Quigley Loses Split Decision To Byrd In Laurel, MD!

Beltway Boxers had a tough night Saturday on a GQ Promotions card at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD.  Two locals on the card lost their undefeated records.

(Photos by Daniel Cork)

One of those hometown boxers who fell for the first time was the "GQ" in GQ Promotions, Montgomery Village, MD super middleweight Gerome Quigley, Jr. who lost a six-round split decision to veteran Andre "Thunder" Byrd of Jacksonville, FL in the main event on the card.

Quigley, who hadn't competed since suffering a no-decision to Raymond Serrano in June of 2018 at the Gardens Ice House, could never get started as he had a tough time letting his hands go all throughout the bout.  There were numerous clinches during the contest and referee Dave Braslow was busy in separating both men.

Byrd seemed to gain an advantage by landing solid punches in the bout but even he was hampered because referee Braslow took points away in the second and fourth rounds for hitting behind the head.  However, Byrd would land a solid right hand in the fourth round that had Quigley on the ropes.

In the sixth round, Quigley would lose a point for hitting behind the head and that may have been the final difference in the contest. Judge Kenny Chevalier gave the bout to Quigley, 58-54 but judges John Gradowski and Paul Wallace both saw the contest for Byrd by a 56-55 score.  Quigley is now 18-1, 16 KO's, one no contest while Byrd rises to 8-7-2, one KO.

Rockville, MD middleweight "The Cisco Kid" Francisco Bustos suffered two knockdowns en route to a third-round TKO loss to Delvecchio Savage of Tuscaloosa, AL.  In the first round, both men threw big power shots.  Bustos's left hand would land but Savage's counter right landed even harder as it would drop Bustos to the canvas.  Bustos would fight back hard in the first round and survive the second round but would get into trouble early in the third as Savage would land a crushing right-left combination that knocked Bustos down for the second time.  Bustos would get up on wobbly legs and referee Kenny Chevalier would stop the contest at 1:05 of the third round.  Bustos loses for the first time and he is now 9-1, six KO's.  Savage is now 3-2, three KO's.

The co-feature contest saw Leesburg, VA cruiserweight "Mighty" Joe Jones win a six-round unanimous decision over Twon"The Truth" Smith of Oklahoma City, OK.  Jones would put together a workmanlike performance to get the victory as he used solid left jabs and hooks to gain advantages in the bout.  Judges Braslow and Wallace would score the bout 59-55 while Chevalier saw the contest, 59-54.  Jones raises his record to 11-1, eight KO's while Smith evens his record at 3-3, two KO's.

In other bouts on the card, Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana won a six-round unanimous decision over Dennis Williams of Monroe, LA.  Pllana would have little difficulty landing jabs during the bout.  Williams provided very little offense in return.  Pllana won by shutout on judges Brent Bovell and Paul Wallace's card, 60-54.  Judge John Gradowski saw the contest, 59-55 for Pllana, who remains undefeated at 5-0, two KO's.  Williams falls to 4-13-1, two KO's.

New Carrollton, MD super middleweight "Platinum Power" Leonor Alcantara scored a third-round TKO over Deandre West of Winston-Salem, NC.  Alcantara was in control throughout the bout and the control would culminate in landing a solid left-right combination in the third round that would stagger West.  Alcantara would continue to land punches to force referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the bout at the one-minute mark.  Alcantara is now 3-0 and has his first pro knockout.  West remains winless at 0-4.

The opening contest between cruiserweights Larry "Hitman" Pryor of Frederick, MD and Greg "Hotshot" Hackett of Philadelphia, PA was a rematch of an April contest in Fort Washington, MD.  Hackett won the first bout by four-round majority decision.  Pryor would gain a measure of revenge in this bout as he would capture a four-round unanimous decision.  Pryor was a little sharper with his punches in this contest and he would knock Hackett down to squatting position with a counter left hand in the second round.   Pryor would go on to win the bout as judges Chevalier and Gradowski scored the bout 39-36 and Wallace saw the bout 38-37.  Pryor is now 11-20, five KO's while Hackett drops to 3-19-1.

Jeff Gatling and Gerome Quigley lead GQ Promotions.  The matchmaker was Brian Dillon.  The ring announcer was Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.

Weights From Laurel, MD!

Here is the scale watch for the GQ Promotions card that will take place at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD:

Gerome Quigley 150.6 vs. Andre Byrd 149.8

Joe Jones 197.6 vs. Twon Smith 199

Genc Pllana 166 vs. Dennis Williams 170.6

Francisco Bustos 160.4 vs. Delvecchio Savage 163

Larry Pryor 198.8 vs. Greg Hackett 209.6

Leonor Alcantara Perez and Deondre West will weigh in tomorrow.

The Pryor-Hackett bout is a late addition to this card and is a rematch from a bout that took place on April 20th at Rosecroft Raceway.  Hackett (3-18-1) defeated Pryor (10-20, five KO's) by four-round majority decision.

Boxing Returns To Live Casino August 2nd!

Pro boxing returns to Live! Casino in Hanover, MD on Friday, August 2nd with a nine-bout Jeter Promotions card.

One contest has already been signed for this card and it will be the main event -- an eight-round cruiserweight contest between Luther "Lights Out" Smith of Catonsville, MD and Stivens "Superman" Bujai of New York City by way of Albania.

Smith (11-4, nine KO's) broke a two-bout losing streak by winning a six-round split decision over Joshua Temple on December 8th in Bowie, MD.  Bujai (16-2-1, 11 KO's) will be looking to break a two-bout losing streak and he has not fought since October of 2017 when he was stopped by Mateusz Masternak in the seventh round in Newark, NJ.  Bujai makes his second appearance in the Beltway, winning a six-round unanimous decision over Larry Pryor in January of 2016 in Springfield, VA.

The card is scheduled to mark the return of DC super middleweight "The King's Son" Jerry Odom (15-3-1, 14 KO's).  Odom, who has recently relocated to Covington, GA, returned to the ring on November 3rd when he scored a fourth-round TKO over Ruddy Sanchez in the Dominican Republic.  This was Odom's first bout since November of 2016.

Other Beltway Boxers scheduled to appear on this card include Washington, DC super featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White (8-1, six KO's), Cockeysville, MD super middleweight AJ Williams (1-1, one KO), Germantown, MD super featherweight Ebrima Jawara (1-1, one KO), Owings Mills, MD lightweight Brandon Chambers (0-0-1), Bowie, MD cruiserweight Chester Stewart (0-1) and debuting boxers Champ Moultrie of Ellicott City, MD and Jay Stancil, III of Clinton, MD.

Card Coming Together For June 29th in Laurel, MD!

There will be a scheduled eight-bout card coming to the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD on Saturday, June 29th.  The card will be promoted by GQ Promotions.

The "GQ" in GQ Promotions -- undefeated Montgomery Village, MD super welterweight Gerome Quigley, Jr. -- returns to action in the main event, a six-round contest against Andre Byrd of Jacksonville, FL.

Quigley (18-0, 16 KO's) comes back to the ring after his last outing in June of 2018 where he fought to a second-round no-contest against Raymond Serrano on the last card at the Gardens Ice House.  Quigley and Serrano butted heads causing a cut on Quigley's forehead.  Byrd (7-7-2, one KO) faces a Beltway Boxer for the second straight time.  Byrd lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Malik Hawkins on April 26th in Philadelphia, PA.

In a six-round cruiserweight battle, Joe Jones of Leesburg, VA takes on Twon Smith of Oklahoma City, OK.  Jones (10-1, eight KO's) competed for the first time in the Beltway as a pro and scored a demonstrative first-round TKO over Montez Brown on April 20th in Fort Washington, MD.  Smith (3-2, two KO's) lost a tough six-round split decision to Sam Crossed on December 1st in Washington, DC.

Undefeated Rockville, MD middleweight "The Cisco Kid" Francisco Bustos will also be in a six-round encounter against Delvecchio Savage of Tuscaloosa, AL.  Bustos, a native of Chile, is coming off a second-round TKO over Eddie Gates on April 27th in Vienna, VA.  Savage (2-2-1, two KO's) won by a fifth-round TKO over Antonio Todd on May 10th in Atlanta, GA.

Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana will be in a six-rounder against Dennis Williams of Monroe, LA.  Pllana (4-0, two KO's) last fought on the April 20th card in Fort Washington and scored a first-round knockout over Jonathan Morgan.  Williams (4-12-1, two KO's) lost by first-round stoppage to Sean Hemphill on April 27th in Lafayette, LA.  Williams hurt his arm while in a clinch and could not continue.

Bowie, MD welterweight Marlon "The Machine" Bolen will be in a four-round contest against Khalid Bethea of New York City.  Bolen (2-0, one KO) last fought on the April 27th card in Vienna and won a four-round unanimous decision over Lamont White.  Bethea (0-1) lost his pro debut by four-round unanimous decision to Donyeh Thomas Cosby on May 25th in Charlotte, NC.

In an all-Beltway super featherweight bout slated for four rounds, "The Red Comet" Dante Cox of Elkridge, MD will face off with James "Too Slick" Early of Seat Pleasant, MD.  Both men are coming off tough losses.  Cox lost his bout to Drayvontay Speed Rawls by third-round TKO on March 8th in Hanover, MD.  Early (3-3) hasn't competed since dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Ricky De Los Santos in May of 2018 in Lincoln, RI.

DC welterweight Cornell "Hitman" Hines will be in a four-rounder against Latorie "War Machine" Woodberry of Roanoke, VA.  Hines (4-0, two KO's) won a four-round split decision against George Gethers on the April 27th card in Vienna, VA. Woodberry (2-9-2) will look to break a three-bout losing streak that includes a first-round TKO loss to Nicholas Briggs on April 26th in Lincoln, RI.

Fort Washington super middleweight "Platinum Power" Leonor Alcantara Perez returns to competition after an almost two-year absence when he takes on Justin Sykes of Hanover, MD in a four-round contest.  Perez (2-0) last fought in July of 2017 and won a four-round unanimous decision over George Sheppard in DC.  Sykes (0-1) dropped his pro debut to Jonathan Burrs by four-round unanimous decision on January 26th in Waldorf, MD.

Madison Loses Unanimous Decision In Philadelphia!

(Photo by Daniel Cork)

Owings Mills, MD heavyweight Colby "Mad Dog" Madison lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Robert Simms of Saginaw, MI Saturday at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

According to ringside photographer Daniel Cork, the bout was a hard-hitting affair.  Madison landed some heavy blows in the bout, including bloodying Simms's nose in the seventh round.  However, Madison suffered swelling around the left eye two rounds earlier.  the judges gave the bout to Simms by scores of 80-72 (twice) and 79-73.

Madison suffers his first pro loss and he is now 8-1-2, five KO's.  Simms raises his record to 9-3, three KO's.

Simpson Leads Knockout Parade In Fort Washington!

Rookie Baltimore, MD middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson scored a blistering second-round TKO over Dewayne "The Beast" Williams of Philadelphia, PA in the main event contest of the Shabazz Brotherz card at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.  Five of the six contests on the card ended in knockouts.

Simpson was very composed during the contest, probing with his solid right jab.  Simpson jabbed his way inside and, by the second round, was able to land his left hooks inside.  Two of those Simpson left hooks landed flush on Williams's face and dropped him twice to the canvas.  Referee Dave Braslow stopped the contest after the second knockdown and the bout ended at 2:29 of the second round.  Simpson remains undefeated at 5-0, four KO's while Williams's record evens at 1-1, one KO.

The co-feature was the only bout to go the distance as Baltimore heavyweight Hasim "Gold Blooded" Rahman, Jr. captured a four-round unanimous decision over a very crafty Curtis "Bad Guy" Head of Southfield, MI.   Rahman's jabs and feints were a big key to his eventual victory and he switched very successfully back and forth from the conventional to the southpaw stance.  Head tried to give Rahman different looks but Rahman was able to stick to his gameplan and go on to a relatively easy decision.  All three judges (John Gradowski, Don Risher, and Paul Wallace) scored a shutout for Rahman, Jr, 40-36.  Rahman is now 8-0, four KO's while Head is 4-4, three KO's.

Baltimore cruiserweight Kwame "Rambo" Ritter returned to boxing for the first time since July of 2016 in a demonstrative way, registering a first-round knockout over Clarence "Problem Child" Whitehead of Philadelphia.  Ritter put on a strong performance landed very good combinations throughout the first round that ended with two strong left hands that dropped Whitehead to the canvas twice.  The second knockdown stopped the contest at 1:34.  Ritter remains undefeated at 4-0, three KO's while Whitehead is still winless at 0-2.

Heavyweight Muhsin "Spartan" Cason of Las Vegas, NV by way of Baltimore, won by first-round TKO over Nathaniel "The Juggernaut" Copeland of Washington, DC when Copeland injured his left arm.  In the first minute of the contest, the two men got into a clinch and were trying to fight their way out of it.  As referee Brent Bovell started to move in and separate the men, Cason landed a punch on Copeland's arm.  Seconds later, Copeland fell awkwardly to the canvas.  Bovell did not rule a knockdown but Copeland could not continue.  The bout ended at 50 seconds of the first round.  Copeland left the ring on a stretcher and was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays. Cason, the brother of former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, Sr., is now 5-0, three KO's while Copeland is 1-1, one KO.

In an all-Beltway super middleweight contest, Columbia, MD's Ashton "The Goon" Sykes scored a sixth-round knockout over Devin "Bite" Butcher of Baltimore.  The two men were very testy towards one another the day before the bout at the weigh-in and the attitudes carried over to the ring.  In the first round, a Butcher punch landed on Sykes's left eye and opened a large gash.  However, Sykes's cut man, Reggie Brown, did outstanding work on the cut and it became a non-factor in the bout. By the second half of the contest, Sykes was able to pick up his offensive output while slowing down Butcher's output.  In the sixth round, Sykes landed two crushing right hands to put Butcher down to the canvas.  Referee Braslow stopped the bout immediately at 1:59 of the round. Sykes's record climbs to 4-3 and he scores his first pro knockout.  Butcher's record drops to 6-4, three KO's.

In the opening contest, heavyweight Norman Neely of Paterson, NJ defeated Kendrick "Big Heavy" Houston of Kannapolis, NC by first-round knockout.  Neely wasted little time in the bout landing quality body and head shots that sent Houston twice to the canvas.  Referee Braslow stopped the contest at 1:19 of the first.  Neely is now 2-0, two KO's while Houston falls to 1-5-2, one KO.

The matchmaker for the card was "The Boxing Diva" Renee Aiken.  The ring announcer was Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.

June 22nd Card At Rosecroft Comes Together!

Here is the lineup for the Shabazz Brothers card that will take place on Saturday, June 22nd at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD:

In a six-round light super middleweight contest, Baltimore, MD's Devin "Bite" Butcher will battle Ashton "The Goon' Sykes of Hanover, MD.  Butcher (6-3, three KO's) looks to bounce back from an eight-round unanimous decision loss to Travis Reeves on September 22nd in Bowie, MD.  Sykes (3-3) broke a two-bout losing streak with a six-round unanimous decision win over Roy King on April 13th in Salisbury, NC.

Undefeated Baltimore heavyweight Hasim "Goldblooded" Rahman, Jr. will take on Curtis Head of Southfield, MI in a six-round bout.  Rahman, Jr. (7-0, four KO's) won a four-round unanimous decision over Damion Reed on December 8th in Bowie.  Head (5-3, three KO's) won a four-round unanimous decision over Armonte Summers on June 7th in Detroit, MI.

After only four pro bouts, Baltimore middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson will move into a six-round bout for the first time when he battles veteran Dwayne Williams of Detroit.  Simpson (4-0, three KO's) scored a first-round TKO over Rafael Garcia on May 25th in Oxon Hill, MD.  Williams will be looking to break a three-bout losing streak including a six-round unanimous decision to Dorell Van Horn, Jr. on October 26th in Detroit.

In four-round contests, heavyweight Muhsin Cason of Baltimore, MD will battle Washington, DC's Nathaniel "The Juggernaut" Copeland.  Cason, the younger brother of former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, Sr. (4-0, two KO's), has scored back-to-back TKOs in his last two contests.  That includes a first-round TKO against Jose Carlos Cuevas on January 26th in Tijuana, Mexico.   Copeland (1-0, one KO) made an impressive pro debut with a first-round knockout over Kwasi Horton on December 15th in Vienna, VA.

Columbia, MD cruiserweight Kwame "Rambo" Ritter will battle Clarence Whitehead of Philadelphia, PA.   Ritter (3-0, two KO's) has not fought since July of 2016 when he scored a first-round knockout over Nathaniel Edge in Norfolk, VA.  Whitehead (0-1) lost his pro debut to Malik Jenkins by four-round majority decision on February 23rd in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Also on the card, Paterson, NJ heavyweight Norman Neely will face off with Kendrick Houston of North Carolina.  Neely (1-0, one KO) made his pro debut on April 27th in Vienna, VA and scored a fourth-round TKO over Lamar Lewis.  Houston (1-4-2) battled Roberto Thomas White to a four-round draw on April 13th in Salisbury, NC.

Baltimore's Malik Warren was scheduled to make his pro debut on this card.  However, his bout was scratched.

Here are the weights for this card:

Devin Butcher 168.2 vs Ashton Sykes 168.8

Hasim Rahman, Jr. 213.2 vs. Curtis Head 254.6

Lorenzo Simpson 160.8 vs. Dwayne Williams 158.2

Muhsin Cason 201.4 vs. Nathaniel Copeland 253.4

Kwame Ritter 177.6 vs. Clarence Whitehead 175.2

Norman Neely 234.6 vs. Kendrick Houston 315

The card is scheduled to begin at 5 PM ET.

Madison Weighs 236.6 For Eight-Rounder In Philadelphia!

(Photo by Daniel Cork)

Colby Madison weighed in at 236.6 pounds for his eight-round contest against Robert Simms on Saturday at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.  Simms tipped in at 227.4 pounds.

Ballard Has No Decision In Atlantic City!

Temple Hills, MD middleweight D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard had his bout end in a no-decision in the third round against Elias "Latin Kid" Espadas of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico in the main event bout at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.

In the first round, the two men came together in a clash of heads.  The accidental headbutt caused blood to stream on the side of Espadas's face.  Both men were very competitive in the second round but late in the third round, ringside doctors looked at Espadas's condition and said he could not continue.  Since the bout had not reached the halfway point, the bout was declared a no-decision.

Ballard's record remains at 20-0, 13 KO's while Espadas is still 18-4, 13 KO's.

Crews-Dezurn, Reed Get Victories In Atlantic City!

WBC Female Super Featherweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn of Baltimore, MD scored a fifth-round TKO over a game Kayla "Lady Beast" Williams of New Iberia, LA tonight at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.

During this non-title bout, Crews-Dezurn simply battered her opponent all around the win.  Williams showed a great chin but could not stop the offensive assault of her opponent.  Referee Harvey Dock finally stopped the fight at 1:45 seconds of the fifth round.

Crews-Dezurn raises her record to 5-1, two KO's while Williams remains winless at 0-3-1.

Also, Waldorf, MD super lightweight Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed captured an eight-round unanimous decision over Angel "Hitman" Hernandez of McAllen, TX.  Reed won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74.  Reed has now won three in a row and is now 25-2, 13 KO's.  Hernandez falls to 15-14-2, nine KO's.

Beltway Boxers Hit Scales in Atlantic City!

Three local boxers weighed in for bouts at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ that will take place on Thursday.

D'Mitrius Ballard tipped the scales at 159.8 pounds for his 10-round contest against Elias Espadas, who weighed in at 159.2 pounds.  This is Ballard's first bout as a middleweight after competing throughout his career at super middleweight.

Mike Reed came in at 141.4 pounds for his eight-round bout against Angel Hernandez, who weighed 141.8 pounds.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn weighed in at 167.6 for her contest against Kayla Williams, who tipped in at 164.2.  The bout is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds.

The bouts will be shown on Golden Boy Fight Night's Facebook page.

Reed, Crews-Dezurn Have Opponents For June 20th In Atlantic City!

Waldorf, MD super lightweight Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed and WBC Female Super Middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn of Baltimore, MD have opponents for their bouts on Thursday, June 20th at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.

Reed (24-2, 13 KO's) will be in an eight-round contest against veteran Angel "Hitman" Hernandez of McAllen, TX (15-13-2, nine KO's).  Reed broke a two-bout losing streak by scoring a second-round TKO over Yardley Armenta Cruz on April 25th in Indio, CA.  Hernandez looks to bounce back from a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Cameron Krael on April 5th in Las Vegas, NV.

Crews-Dezurn (4-1, one KO) will be in a rare non-title bout against Kayla Williams of New Iberia, LA.  According to Boxrec, the bout is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds.  Most female pro bouts are two-minute rounds. Crews-Dezurn hasn't fought since winning the WBC Super Middleweight title by 10-round majority decision over Maricela Cornejo on September 13th in Las Vegas.  Williams (0-2-1) fought to a four-round majority draw against Schemelle Baldwin on March 30th in Hockessin, DE.

As previously reported, a third Beltway Boxer, D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard (20-0, 13 KO's) of Temple Hills, MD, will be on this card in a 10-round contest against "The Latin Kid" Elias Espadas of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico (18-4, 13 KO's).  All three bouts will be shown live on Golden Boy's Fight Night Live Facebook page.

Davis Press Conference To Be Held June 19th in Baltimore; Fans Are Invited!

The official press conference to announce WBA Super Featherweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis's title defense against mandatory challenger Ricardo Nunez will be held on Wednesday, June 19th at Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore, MD.  Fans are invited to attend this free event.

The press conference will announce the title bout, which will take place on Saturday, July 27th at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.  Davis will be the first boxer from Charm City to make a world title defense at home in almost 80 years.  The bout will headline a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast.

Mondawmin Mall is located at 2401 Liberty Heights Avenue in Baltimore.  The event will be held in the Centre Court area and fans should start coming in for the event at 5 PM ET.  The conference will begin at 6 PM.

                      

Franchon Crews-Dezurn Signs With Golden Boy, Returns To Ring June 20th!

(Image courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions)

WBC Female Super Middleweight champion "The Heavy Hitting Diva" Franchon Crews-Dezurn has signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions and will make her promotional debut on Saturday, June 20th at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.

The Baltimore, MD resident (4-1, one KO) has not competed since winning the WBC title on September 13th with a 10-round majority decision over Maricela Cornejo in Las Vegas, NV.  No word yet on Crews-Dezurn's opponent.

Crews-Dezurn will be the third Beltway Boxer appearing on this card, joining fellow Golden Boy boxer D'Mitrius Ballard and Mike Reed.  The card will be streamed live on Facebook.

"I'm very excited to sign with Golden Boy as they are a Heavy Hitter in the boxing business," said  Crews-Dezurn. "Not only will I be working with legendary fighters and now businessmen like Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins but being on the roster with vast talents like Canelo gives me something to aspire to as a renaissance woman. You can see Golden Boy believes in women's boxing. They gave me my first shot at a title on national TV."

"Yet another world champion has joined our great stable," said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman, and CEO of Golden Boy. "But Franchon Crews-Dezurn is special because she is a renaissance woman. Aside from being the WBC Super Middleweight World Champion, she is also a talented singer, songwriter, designer, and motivational speaker. She will undoubtedly also be our ambassador as we continue to open up more opportunities for women in the sport of boxing."

"I'd like to welcome Franchon Crews-Dezurn to Golden Boy," said Bernard Hopkins, Golden Boy Business Partner. "I believe that she will one day be the unified champion. We are looking forward to her showing the world that she has all the ingredients to become an undisputed world champion. Congratulations!"

Amateur Action Comes To Waldorf June 15th!

There will be an amateur card coming to the Last Round Boxing Club gym on Saturday, June 15th. The card will feature boxers representing DC and Philadelphia, PA. Some of the boxers may be making final preparations for the National Junior Olympics, Prep Nationals and Youth Open in Madison, WI on June 23-30.

The Last Round Boxing Club is located at 3235 Old Washington Road in Waldorf, MD. The first bout is scheduled to begin at 6 PM.  For more information, call 202-568-2452.

Tickets For Davis-Nunez Go On Sale This Friday!

Tickets for the Saturday, July 27th title defense for Baltimore, MD's Gervonta "Tank" Davis will go on sale on Friday, June 7th. The bout will be held at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, making Davis, the WBA Super Featherweight champion, the first world champion from Baltimore to defend his title in Charm City in more than 80 years.

The opponent for Davis (21-0, 20 KO's) will be Ricardo "El Cientifico" Nunez of La Chorrera, Panama (21-2, 19 KO's).  This is reported to be a mandatory challenge for Davis.

No word on how much they cost but tickets for the event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale tomorrow, Friday, June 7th at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or at the Royal Farms Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET.  The bout will also be shown on Showtime beginning at 9 PM ET.

"It was always a goal of mine to bring a world title fight back to my city of Baltimore," said Davis, who has not fought in Baltimore since his fourth pro fight on July 20th, 2013 when Davis scored a second-round TKO over Rafael Casias at Coppin State University. "I'm excited and grateful to my team for helping make this happen on Saturday, July 27. Tickets will go fast, so don't wait on buying them! I can't wait to put on a great show and to see all my supporters in Baltimore help me make it a night to remember at Royal Farms Arena."

Boxer Earl "Mouse" Cole Passes!

Sad news to report. Earl "Mouse" Cole, a welterweight boxer from Baltimore, MD passed away this week at the age of 31.  No cause of death was given.

Mr. Cole had an extensive amateur career, winning more than 100 bouts.  Two of his notable amateur contests came against future WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell, Jr.  Mr. Cole only fought as a professional for one year, in 2007, making his pro debut on March 10th and scoring a fourth-round TKO over Matt Hill at the National Guard Armory in Pikesville, MD.  On April 27th, Mr. Cole would win a four-round unanimous decision over William Wilson at the DC Armory.

Mr. Cole would suffer his only loss by four-round majority decision to Joshua Snyder on May 11th at DuBurns Arena in Baltimore.  Mr. Cole would retire from boxing after the loss, moving to New Jersey with his family.  Sources tell BATB that services will be private.

BATB sends it's deepest condolences to Earl Cole's family and friends.

Stankovic Scores TKO In Waldorf!

Arlington, VA super middleweight Filip Stankovic rebounded from suffering his only pro loss in January by scoring a third-round TKO over the "Haitian Hammer" Patrick Pierre of New Orleans, LA Saturday at the Waldorf Culture Center in Waldorf, MD.  The bout was the main event of the Cynation Sports Promotions card.

Stankovic and Pierre fought evenly in the first round but in the second, Stankovic started to pick up his pace and pressured Pierre with solid lefts and rights.  The pressure paid dividends in the third round as Stankovic landed a right hook that sent Pierre to the canvas.  Moments later, Stankovic sent another right hand to drop Pierre than put on more pressure to force referee Bill Clancy to stop the contest at 1:58.  Stankovic is now 5-1, two KO's while Pierre falls to 3-8, one KO.

The co-feature bout was an upset as Eric Manriquez of Houston, TX won a six-round majority decision over previously undefeated Oscar Moreno of Brooklyn, NY by way of Mexico City, Mexico in a super middleweight contest.

Manriquez never stopped coming forward and seemed to surprise Moreno with his offense. Moreno landed his share of punches but by the second half of the bout, Manriquez was able to put Moreno on his heels.  Manriquez's offense proved to be the difference as he would go on to victory.  Judge Vic DeWysocki scored the bout a draw, 57-57 but was overruled by judges Bill Clancy (58-56) and Don Risher (59-55). Manriquez is now 7-6-1, four KO's.  Moreno drops to 7-1, six KO's.

Washington, DC super middleweight Gregory "Glizzy" Clark recovered from a second-round knockdown to win a six-round unanimous decision over Aaron "A-Train" Casper of Augusta, GA by way of Baltimore, MD.

Casper had the early advantage in the bout by landing strong punches to Clark's body.  One of those body punches sent Clark to the canvas in the second round.  However, Clark recovered and got his offense going in the second half of the contest and was able to turn the tide of the bout.  All three judges (Brent Bovell, Bill Clancy, Don Risher) scored the bout 58-55 for Clark, who raised his record to 4-3-1, one KO.  Casper's record falls to 5-3, four KO's.

In a female super lightweight encounter, Michaele "Rogue" Nogue of Chesapeake, VA won a four-round unanimous decision over the debuting Dasha "Champ Queen" Ragland of Harrisburg, PA.  Nogue, who is a member of the United States Coast Guard, was able to put on a strong performance with a nice offensive onslaught.  Ragland fought gamely but was unable to keep up with Nogue's pressure.  Judges Clancy and Risher scored a shutout for Nogue, 40-36 while Bovell saw it 39-37.  Nogue wins her first pro contest and is 1-1.

In the opening contest, Lusby, MD super featherweight Nathaniel "ASAP" Davis registered a second-round TKO over Alexis "Textbook" Rivera of Brooklyn, NY.  Both men were making their pro debuts.

In the first round, Davis landed a picture-perfect counter right hand to Rivera's face to drop him to the canvas. Davis would follow up in the third round with a solid left hand that forced referee Clancy to stop the bout at 30 seconds of the third.

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