson left hand to the body that put him down for good.  Referee Brent Bovell waived off the bout at 1:34.  Anderson is now 2-0, two KO's.

In an early Beltway Boxing Bout of the Year candidate, super middleweight "Dangerous" Donald Wallace of Baltimore won a tough six-round unanimous decision over Tahir Thomas of Salisbury, MD.  Wallace and Thomas exchanged solid shots during the contest.  Thomas took an early advantage by knocking down Wallace with a counter right hand in the third round.  However, Wallace recovered and took control of the contest as Thomas seemed to wear down.  Wallace continued the assault en route to winning the contest.  Judges Ken Chevalier and Don Risher scored the bout 57-56 and judge John Gradowski saw the bout 59-55. Wallace is now 2-0, one KO while Thomas is 4-1-1, three KO's.

In the opening contest, Baltimore lightweight Ernest "Frost" Hall won by stoppage over Cleveland Hemphill of Temple Hills, MD in a battle of debuting boxers.  Hall dropped Hemphill three times, twice with body shots over a two-round period.  Hemphill could not come out for the third round.

In amateur contests, Brian Haneschlager of Baltimore Boxing won over his gym mate Mike Burris by second-round TKO.

Deshawn Chase of Baltimore Boxing won a decision at 165 pounds over Eric Walker of Arvin Boxing and Fitness.

Tyrell Boyd of Mack Allison Gym won by decision over Ashton Sykes of Baltimore at 168 pounds.

Andy Bueno of the Lincoln Way gym in York, PA won a 140 pound bout by decision over Dorien Bostic of the Dave Sewell Gym.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Weights From Glen Burnie!

Here is the scale watch for the Baltimore Pro Boxing Card tonight at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:

Jessie Nicklow 164 vs. Chauncey Fields 163.6

Donald Wallace 166 vs. Tahir Thomas 167

Ernest Hall 130 vs. Cleveland Hemphill 133.6

Aaron Anderson 154 vs. Roger Caruso 151.2

There will be four amateur bouts on the card tonight as well.

Beltway Boxing 2016 -- Rookie Of The Year, Prospect Of the Year, Bout Of The Year!

Beltway Boxing 2016 -- Rookie Of The Year

Our top rookie had one of the busiest first years in recent memory, fighting seven times in a five-month period.  His first four bouts were in a three-week time span. Also, all seven wins were by knockout.

(Award designs by Ross Molovinsky)

The 2016 Beltway Boxing Rookie of the Year is:

Mack "Papi"Allison IV, super featherweight, 7-0, seven KO's, Baltimore, MD




The 19-year-old super featherweight did not begin his pro career until July 16th when he scored a first-round TKO over Brian Raglin in Norfolk, VA.   Allison would fight three times in a 13-day period in July winning all three bouts by first-round knockout.  Most of Allison's bouts took place in North Carolina before he would fight in the Beltway for the first time, winning by third-round knockout over Rodger Williams in Springfield, VA on December 10.  Allison is starting slowly but starting to get more rounds in.  The future looks bright.

Beltway Boxing 2016 -- Prospect Of The Year

This year, we had numerous prospects make considerable movements in their young careers.  This is why this category was the hardest to select.  In the end, we couldn't select just one as three men made significant moves to position themselves for a solid 2017.

The 2016 Beltway Boxing Prospects Of The Year are:

Mykal "The Professor" Fox, 12-0, four KO's, Forestville, MD





Travis "Seveer" Reeves, 13-2-2, seven KO's, Baltimore, MD




Lamont Roach, Jr., 12-0, four KO's, Upper Marlboro, MD


Fox fought four times in 2016, progressing nicely throughout the year.  On February 27, Fox won a six-round unanimous decision over Claudinei Lacerda at the Washington Convention Center. Four months later, Fox had a shutout victory over tough veteran Jose Valderrama in Bethlehem, PA.  As Fox advanced into scheduled eight-round bouts, Fox's performances got even more dominant as he scored impressive knockout victories over Somner Martin and Juan Rodriguez.

Reeves only fought twice in 2016 but both bouts were for minor titles and has put him in position for bigger events in 2017.  Reeves won the Maryland State Cruiserweight title with a seventh-round TKO over Larry Pryor on May 14th in Timonium, MD. On November 12th, Reeves scored an impressive second-round TKO over Aaron Quattrocchi in Baltimore.  Reeves is looking at an International Cruiserweight title shot in the IBO in the first quarter of 2017.

Roach used 2016 to move into the eight-rounders for the first time where he was very successful.  After an eight-round unanimous decision over Jesus Lule on March 5 at the DC Armory, Roach went on the road and scored two great victories -- an eight-round unanimous decision on May 7 over Jose Esquivel in Las Vegas, NV and an impressive third-round TKO over Mario Macias in Los Angeles, CA.  Roach is looking at a breakout year in 2017.


Beltway Boxing Bout Of The Year - 2016

The Bout of the Year was an impressive showing between two young prospects that showed a lot of talent and grit from both men.

The 2016 Beltway Boxing Bout Of The Year is:



Jordan White, six-round unanimous decision over Jose Elizondo, November 5, Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD.

The 19-year-old White was participating in his first six-round contest after just three bouts.  The DC native was able to knock Elizondo, a native of Mexico, down twice in the first two rounds. The first knockdown happened with less than 10 seconds in the first round while the second happened in the second round as White landed a punch while Elizondo seemed to lose his footing.  From that point on, the two men battled fiercely for the remainder of the contest.  White won the bout by scores of 57-55 (twice) and 58-55. White, raised his record to 4-0, three KO's.  Elizondo also competing in a six-round contest for the first time, fell to 2-2.

We will have the rest of the awards this weekend.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Beltway Boxing 2016 -- The Year Of The Voyage!

Welcome to our condensed look at Beltway Boxing 2016.  Frankly, and I do apologize, I did not have the time or the energy to write the normal annual recap.  Today, you will get the summary.  Tomorrow, we'll announce the first three awards followed by the second three.

Beltway Boxing 2016 saw numerous locals make out of town trips in attempts to further their careers.  Locals traveled to 18 states and five countries.  A few of those trips were made at the highest level of the sport as three Beltway Boxers participated in world title bouts.

On April 16, Gary Russell, Jr. made a successful defense of the WBC Featherweight title scoring a second-round TKO over Patrick Hyland in Mashantucket, CT.   Two other locals were unable to capture world titles in their bids.  Dominic Wade lost by second-round knockout to Gennady Golovkin for the Unified World Middleweight title on April 23 in Inglewood, CA and Thomas Williams, Jr. lost by fourth-round KO to Adonis Stevenson for the WBC Light Heavyweight title on July 29 in Quebec City, Canada.

Some prospects used road trips very successfully to become contenders.  Jarrett Hurd won two nationally-televised contests by knockout in June and November to place himself in the top 10 among super welterweights in the WBA, WBC and IBF.  Mike Reed won four times in 2016 and is now ranked sixth by the WBO at super lightweight.  Also, Gervonta Davis scored two knockouts to place himself in the top 10 in the IBF at super featherweight and in line for a world title bout in January.

The voyages by our better-known Beltway Boxers left very sparse action inside the Beltway in 2016 as far as local action was concerned.  The Beltway hosted 18 cards in 2016, one less than 2015.  However, DC and Northern Virginia increased their number of cards -- DC had eight cards (one more than the previous year) and Northern Virginia hosted seven (three more than 2015).  Maryland had just three cards in 2016 but that looks to change with the opening of the MGM Casino at National Harbor.

DC had an interesting year as four of their cards were shown on national television within a two-month period.  There were five world title bouts during that time period -- none involving Beltway Boxers.  However, DC, working with a new commission, became a solid player in 2016.

Northern Virginia, specifically, the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, was the home of many regional title bouts and one world title contest.  Tori Nelson captured the vacant UBF and WIBA Super Middleweight titles with a 10-round unanimous decision over Alicia Napoleon on December 10.  Alexandru Marin won the IBO International Bantamweight title with a third-round TKO over Johnny Determan on June 11.  Travis Reeves earned one state and one regional title in 2016.

On the amateur side, Beltway Boxers participated at the highest level of competition.  Gary Antuanne Russell competed in the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, falling just one bout short of earning a medal.   Lorenzo Simpson captured his sixth consecutive National Silver Gloves championship.  Noted female amateurs Franchon Crews and Tiara Brown made long-awaited pro debuts.

Tomorrow -- we will announce our first three awards -- Rookie of the Year, Prospect of the Year and Bout of the Year.

Sunday, January 08, 2017

Nicklow Headlines First Beltway Card January 13 at Michael's Eighth Avenue!

For the first time in almost seven years, professional boxing returns to Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD on Friday, January 13.  The Pro-Am card will be promoted by Jake Smith's Baltimore Pro Boxing.

The card will be headlined by veteran Baltimore, MD super middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow who will take on undefeated Chauncey "GRIMM" Fields of Lynchburg, VA in an eight-round contest.  Nicklow (25-8-3, eight KO's) competes for the first time since November of 2015 when he was stopped by Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the third round in Las Vegas, NV.  Nicklow is undefeated in Maryland (24-0-3) and has competed all over the state but makes just his second appearance as a pro at Michael's.  In June of 2009, Nicklow fought to an eight-round draw against John Mackey. Nicklow was the first BATB Rookie of the Year and his March 20th, 2010 victory over Scott Sigmon and his September 17, 2010 draw with Julius Kennedy were two of the three bouts chosen as Bout of the Year  in 2010 (the third bout was Sigmon's win over Kennedy on December 11, 2010).

Fields (4-0, two KO's) also has an interesting history.  As an amateur, he once fought at the 201-Pound division, losing a bout in Millersville, MD in 2013.  As a pro, Fields never fought a four-round contest.  All four of his contests have been scheduled six-rounders. That includes his last bout, a third-round TKO over the debuting Noe Quintanilla on December 10 in Greensboro, NC.

One other bout has been announced for this card -- an all-Maryland six-round super middleweight contest between "Dangerous" Donald Wallace of Baltimore and Tahir Thomas of Salisbury. Wallace (1-0, one KO) made his pro debut on May 21 and scored a first-round TKO over the equally-debuting James Smith in Springfield, VA.  Thomas (4-0-1, three KO's) has not fought since battling Antowyan Aikens to a six-round draw in Philadelphia, PA in November of 2015.

Also scheduled to appear on this card are Baltimore, MD super welterweight "Bazooka" Joey Veazey (1-0) and Baltimore-based veteran "The Amazing" Michael Gbenga (21-25, 20 KO's). There are also amateurs scheduled to appear on this card.

The last card to feature pro boxers at Michael's took place on April 2, 2010 during the highly successful "Ballroom Boxing"era promoted by the owners of Michael's, the late Senator Michael J. Wagner and his son, Scott.


Saturday, January 07, 2017

ProAm Fight Talk Has Silver Gloves Coverage!

My thanks to my partner Juan Marshall of ProAm Fight Talk for his coverage of the Regional Silver Gloves at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.  Go to his website for details on the event.  www.proamfighttalk.blogspot.com

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Happy New Year -- Beltway Boxing Awards On The Way -- 2017 Starts Quickly!

Happy New Year to all Beltway Boxing fans!  Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season!

We are working on the Beltway Boxing Awards for 2016 and hope to have them out in the next two weeks.

Also, we find that 2017 will start very quickly with our first pro card scheduled for Friday, January 13 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

January will also find our first Beltway Boxer competing for a world title in 2017.  Gervonta Davis will battle for the IBF Super Featherweight title against champion Jose Pedraza on Saturday, January 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.