Beltway Boxing Favorites Return During Card At New DC Arena December 1!

Professional boxing makes its debut at the new Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC on Saturday, December 1st.  The card, promoted by Tricky Entertainment and DC Fight Night, will feature a number of Beltway Boxers who are making returns after long absences.  The Entertainment and Sports Arena is located at 1100 Oak Drive in Southeast DC.

Headlining the card will be popular DC welterweight Dusty Hernandez Harrison who will risk his undefeated record in a scheduled 10-round bout against James "Shotgun" Winchester of Reidsville, NC.  Harrison (30-0-1, 16 KO's) has not fought since September of 2016 when he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Thomas LaManna in Philadelphia, PA.  Harrison won the USBA Welterweight title in that contest.

Winchester (20-13, eight KO's) comes off a six-round unanimous decision loss to Philadelphia prospect Jaron Ennis in March of 2017 in Philadelphia.  Winchester has fought quality boxers throughout his career including Matt Korobov, Glen Tapia, Luis Arias and Terrell Gausha.

The co-feature is scheduled to have another DC welterweight in Kareem "Reemo" Martin, who will be in a eight-round contest against an opponent to be determined.  Martin (10-2-1, three KO's) won his last contest when he captured a four-round majority decision over Kevin Womack, Jr. on June 30th at the Sphinx Club in DC.

Also returning after a long absence will be Oxon Hill, MD light heavyweight Alexander "The Great" Johnson who will also be in an eight-round contest against an opponent to be named later.  Johnson (16-4-1, seven KO's) returns for the first time since battling to an eight-round majority draw with Egor Mekhontsev in August of 2016 in Tucson, AZ.

In six-round bouts will be undefeated Greenbelt, MD cruiserweight "The Vanilla Gorilla" Sam Crossed (7-0, five KO's) and Silver Spring, MD heavyweight George Harris (1-0, one KO).  In his last outing, Crossed delivered a Beltway Boxing Knockout Of The Year candidate on June 16th in Laurel, MD, knocking out Josh Jones in just 23 seconds.  Harris made a successful pro debut on October 27th stopping Damion Reed at 39 seconds of the second round in Fort Washington, MD.

DC super lightweight Antonio "Teflon" Magruder makes his return to action in a four-round bout.  Magruder (5-0, four KO's) has not competed since winning a first-round TKO over Ronnie Watson in September of 2016 at the Sphinx Club.

Three other boxers make relatively quick returns to action on this card in four-round contests.  Washington, DC junior featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White (5-1, four KO's) comes off a fourth-round TKO over Francisco Rodriguez on September 22nd in Bowie, MD.  Landover, MD super lightweight Tyrek "I.G.B." Irby (5-0, two KO's) last fought on the same September 22nd card and won a four-round unanimous decision over Lamont White.  Also in a four-round bout will be Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana (2-0, one KO) who just fought on October 27th and won a six-round majority decision over Jason Bell in Fort Washington, MD.

Baltimore, MD middleweight Tyrell Boyd will make his pro debut on this card.  Boyd is a former Regional Novice champion.

This card will be the first of three consecutive cards that will take place in the Beltway in December.  After this card, there will be a card at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD on Saturday, December 8th.  That card will be followed by one at a new location -- Tysons Playground in Vienna, VA on Saturday, December 15th.

Hurd To Face Welborn December 1st In Los Angeles!

Undefeated IBF/WBA/IBO Junior Middleweight champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd of Accokeek, MD will return to action on Saturday, December 1st when he will compete against British Middleweight champion Jason Welborn of Tividale, West Midlands, United Kingdom at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.  There is a possibility that Hurd's titles will not be on the line.

Hurd (22-0, 15 KO's) captured the WBA and IBO belts with a 12th-round split decision victory over Erislandy Lara on April 7th in Las Vegas, NV.  Hurd also has recovered from a shoulder injury that he suffered during the Lara bout.

Welborn (24-6, seven KO's) will drop down to 154 pounds.  Welborn, the British Boxing Board of Control Middleweight titleholder, is ranked ninth in the world by the IBF and 10th by the WBA at middleweight.  Welborn comes off his second straight 12th round split decision win over Tommy Langford on September 8 in Birmingham, England.  However, one of Welborn's six losses came in May of 2016 to a boxer named William Warburton who had a record of 18-96-8 at the time of the bout.

The bout will be on the undercard of the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury bout and will be shown on Showtime PPV.

David Crawford, Beltway Trainer, Passes!

We have received word that Beltway trainer David Crawford passed away on October 18th from cancer.  In the mid-1990's, Mr. Crawford was the trainer for local favorite Teddy "Two-Gun" Reid and helped him achieve NABF and USBA titles in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions.  Reid also challenged for the interim WBO Welterweight title.

After leaving the sport briefly, Mr. Crawford came back and worked with boxers Dodie Boy Penalosa, Jr. and, most recently, Alexandru Marin, the current IBO Inter-Continental Super Flyweight champion.

Services for Mr. Crawford will be held Tuesday, October 30th at St Luke Catholic Church, located at 4925 East Capitol Street in Southeast Washington, DC.  The wake will be from 9 AM to 11 AM and the service starts at 11 AM.  Burial will be private.

Results From Rosecroft!

(Photos by Daniel Cork)

Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana won a six-round majority decision over Jason Bell of District Heights, MD during the main event of the Cynation Sports card at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

Although he looked wild at times, Pllana was able to land more of the cleaner blows in the contest. Pllana kept his left hand low but was able to bring it up in time to land quick jabs and hooks.  In the second round, Pllana was able to keep Bell at bay with sweeping lefts and rights. Pllana also showed confidence in the round by adding some shuffling footwork during the round.

Bell would make a comeback in the middle rounds as he would pressure Pllana and get him against the ropes to land shots but Pllana seemed to have an answer with his jab.  Pllana closed the show in the sixth round with a great combination of hand speed and accuracy.  Judge John Gradowski saw a draw at 57-57 but judges Vic DeWysocki and Steve Rados saw the bout 59-55 for Pllana, who is now 2-0, one KO.  Bell loses for the first time and he is now 3-1, one KO.

Bell's twin brother, Justin, also a super middleweight from District Heights, was successful in his bout, scoring a second-round TKO over DeAndre West of Danville, VA.  Bell walked his opponent down throughout the contest and landed brutal lefts and rights to the head and body.  Repeatedly, referee DeWysocki asked West to show signs of returning fire.  However, Bell was able to land a solid left-right combination to West's head that forced DeWysocki to stop the bout at 1:19 of the second.  Bell remains undefeated at 4-0, three KO's while West's record drops to 0-2.

Also on the card, Washington, DC welterweight Shynggyskhan Tazhibay captured a six-round unanimous decision over Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez of Haymarket, VA.  In his first six-rounder, Tazhibay looked comfortable as he stalked Rodriguez and used a strong jab to the head and combinations to the body.  Rodriguez fired back with combinations of his own but Tazhibay was able to outland Rodriguez and win the bout.  All three judges (Gradowski, Rados and Brent Bovell) saw the bout 59-55.  Tazhibay remains undefeated at 8-0, two KO's while Rodriguez drops to 8-12-1, six KO's.

Baltimore, MD lightweight Jahmal Dyer notched a first-round TKO over "Joltin" Jesse Carradine, Jr. of Decatur, GA.  After stalking Carradine around the ring for the first minute, Dyer landed a brutal overhand right that dropped Carradine to the canvas.  Carradine seemed to hurt his right ankle as he fell and got up limping forcing referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the contest at 1:48 seconds.  Since suffering his only pro loss in February, Dyer has scored three straight knockout victories to raise his record to 7-1, five KO's.  Carradine's record drops to 8-6-2, four KO's.

Frederick, MD super welterweight "The Lion King" Jonathan Burrs won a four-round unanimous decision over Bryant "The Punisher" Costello of Liberty, NY by way of Puerto Rico.  Burrs used a nice inside game to win this contest as he was able to go to Costello's body throughout the bout.  All three judges (Chevalier, Gradowski and Rados) scored the bout 39-37 for Burrs, who evens his record at 1-1.  Costello, whose first bout ended in a no-contest, is now 0-1, 1 NC.

In the opening contest, DC heavyweight George Harris made a successful pro debut scoring a second-round TKO over Damion Reed of Danville, VA.  Harris dropped Reed once late in the first round and twice in the second before the bout was stopped at 39 seconds.  Reed's record falls to 3-19-1, one KO.

Cynation Sports is led by Cory Sanders.  The matchmaker was Brian Dillon.  This reporter served as ring announcer.

Scale Watch From Rosecroft!

Here are the weights for the Cynation Sports Promotions card to be held Saturday at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

Jason Bell 172 vs. Genc Pllana 169.92

Justin Bell 168 vs. Deandre West 164.8

Jahmal Dyer 133.6 vs. Jesse Carradine Jr 130.4

Shynggyskhan Tahzibay 146.2 vs. Juan Rodriguez 147.4

Jonathan Burrs 154 vs. Bryant Costello 154.6

George Harris 221 vs. Damion Reed 230.4

Due to my duties tonight as ring announcer for this card, we do not plan a live broadcast of this card.  However, Juan Marshall and I will have a post-fight wrap-up from Rosecroft immediately following the conclusion of the card.

Legendary Beltway World Champions Highlight 2018 DC Boxing Hall Of Fame Class!

A quartet of legendary world champions from the Beltway region will headline the latest class of inductees into the Washington, DC Boxing Hall of Fame on Friday, November 9th at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD.

International Boxing Hall of Famer Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson will be inducted into the DC hall.  After losing his second pro fight in March of 1990, Johnson (44-5, 28 KO's) reeled off 27 consecutive victories leading to his first world title opportunity.  Johnson would capture the vacant IBF Flyweight title with a stunning first-round knockout over former world champion Francisco Tejedor on May 4th, 1996 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA.

Johnson would defend the IBF Flyweight title seven times, including an impressive first-round stoppage of Arthur Johnson at the DC Armory on February 22nd, 1998.  Johnson would move up to super flyweight and win the IBF version of that title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Chaiya Pothang (AKA Ratanachai Sor Vorapin) on April 24th, 1999 at the now Capitol One Arena in DC.  On August 16, 2003, Johnson would capture the WBO version of the 115-pound title with a 12-round majority decision over Fernando Montiel at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.  The Ring would name Johnson the top flyweight of the 1990's and the International Boxing Hall of Fame would induct him in 2012.  At 40 years old, Johnson is the youngest selection into the hall.

Also going into the DC Hall Of Fame is another three-time world champion, Simon "Mantequilla" Brown.  A native of Clarendon, Jamaica, Brown (47-12, 34 KO's) would move to DC as a young man.  Brown would make his pro debut in February of 1982 and fight many of his bouts in Atlantic City, NJ.  Brown would win 21 straight bouts before losing his first contest, a 12-round split decision to Marlon Starling in November of 1985 in Atlantic City. 

Brown would win his next three contests before earning his first world title shot.  Brown would travel to Berck-sur-Mer, France to face Tyrone Trice for the IBF Welterweight championship on April 23rd, 1988.  Brown would score a 14th round TKO to win his first world title.   Brown would have eight successful title defenses, including a rematch with Trice on April 1st, 1990 at the DC Armory where Brown would score a 10th round TKO.  Brown would be on a collision course with his best friend, Maurice Blocker, who was the WBC Welterweight champion. On March 18th, 1991, the two would meet at the Mirage in Las Vegas, NV and Brown would knock out Blocker in the 10th round to win both belts.

Brown would move up to the super welterweight division and would score the Ring Magazine's Upset Of The Year, knocking out Terry Norris in the fourth round on December 18th, 1993 in Puebla, Mexico to capture the WBC 154-Pound title.  In the latter stages of his career, Brown would face some of the best in the business, including Vincent Pettway, Bernard Hopkins, Aaron Davis and Lonnie Bradley.

Yet another three-time world champ will enter the DC Hall in William Joppy.  Joppy (40-7-2, 30 KO's) was a stalwart in the middleweight division.  Joppy began his career in February of 1993 and would have a 22-0-1 record in his first 23 bouts.  On June 24th, 1996, Joppy would travel to Yokohama, Japan and score a 9th-round TKO over previously undefeated Shinji Takehara to win the WBA Middleweight championship.  After two successful title defenses, Joppy would lose the WBA title in a controversial unanimous decision loss to Julio Cesar Green on August 23rd, 1997 in Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Joppy would regain the WBA title from Green on January 31st, 1998 in Tampa, FL by unanimous decision. 

Joppy's next title defense would be against the legendary Roberto Duran on August 28th, 1998 in Las Vegas, NV Joppy would easily defeat the aging Duran by third-round TKO.  In January of 1999, Joppy would suffer injuries in an automobile accident but would return eight months later to defend his title in a third bout against Green on September 24th, 1999 at the now Capital One Arena in DC.  Joppy would lose the title to Felix Trinidad on May 12th, 2001 during the Middleweight Championship Series at Madison Square Garden but would win the WBA title for the third time with a 12th-round majority decision victory over Howard Eastman on November 17th 2001 in Las Vegas.  Joppy would challenge for the super middleweight and light heavyweight titles before his career ended.

The fourth former world champion was a pioneer in the women's division in the Beltway, Lisa "Too Fierce" Foster-Cohen.  In a six-year career, Foster-Cohen (6-5-1, two KO's) was able to win one of the big belts in the women's division, the IFBA (International Female Boxers Association) super bantamweight title, scoring a ninth-round TKO over Kathy Williams on May 15th, 2002 in Kenner, LA.  Foster would also challenge for the WIBF (Women's International Boxing Federation) title during her career.

Foster is the second female boxer to be inducted into the DC Boxing Hall of Fame joining Isra Girgrah Wynn who was inducted in 2009.

Inducted in the Amateur Boxing Division will be Patrice "Boogie" Harris and Anthony "Da Beast" Suggs.  Harris has been a famed trainer at the Headbangers Gym in Washington, DC who has worked with amateur and pro champions, including Lamont and Anthony Peterson, David Grayton and his son, Patrick.  Harris will also have a role in the upcoming movie Creed 2.  

Suggs was an amateur boxing champion who was ranked number one in the country and number four in the world in 1987.  Suggs later had a 12-year pro career and has gone on to become a motivational speaker and author.

Four more Beltway notables will be inducted into the Outstanding Contributors section.  Brent Bovell has been a noted amateur and pro referee and judge for many years. Bovell is one of a handful of referees from the area who can work in international and Olympic competition.  In 2012, Bovell started working professional contests and has been the third man in the ring in a number of regional title bouts.

Tamara McKinney has been a prominent member of the Potomac Valley Association of USA Boxing for a number of years.  McKinney has served as the lead official for numerous local amateur events and has also served as an organizer of amateur cards that have helped benefit numerous causes.

David Norman served as chair of the Maryland State Athletic Commission in the late 2000's and oversaw a number of world and regional title bouts.  Norman still serves on the commission as a commissioner.

Mack Allison III is a former kickboxing champion who has trained numerous young boxers in Baltimore, MD.  After working at the Upton Boxing Center for 16 years, Allison opened his own gym, Time 2 Grind, in June of this year.  Among Allison's notable boxers are Malik Titus, who has won five straight regional Golden Gloves championships and Allison's son Mack IV, who was the Beltway Boxing Rookie of the Year in 2016.

The banquet will begin with a cash bar at 7 PM and the dinner service starts at 8 PM.  Tickets are $65 per dinner.  For reservations, call 240-472-9226.

October 29th Cynation Card Coming Together!

The Cynation Sports Promotions card that will take place on Saturday, October 29th at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD is coming together.  This is the card that was originally scheduled to take place in late September.

One of the feature contests will be a six-round welterweight bout between undefeated Shynggyskhan Tazhibay of DC and Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez of Haymarket, VA.  Tazhibay (7-0, two KO's) comes off a four-round unanimous decision over Justin Johnson on September 14th in Philadelphia, PA.  Tazhibay's last five bouts have all been unanimous decision victories and he will be competing in a scheduled six-round bout for the first time in his career.

Rodriguez (8-11-1, six KO's) looks to break a four-bout losing streak that includes a six-round unanimous decision defeat to undefeated Janelson Bocachica on October 6th in Louisville, KY.  Rodriguez will compete against an undefeated opponent for the third straight time.

Baltimore, MD lightweight Jahmal Dyer will be in his first scheduled six-rounder as he takes on veteran Jesse Carradine of Las Vegas, NV by way of Cincinnati, OH.   After losing his first pro contest on February 24th, Dyer (6-1, four KO's) has scored two knockout victories.  In his last outing, Dyer scored a fourth-round TKO over Marcos Lugo on September 8th in Atlantic City, NJ.

Carradine (8-5-2, four KO's) will be the most experienced foe Dyer has faced.  Carradine has only fought once since October of 2014, losing a four-round majority decision to Antton Slaughter on July 28th in Columbus, OH.  Carradine is winless in his last five bouts over a six-year period.

In another six-round bout, District Heights, MD super middleweight Jason Bell will battle Genc Pllana of Hagerstown, MD.  Both men will be moving to the six-round mark after a short time in their careers.  Bell (3-0, one KO) last fought in October of 2017 and won a four-round unanimous decision over Alan Stephenson in Springfield, VA.  Pllana, a native of Armenia (1-0, one KO), has not fought since making his pro debut in October of 2017 and winning by first-round TKO over Dameron Kirby in DC.

Bell's twin brother, Justin, will be in a four-round bout against Deandre West of Lynchburg, VA.  Justin Bell (3-0, two KO's) also has not fought since October of 2017 in Springfield when he scored a second-round TKO over Ben D. Williams.  West (0-1) lost his pro debut in August of 2017 dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Somner Martin in Lynchburg.

Also on the card will be Hagerstown, MD super welterweight Jonathan Burrs who will take debuting Bryant Costello of Humacao, Puerto Rico in a four-round bout.  Burrs (0-1) lost his pro debut to James Martin on August 10th in Philadelphia, PA.  Costello was in a no contest in his pro debut on August 11th in Salisbury, NC. 

Alexandria, VA heavyweight George Harris will make his pro debut on this card as he battles veteran Damion Reed of Danville, VA in a four-rounder.  Harris competed in the 2017 Golden Glove Regionals.  Reed (3-18-1, one KO) is 1-3 against Beltway Boxers, dropping bouts to Sam Crossed, Albi Sadikaj and Mario Murphy and defeating Terry Roy.

Nishanbaev Suffers Knockout In DC!

A tough loss for Arlington, VA super welterweight Zarifbek "Triple Z" Nishanbaev on Thursday, October 18th at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.  This was during the annual Alarm.com Fight Night held for the company's employees.  No press are allowed to attend this event.

Nishanbaev suffered a third-round knockout at the hands of Gledwin Ortiz of the Bronx, NY during the contest.  No word on the official time of the KO. 

The loss broke a three-bout winning streak for Nishanbaev, who is now 5-2, four KO's.  Ortiz's record rises to 5-2, four KO's.  Ortiz competed for the first time since September of 2016.

Beltway Boxers Continue Road Trips In Charlotte, Indianapolis!

Two more pro Beltway Boxers will hit the road for bouts on Saturday, October 20th.  Seat Pleasant, MD featherweight James "Too Slick" Early will be in a six-round contest against Stevie "The Answer" Massey of Charlotte, NC at the Center Stage at NoDa in Charlotte.

Early (3-3) looks to bounce back from a four-round unanimous decision loss to Ricky De Los Santos on May 11th in Lincoln, Rhode Island.   Massey (7-1, seven KO's) has scored first-round knockouts in his last three bouts including a knockout over Gabriel Braxton on June 30th at the Center Stage.  The card is being promoted by legendary female champion "The Coal Miner's Daughter" Christy Martin.

Meanwhile at the D1 Factory in Indianapolis, IN, DC super lightweight Lamont White will be in a bout against undefeated Altair Tapia of Indianapolis.  No word on how many rounds the bout is for.  White (1-15, one KO) looks to break an eight-bout losing streak.  In his last outing, White lost a four-round unanimous decision to Tyrek Irby on September 22nd at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD.  White has never been knocked out in a contest.

Tapia (5-0, three KO's) comes off a four-round unanimous decision win over Donte Bryant on March 10th at the D1 Factory.

Harvey, White Capture Titles At Eastern Qualifier; Isley, Davis Win Bouts At Second USA-Germany Duel In Chattanooga!

Beltway amateur boxers were involved in big events in Chattanooga, TN this week.  A host of locals were involved in the 2018 Eastern Elite Qualifier & Regional Open Championships while two more competed in the two USA duels with Germany.

Two locals came away with championships during the Eastern Qualifiers.  Jamal Harvey of Oxon Hill, MD won the Junior Male 114 pounds title with a unanimous decision over Keith Colon of Newark, NJ.  Also, Donte White of Baltimore, MD captured the Youth Male 201+ title with a unanimous decision over Lemichael Moulden of Knoxville, TN.

Meanwhile, Alexandria, VA boxers Troy Isley and Keyshawn Davis won their second bouts in the USA's duel contest against Germany on October 12th.  In the middleweight division, Isley won a 3-2 decision over Artur Beck Ohanyan.  Davis moved up to light welterweight and won a 5-0 decision over Wladislaw Baryshnik.  The USA would win the two-day duel series, 19-6.

Isley and Davis would then travel to Omaha, NB to watch stablemate Shakur Stevenson score an impressive first-round TKO in the televised co-feature on the Terrence Crawford-Jose Benavidez, Jr. card.  Stevenson is from Newark, NJ but trains in Alexandria.

Williams Wins Unanimous Decision In Omaha!

Washington, DC welterweight "The Next Big Thing" Keeshawn Williams won a four-round unanimous decision over Ramel Snegur of Portland, OR Saturday evening at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, NB.

No official word on the scores, but footage showed that Williams was in control throughout the contest.  Williams remains undefeated at 4-0-1, one KO while Snegur falls to 2-3-1, one KO.

Davis, Isley Win Bouts At USA-Germany Duel In Tennessee!

Beltway amateur boxers Keyshawn Davis and Troy Isley both won bouts during a duel between the United States team and a squad from Germany on October 6th in Chattanooga, TN.

The Alexandria, VA duo won decisions and help lead the US team to a 9-4 overall victory.  Davis won a unanimous decision over Murat Yildrim at 132 pounds while Isley took a split decision over Andrey Merzlyakov.

The second night of the duel will be on Friday, October 12th in Chattanooga.

WBC Champion Crews Dezurn Profiled In Baltimore Sun!

Newly-crowned WBC Female Super Middleweight champion Franchon Crews Dezurn is the subject of a nice profile by Mike Klingaman of the Baltimore Sun.  The profile talks about Crews Dezurn's future plans since winning her title in a 10-round majority decision victory over Maricela Cornejo on September 13th in Las Vegas, NV as well as the great relationship she has with her boxing husband, Glenn Dezurn.  Here is the link:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-sp-boxing-crews-dezurn-20180924-story.html

Rodriguez Drops Unanimous Decision In Louisville!

Haymarket, VA welterweight Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez lost a six-round unanimous decision to undefeated Janelson Bocachica of Detroit, MI Saturday at the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY.  No scores were announced for the bout.

This is the fourth straight loss for Rodriguez, who is now 8-11-1, six KO's.  Bocachica, who is just 19 years old, is now 12-0, eight KO's.

Dozier Weighs 158 For Bout In Indianapolis!

Suitland, MD's Lenwood "Mr. Composure" Dozier will be in a contest against Christopher Pearson of Trotwood, OH tonight at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis, IN.  No word on how many rounds the bout is scheduled for.

Dozier (10-20-2, five KO's) will be trying to break an eight-bout losing streak that includes knockout losses in his last two outings.  Dozier is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Anthony Barnes on April 13th in Detroit, MI.  Pearson (15-2, 11 KO's) last fought on March 16th in Kingston, Jamaica and knocked out Tsetsi Davis in the fourth round.

Dozier weighed in at 158 pounds while Pearson came in at 162.5 pounds.

Rodriguez Weighs 148.6 For Bout In Louisville!

Juan Rodriguez tipped the scales at 148.6 pounds for his six-round contest against Janelson Bocachica tonight at the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY.  Bocachica came in at 148.4 pounds.

Davis, Isley Participate In USA-Germany Duel Event!

Two Virginia-based amateur boxers will be part of a US team that will compete against Germany in a duel event that will take place this weekend in Chattanooga, TN.

Keyshawn Davis and Troy Isley will battle two boxers from Germany on Saturday, October 6th.   Davis and Isley are from Alexandria, VA. 

At 132 pounds, Davis will battle Murat Yildirm on October 6th.  Isley will take on Andrey Merzlyakov at 165 pounds.  Isley will also compete in the second duel event against Germany on Friday, October 12th where he will face Artur Beck Ohanyan.

Both Davis and Isley have winning experience in international competition.  Davis won a gold medal in his first international tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Isley won a silver in that same tournament and won a bronze medal in the world championships in Germany in 2017.

WBC Orders Russell-Santa Cruz Unification Bout!

The World Boxing Council is having their 56th Convention this week in Kiev, Ukraine. On Wednesday, the WBC announced a list of mandatory bouts for their world champions. This, of course, included one for the Featherweight champion, the Beltway's own "Mr." Gary Russell, Jr. and that one turned out to be most interesting and, if and when it happens, could be very beneficial for the sport.

You see, Russell of Capitol Heights, MD (29-1, 17 KO's) has already fought his mandatory, defeating Joseph Diaz by 12-round unanimous decision on May 19th at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD.  So right now, Russell has no actual mandatory challenger.  In the WBC, that is (right now, the WBC's number one challenger is Mark Magsayo of the Philippines (18-0, 13 KO's).  The WBC is therefore, taking an unusual move by ordering Russell to battle the WBA champion, Leo Santa Cruz of Rosemead, CA (35-1-1, 19 KO's).  While Cruz is also the WBC Diamond Featherweight champion, the WBC can't force another federation's titleholder to compete in a unification bout.

However, putting this bout together may not be much of a problem.  Both champs say the want the bout and it is on the agenda of both Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime.  There was even a rumor that the bout was going to be on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury card in Los Angeles on December 1.  This would be a great bout to kick off 2019.

Here's The October Schedule!

After a couple of busy months in the Beltway area, the October schedule is a little on the light side with a couple of boxers in action and a local card that was rescheduled.  Here's what we have so far:

Saturday, October 6th -- Davis Arena, Louisville, KY -- Haymarket, VA welterweight Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez will be in a six-round bout against undefeated Janelson Bocachica of Detroit, MI.  Rodriguez (8-10-1, six KO's) will be trying to break a three-bout losing streak that includes a six-round unanimous decision loss to Anthony Laureano on June 30th in Uncasville, CT.  Bocachica (11-0, eight KO's) is just 19 years old and has knocked out his last four opponents.  Bocachica comes off a second-round knockout of Noel Esqueda on July 28th at the Davis Arena.

Friday, October 12th -- Ocean City Convention Center, Ocean City, MD -- An amateur card promoted by Baltimore Boxing called "The Baddest Son-Of-The-Beach Fight Fest." Former world champion Vinny Paz and WBC Welterweight champion Shawn Porter are slated to be in attendance at the card to sign autographs and take pictures.

Saturday, October 20th -- Center Stage@NoDa, Charlotte, NC -- Seat Pleasant, MD lightweight James "Too Slick" Early will be in a six-round contest against Stevie "The Answer" Massey of Charlotte.  Early (3-3) looks to bounce back from a four-round unanimous decision loss to Ricky De Los Santos on May 11th in Lincoln, NB. Massey (7-1, seven KO's) is on a three-bout knockout streak that includes a first-round knockout over Gabriel Braxton on June 30th at Center Stage.  This card is promoted by legendary female boxer Christy Martin.

Saturday, October 27th -- Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD -- The rescheduled Cynation Sports card that was postponed from September 29th.  "The Red Comet" Dante Cox is scheduled to battle Mack "Papi" Allison IV in a six-round feature bout.

More bouts and cards (hopefully) to be added.