Late News: Corley Loses Bare Knuckle Debut; Davis Faces Multiple Charges In Hit And Run!

 Because of personal and technical issues, I have been unable to post on a regular basis.  But we have a couple of news items that need to be posted here.

Former WBO Super Welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley lost his debut as a bare-knuckle boxer as he was stopped in the fourth round by Reggie Barnett, Jr. of Chesapeake, VA on  Friday, March 19th at the Civic Center of Biloxi, MS.  Barnett battered Corley throughout the contest until Corley could not come out for the fifth round.

Barnett is 6-1, two KO's in Bare-Knuckle competition.  Corley mentioned on a Facebook Page that he is non-committal about trying bare-knuckle boxing again.

The Baltimore, MD State's Attorney's Office has charged WBA Lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis with 14 counts of various traffic violations during an alleged hit-and-run in Baltimore in November.

Among the counts are four counts of Failure to immediately return and remain at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury and driving with a suspended and revoked license.  This was after a two-vehicle collision between a 2020 Lamborghini Uris and a 2004 Toyota Solara during the early morning hours of November 5th of 2020.  Four people in the Toyota Solara were injured. 

After the collision, witnesses and video revealed that a black Camaro arrived at the scene and people began transferring items from the Lamborghini to the Camaro.  Allegedly, Davis and an unidentified female passenger were captured on camera leaving the scene in the Camaro.  If convicted of all charges, Davis faces a potential maximum of seven years and 55 days in prison.

Davis still faces three domestic violence charges in Miami, FL that come from an incident during Super Bowl week in February 2020.

Davis (24-0, 23 KO's) is coming off the biggest win of his career, knocking out Leo Santa Cruz in the sixth round on October 31st at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.  The bout headlined a Showtime Pay-Per-View card and the knockout was chosen as the KO Of The Year by The Ring magazine.

'Action Action' Jackson Scores First-Round Knockout In South Carolina!

Oxon Hill, MD welterweight Akeem "Action Action" Jackson scored a quick first-round knockout over Juhvari Artis of Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday, March 27th in Rock Hill, SC.

Jackson clipped Artis with an overhand left to drop Artis early in the bout.  Artis beat the 10-count but Jackson landed another quick left hand to end the bout at 1:27.

Jackson is now 3-2, three KO's while Artis remains winless at 0-4.

Fred Hurd Viewing And Service Held Thursday and Saturday!

The Viewing and Service for Fred Hurd, Sr. will be held this week.   The viewing actually will be held later this evening beginning at 6:30 PM at Reese Funeral Professionals located at 311 N. Patrick Street in Alexandria, VA.

The service will be held on Saturday, March 20th at the Camp Springs Community Church on 8040 Woodyard Road in Clinton, MD from 10 to 11 AM.

The Homegoing service will be private and open to only immediate family due to COVID-19 and building capacity limits.

Fred Hurd, Sr., Father of Former Champion Jarrett Hurd, Passes at 63!

Very sad news to report.  Fred Hurd, Sr.,  the father of former world super welterweight champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd, has passed away at the age of 63.  Reports are that Mr. Hurd suffered a heart attack in his home.

Mr. Hurd, along with his wife, Brenda, was the major support system behind Jarrett, Justin, and Fred, Jr.  I remember meeting the family during the celebration for Jarrett Hurd at the Prince George's County Government Office in April of 2019.  It was beautiful talking to them and seeing the pride they had.

BATB sends our deepest condolences to the entire Hurd family.

White Scores 6th Round TKO In Connecticut!

Waldorf, MD super featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White registered a sixth-round technical knockout over previously undefeated Misael Lopez of Denver, CO on Wednesday, March 10th at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.  The bout was the co-feature of a Shobox quadruple-header on Showtime.

After four very close rounds, Lopez looked to have gained an advantage over White in the fifth round by using strong body shots.  But just as Lopez seemed to take control, White landed strong right hands in the sixth that dropped Lopez twice to the canvas.  After the second knockdown, referee Arthur Mercante, Jr. stopped the contest at 2:40 of the sixth.

White's record is now 11-1, nine KO's.   Lopez falls for the first time and he is now 11-1, five KO's.

March Beltway Schedule!

We are a little late with the March schedule but we will still be busy with locals competing in bouts around the country.  One boxer will also break new ground as he will be the first prominent Beltway Boxer to compete in Bare-Knuckle competition.  Here is the schedule:

Friday, March 19th -- Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium, Tampa, FL -- Baltimore, MD heavyweight Cortez Dunston will be in a four-round contest against Demonte Cherry of Wilson, NC.  Dunston (2-0, one KO) is coming off a four-round unanimous decision win over Joseph Coats on February 20th in Miami, FL.  Cherry (1-8, one KO) has lost his last four bouts by first-round knockout.  This will be the second time Cherry has faced a Beltway Boxer.  Cherry lost by first-round TKO to Mike Balogun in Washington, DC in December of 2016.

Friday, March 19th -- Civic Center, Biloxi, MS -- Former WBO Super Lightweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley will compete in a five-round bare-knuckle bout against Reggie Barnett, Jr. of Chesapeake, VA, Corley, who has a record of 51-33-1, 28 KO's as a pro boxer, has never participated in a bare-knuckle bout.  Barnett (6-2, two KO's as a pro boxer) is 5-1, one KO in bare-knuckle bouts.

Saturday, March 20th -- Greenville, SC -- "The Educated Boxer" Dorian Bostic of Dundalk, MD will be in a six-round contest against an opponent to be determined.  Bostic (5-0, five KO's) comes off a fourth-round TKO win over Miguel DeJesus Fuentes on December 18th in Ocotlan, Mexico.

Friday, March 26th -- Medley, FL -- Two Baltimore Boxers will face off on this card.  Welterweight Samuel "Unbelievable" Neequaye will take on Kevin "The Scarecrow" Womack, Jr. in a six-round bout.  Neequaye, a native of Accra, Ghana (23-3, 16 KO's) has not fought since losing a 10-round split decision to Blair Cobbs in February of 2020 in Anaheim, CA.  Neequaye was challenging for the NABF Welterweight title.  Womack (9-20-4, seven KO's) has not fought since December of 2019 and has been stopped in his last three contests.

Saturday, March 27th -- Thomas Gymnastics Training Center, Rock Hill, SC -- Four locals will participate on this card.  Baltimore, MD super featherweight Malik "King" Warren will compete in his first scheduled six-round encounter against an opponent to be determined.  Warren (4-0, four KO's) comes off a first-round TKO win over Dreon Meriweather on February 20th in Greenville, SC.

Baltimore female super featherweight Mia "Killerbee" Ellis is looking for an opponent for her four-round encounter.  Ellis (2-0, two KO's) has scored first-round TKO's in both her previous bouts.

Oxon Hill, MD welterweight Akeem "Action Action" Jackson will be in a four-round bout against an opponent to be determined,  Jackson (2-2, two KO's) scored a first-round knockout over Jakhari Ross on December 11th in North Charleston, SC.

The only local to have an opponent will be super lightweight Stacey Selby of Upper Marlboro, MD who will face Roderick Gilkey of Memphis, TN in a four-round encounter.  Selby made a successful pro debut winning by second-round TKO over Jean Saint Phard on January 30th in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Gilkey (0-8-1) has been knocked out in his last three bouts.

White Weighs 130 For Nationally-Televised Eight-Rounder In Connecticut!

Jordan White tipped the scales at 130 pounds for his eight-round contest against Misael Lopez Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.  Lopez came in at 129 3/4 pounds.  The bout will be part of a ShoBox quadruple-header on Showtime that begins at 9 PM ET.

Russell Agrees To Defend WBC Featherweight title Against Vargas!

WBC Featherweight champion "Mr" Gary Russell, Jr. has agreed to defend his title against former junior featherweight champion Rey Vargas of Otumba, Mexico.  No word yet on where or when this bout will take place.

Russell (31-1, 18 KO's) will make the sixth defense of his title.  His last defense was a unanimous decision victory over Tugstsogt Nyambayar in February of 2020 in Allentown, PA. The undefeated Vargas (34-0, 22 KO's) won the WBC Junior Featherweight title in 2017 and made five title defenses before vacating the belt.  Vargas has not fought since July of 2019 when he won a unanimous decision over Tomoki Kameda in Carson, CA.  Vargas recovered from a broken leg and the coronavirus pandemic.

Jalil Hackett Signs Contract With Mayweather Promotions!

Washington, DC amateur standout Jalil Hackett has signed a professional promotional contract with Mayweather Promotions and will compete as a welterweight.

Hackett had an impressive amateur record of 140-19 with five Title Tournament titles, two Junior Olympic championships, and a Silver Gloves title on his resume.  Hackett also graduated from high school a year early with a 3.7- grade point average.

"It means a lot to be signed with Mayweather Promotions," Hackett said in a press release.  "When you think Floyd Mayweather, you think 'The G.O.A.T.'  To be signed to him and be one of the youngest at that, is a dream come true.  Most fighters dream of this and this is now my reality.  It was important to me that I signed with a black-owned company and I'm with the best one, which is Mayweather Promotions."

Hackett put himself on the radar of Mayweather Promotions when he sparred with four-time world champion Gervonta Davis in preparation for Davis's title bout in Baltimore against Ricardo Nunez in 2019.  Hackett now joins Davis, Malik Hawkins, Lorenzo Simpson, and Malik Warren in the Mayweather Promotions camp.

White Returns For Eight-Round Bout In Connecticut!

Washington, DC super featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White returns to action in an eight-round bout against undefeated Misael Lopez of Denver, CO by way of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico on Wednesday, March 10th at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.

White (10-1, eight KO's) hasn't fought since February of 2020 when he scored a seventh-round TKO over Ronaldo Solis to win the vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Featherweight title in Hanover, MD. Lopez (11-0, five KO's) last fought in October of 2019 and battled to a six-round no-decision with Nestor Robledo in Houston, TX.  This bout is scheduled to be part of a quadruple-header that will be televised on Showtime.