McCalla Returns With First-Round TKO in Florida!

(Photo by Damon Gonzalez/Latinbox Sports)

Well, we actually have some live boxing to talk about.  Congratulations to Randallstown, MD super welterweight Cecil McCalla who scored a first-round TKO over Matias Garcia of Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua on Saturday, June 27th at the White Sands Treatment Center in Plant City, FL.

According to reports, McCalla did an outstanding job of countering Garcia's attack and he knocked Garcia down twice before referee Andrew Glenn waved the bout off at 1:57 of the opening round.

This was the first bout for McCalla since he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Madiyar Ashkeyev in Tucson, AZ in May of 2019.  That bout was for the NABF Jr. Super Welterweight title.  With the victory, McCalla raises his record to 22-4, nine KO's.

Garcia has now lost three straight contests, all by knockout, and his record drops to 17-18-1, 14 KO's.

Earl Savage, Noted Maryland Inspector, Passes At 98!

(photo courtesy of Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Home webpage)


Sad news to report. Earl Savage, a Maryland Boxing Hall of Famer who served as a noted Maryland inspector, passed away on June 6th at the age of 98.

Mr. Savage was born on December 26th, 1921 in Washington, DC, and moved to Baltimore, MD where he was educated in the city public school system, attending Carver Vocational High School, where he pursued a course in tailoring.  He boxed for a short time as an amateur, using his first and middle names, "Earl Washington." 

From 1942-1945, Mr. Savage served in the United States Navy, eventually being sent to Pearl Harbor.  After an honorable discharge, he returned to Carver and finished his education under the G.I. Bill, completing his course in tailoring.  Mr. Savage would teach tailoring in New York and Philadelphia before returning to Baltimore and opening his own Tailoring and Cleaning business, East Lanval Tailors on East Lanvale Street, in 1954. He also worked at Charles Cleaners on Lexington Street until his retirement in 1986.

Mr. Savage had a long career with Maryland Boxing.  He was the Goodwill Ambassador for Ring 101 because of his outstanding service and was a no-nonsense, recognized, and accomplished inspector with the Maryland State Athletic Commission from 1994-2011.  In 2006, Mr. Savage was inducted into the Maryland Boxing Hall Of Fame.

Mr. Savage was preceded in death by his wife, Blanche, his brother Jesse, two of his children, Andrea and Phillip, and a granddaughter, Renee. Survivors include his daughter, Diane, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

There will be a public viewing for Mr. Savage on Friday, June 26th from 3-5 PM ET at the Vaughn C. Greene, Sr. Funeral Home located at 8728 Liberty Road in Randallstown, Maryland.  The funeral service will be held in the same location on Saturday, June 27th at 10 AM ET.

Earl Savage was truly Mr. "No-Nonsense" as an inspector.  A very nice man but he took no stuff from anyone he dealt with.  He kept things moving behind the scenes at Maryland events.  A truly, truly, nice man who will definitely be missed.  BATB sends its deepest condolences to his family as well as boxing officials and fans throughout Maryland.

Golden Gloves 2020 Is Cancelled!

There will be no National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of the tournament, which was to be held in Tulsa, OK.  Organizers had planned to delay the national tournament until mid-August but the pandemic in many states, including the Beltway, made that idea impossible because they could not finish the local Golden Gloves events.

In a letter to local boxers and coaches, Washington Golden Gloves officials say, "we will be in touch in the near future with further information for upcoming 2021 tournaments."

Tiara Brown Featured In New BET Documentary June 13th!

DC super featherweight and reigning NABO champion "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown is the subject of a new BET documentary entitled "Gloves Off" that premieres on Saturday, June 13th at 9 PM ET.

The film focuses on Brown's dual role as a DC police officer by day and a champion boxer by night.  Brown has been very successful in both roles.  She was named DC Police Officer of The Year in 2019 and she has a record of 10-0, six KO's and is promoted by one of the top promoters in the country, Dibella Entertainment.

The film is co-directed by ​Nadine Natour and Ugonna Okpalaoka ​and it is a film that was funded by The Queen Collective, a development, and mentorship program launched by actress Queen Latifah, Proctor and Gamble, and Tribeca Studios.  Natour and Okpalaoka were handpicked by Latifah and other black creatives in the film industry as up-and-coming woman directors.

Crews-Dezurn Reinstated As WBC Super Middleweight Champion!

Once again, Baltimore, MD's "Heavy-Hitting Diva" Franchon Crews-Dezurn reigns as WBC/WBO Super Middleweight champion.  BoxingScene.com is reporting that Crews-Dezurn was reinstated as WBC Champion after suspending Alejandra "Tigre" Jimenez for nine months for failing a drug test in January.

On January 11th, Jimenez defeated Crews-Dezurn by 10-round split decision in San Antonio, TX to win the WBO and WBC Super Middleweight titles. The Texas Boxing Commission would change the bout's ruling to a No-Decision.  The Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) collected a test sample from Jimenez the day before the fight that tested positive for the banned substance Stanazol. Jimenez would be suspended by the Texas Commission for 90 days, the WBC would suspend her title reign and the WBO would put her on the clock.

The WBO would return its title to Crews-Dezurn in March.  According to BoxingScene's Miguel Rivera, the WBC conducted a five-month investigation and would also declare the January 11th bout a no-contest and return its title to Crews-Dezurn.

According to Rivera, the suspension to Jiménez is due to the fact that she admitted that she tested positive, but denied ingesting a prohibited substance.

“Ms. Jiménez's agreement with the WBC is not an admission that she actually ingested a prohibited substance to improve her performance. Instead, in the Award Agreement, Ms. Jiménez does not dispute the WBC-CBP finding as revealed by the anti-doping test," the WBC's statement read.

Rivera's article also says that. in addition to the suspension, a probation status of one year for Jimenez was agreed upon until October 10, 2021, although the WBC points out that there will be no economic sanctions for the fighter.

Donald 'Biff' Cline, Beltway Light Heavyweight, Passes At 72!

Donald "Biff" Cline, a light-heavyweight contender in the 70's who fought out of Hillcrest Heights, MD recently passed away at the age of 72.  No official word on the cause of death but reports say he had a form of Pugilistic Dementia for a number of years.

Mr. Cline's father, Chris, was a boxing trainer and father, but in high school, Biff was a star running back at Suitland High School. Mr. Cline then joined the US Armed Services and served in Vietnam.  He participated in the Tet-Offensive in 1968 and 1969.  After returning home, Mr. Cline became a Capitol Police Officer and embarked on a boxing career.

Mr. Cline would work his way to a record of 13-1, 13 KO's, and earn him the nickname "The Terror."  One of his bouts would be on April 30, 1976, at the Capital Centre in Landover, MD on the undercard of the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Young championship bout.  Mr. Cline would score a second-round TKO over Jimmy Davis.

A future bout against Ray Elson on February 13, 1977, at Halsey Field House in Annapolis, MD, would prove to be career-changing in many ways.  The bout was on national television and Mr. Cline would lose by fourth-round TKO.

After the bout, Mr. Cline's name would be connected to one of the biggest scandals in boxing history -- the Ring Magazine Scandal. Three of his earlier bouts were proved to be bogus. Mr.Cline's padded record was used to secure him his ABC television bout with Elson in the United States Championship Tournament promoted by Don King. The Ring Magazine's John Ort was criticized for recording Cline's fictitious bouts in the Ring Record Book. Also, Cline's manager, Paddy Dolan was accused of submitting the bogus fights to The Ring.

Mr. Cline would never again be a contender for a championship.  His last big bout was against Baltimore-born and future light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi on September 26, 1977, at the Baltimore Civic Center (now Royal Farms Arena).  Mr. Cline would lose by first-round TKO. Mr. Cline's record was listed at 16-4-1, 16 KO's.

In 1982, Mr. Cline would suffer a detached retina and lost sight in his left eye.  He would work as a bouncer in clubs around Maryland.  Mr. Cline's survivors include a daughter and son.  BATB sends our deepest condolences to the family.