Agapito Sanchez: 1970-2005!

I send my condolences to the family of former WBO Super Bantamweight champion Agapito "El Ciclon" Sanchez. Sanchez was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning in the Dominican Republic. Sanchez was reportedly shot by an off-duty police officer, who is now being sought by authorities.

Sanchez was talented and rough fighter who held the WBO super bantamweight title for almost three years. He fought to a techical draw with Manny Pacquiao in a unification fight and recently claimed the USBA crown. He also had great battles with the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Freddie Norwood and Jesse Magana.

Sanchez made one trip to DC during his career. On July 2, 1995, Sanchez won an eight-round decision over Anthony "X-Man" Hardy. I can't remember whether that bout was at the DC Armory or the old Convention Center, but the card also featured Teddy Reid's pro debut. Once again, my condolences.

Fight Night Commentary and Recap!

The only reason why I am posting any results from Fight Night 2005 last night at the Washington Hilton and Towers is because the mini-boxing card took place in DC. If this blog was called Boxers Along The Beltway, it would receive no coverage from me here at all. It will receive a little bit of commentary.

For the first time in more than 10 years, there were NO Beltway Boxers on the Fight Night card. I personally take this as a slap in the face to our boxing community. I know full well that 90 percent of the people who attend this charity event are not hardcore boxing fans and many of those 90 percent are not even watching the bouts when they take place.

But this is an opportunity to show off what the Beltway has as far as boxing talent is concerned to the 10 percent that do. Some of those 10 percent make as much money as some of that 90 percent.

The card this year was promoted by the Duva family, so naturally, they placed their own fighters on the card. Couldn't they had fought someone from this area even if it would be to showcase their own fighters?

And don't say that Lou Duva doesn't know anything about this area. Duva has regularly worked with talent from the Beltway. Many years ago, Duva worked with Reggie "Showtime" Green and the late Reuben "Ratman" Bell, while he had Pernell Whitaker.

And, without naming names, I do know of a couple of boxers that were available for this card and were turned down. A couple of Beltway Boxers would have made this card a lot better than it was.

Speaking of which, here is the recap:

Undefeated Shawn "The Mongoose" George of Brooklyn, NY kept his IBC Americas Cruiserweight title and won the NABA Cruiserweight championship by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Chad Van Sickle of Grove City, OH. George is now 11-0-2 with 5 KO's.

Welterweight Oscar Diaz of San Antonio, TX scored an eight-round unanimous decision over Miami, FL's David Toribo. Diaz is 22-1.

Undefeated junior middleweight Michael Torres of Jersey City, NJ scored a third-round technical knockout over John Rudolph of Cincinnati, OH. Torres is 6-0, three KO's.

Ballroom Night Ends With Technical Draw!

The last Ballroom Boxing card of 2005 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie was a lackluster one that ended with a technical draw in the main event.

After waiting for weeks for an opponent, highly touted and undefeated junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin of Baltimore got a late opponent. Arvin also received a gash on his forehead courtesy of a second-round accidental headbutt from that opponent, Terry "Two Sweet" Johnson of Dayton, OH. Johnson ended up getting a nasty cut on the top of his head and the bout was stopped after two rounds.

It should be noted that Johnson was originally scheduled to face Purcell Miller on this card, but Miller weighed in at 163 1/4 to Johnson's 155 1/4 and Johnson's camp refused the fight.

Arvin's record is now 13-0-2, six KO's while Johnson is 5-11-1, one KO.

The only other Beltway Boxer on the card was lightweight Tyrell Samuel of Baltimore. Samuel gave the Michael's Eighth Avenue crowd the only real excitement of the evening as he blasted Jonathan Jones of Lucama, NC with a second round KO. Samuel was all over Jones from the start, catching Jones late in the first with a solid body shot that dropped him. In the second round, Samuel unleashed a crushing left hand that froze Jones momentarily, then dropped him to the canvas. Jones could not beat referee John Gradowski 10-count and the bout was stopped at 1:05 of the second.

Samuel is now 3-0, one KO while Jones is 0-2. Samuel looks like a promising prospect.

By the way, Samuel is trained by two Baltimore Boxing icons; Mack Lewis and former IBF Junior Middleweight champion Vincent Pettway. Both Lewis and Pettway recently celebrated birthdays: Lewis turned 89 while Pettway turned 40.

The rest of the card was made up of out-of-town boxers, so here is a quick recap:

In a welterweight rematch: Keenan Collins of Reading,PA won an eight-round split decision over "Magnificent" Martinus Clay of Wilson, NC. Collins is 8-1-1, seven KO's. Clay is 9-10-1, three KO's. The last time these two fought, they went to a six-round draw.

Cruiserweight William "The Storm" Bailey of Virginia Beach, VA won a four-round unanimous decision over Sean "Ham" Williams of Reading, PA.

Junior middleweight Jose "The Silver Boy" Rodriguez of New York City scored a four-round unanimous decision over Wilson, NC's Rodney Green.

Wes Hobbs of New York City made his pro debut a successful one with a four-round unanimous decision over Hamilton Verano in a junior welterweight bout.

Rahman Gives Beltway Another World Championship!

Of course, THE news of the boxing world concerns the sudden retirement of now-former WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and the passing of the crown to Baltimore's own Hasim Rahman, making Rahman a two-time world champion.

On a radio interview today, I was asked whether Rahman should feel cheated because he was given the title as opposed to winning it in the ring. My answer continues to be NO!! Rahman did everything he was asked to do in this situation. He fought the guys that the WBC asked him to fight. He waited patiently for Klitschko to be healed and fought during that time. He earned the opportunity. The bottom line is that Klitschko, for whatever reason, did not want to go through with this bout.

Honestly, I was calling Klitschko "Quitschko" like everybody else until I remembered that Klitschko has a Ph.D in Physical Education. My belief is that Klitschko had an idea that this particular injury was going to be bad. He understood fully what the doctors were telling him and that's when he decided to call it quits.

So where do we go from here? I think the Don King-proposed tournament is the way to go. However, I do have some reservations -- not with the concept itself, but with who will be involved.

You have Rahman, WBA champ John Ruiz, IBF titleholder Chris Byrd and WBO champ Lamon Brewster. With this four, I can't see this tourney drawing flies. These guys are not popular enough. No one cares about this.

King is going to have to catch a break. I, personally, would like to see Ruiz lose his mandatory in December to 7'-2" Nicolay Valuev. If Valuev somehows gets involved, the curiosity of a seven-foot heavyweight might be a draw.

But the idea itself is a necessary one and I am glad that Rahman will be involved. King is saying that he would like to see Rahman take on James Toney for his first defense. That I think would be too risky for Rahman to do.

There are some interesting days ahead for the heavyweight division.

Weights for Ballroom Boxing on Nov. 10!

Here is the final card for tomorrow night's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Main event: Eight-round rematch between "Magnificent" Martinus Clay (9-9-1, three KO's, Wilson, NC) and Keenan Collins (7-1-1, 7 KO's, Reading, PA) Last bout ended in a six-round draw.

Clay 148 pounds Collins 147 1/2

William "The Storm" Bailey (3-7-1, two KO's, Chesapeake, VA) vs. Sean Williams (8-14-1, two KO's, Reading, PA) six round cruiserweight.

Bailey 188 pounds Williams 189

Kay Karoma (1-0, Alexandria, VA) vs Jonathan Jones (0-1, Wilson, NC) four-round junior welterweight

Karoma 139 1/4 pounds Jones 141 3/4

Jose Rodriguez (pro debut, New York) vs Rodney Green (2-2-1, Wilson, NC) four-round junior middleweight

Rodriguez 157 3/4 pounds Green 157

Hamilton Verrano (0-2-1, New Jersey) vs Wes Hobbs (pro debut, New York) four-round welterweight

Verrano 148 1/4 pounds Hobbs 148 1/4

As of right now, Ishmail Arvin STILL doesn't have an opponent. One may be flown in early tomorrow. Purcell Miller weighed in almost four pounds over the middleweight limit and his scheduled opponent, Terry Johnston, has refused to take the bout.

Rahman-Klitschko Postponed!

The WBC Heavyweight championship bout between Baltimore's Hasim Rahman and WBC champ Vitali Klitschko has been postponed. Klitschko hurt his knee this past Friday and has had to stop training.

This is the fourth time this bout has had to be rescheduled.

The following is the official statement from Top Rank, the promoters of the bout:

The world heavyweight championship fight featuring Vitali Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman on November 12 is postponed and will be rescheduled, Bob Arum of Top Rank announced today. Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion, was injured while sparring in Los Angeles on Thursday. He wrenched his right knee and did not continue training. On Saturday, Klitschko was examined by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tony Daly of Los Angeles. He diagnosed the injury as a sprain and suggested the use of a rigid brace on the right knee. However, while sparring in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, Klitschko reported the knee did not respond to either medical treatment or the use of the brace. Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank and Tom Loeffler, managing director of K2 Promotions, announced that Klitschko vs. Rahman will be rescheduled. A new date, Arum said, will be announced next week.

Scottland Lawsuit Dismissed!

Fightnews.com is reporting that a lawsuit filed by Denise Scottland, the widow of super middleweight Beethavean Scottland, in a Manhattan, NY court was dismissed.

Denise Scottland's lawsuit was against ringside physicians Rufus Sadler and Gerard Varlotta and charged negligent practices. A Manhattan judge ruled that the correct allegations against the doctors was not negligence, but malpractice.

However, the 30-month statute of limitations had passed on the lawsuit and so the case was dismissed.

Results from Millersville!

Greenbelt, MD super middleweight “King” James McAllister scored a relatively easy eight-round unanimous decision victory over Dhafir “No Fear” Smith of Upper Darby, PA in the main event at BXF (Boxing Xtreme Fitness) Gym in Millersville, MD.

McAllister’s appearance was his first in almost a year and just his second in close to two years. McAllister said the inactivity hurt him considerably.

“I’m back in shape but in boxing, getting your rhythm back and your timing back takes something,” McAllister said. “It takes more quality sparring.”

McAllister, however, faced an opponent in Smith who spent the first half of the bout fighting in a defensive mode. McAllister took advantage by pressing the issue throughout the contest, but McAllister reiterated that his time away from boxing made that more difficult than usual.

“I had to press him all night long,” McAllister said. “And because I had to chase him, my timing, my balance and my footing while chasing him was difficult to find.”

By the time Smith offered some semblance of offense in the later rounds, McAllister was too far ahead on points for Smith to catch up. Judges John Gradowski and Bill Holmes said McAllister pitched a shutout, scoring the bout 80-72 while Judge Kenny Chevalier saw the contest, 79-73. My unofficial scorecard saw the bout 78-74.

McAllister raised his record to 10-5-1, three KO’s. Smith’s record falls to 13-12-2, three KO’s.

In the co-feature, undefeated light heavyweight prospect Shannon “Best Kept Secret” Anderson of Lancaster, PA outworked Suitland, MD’s Jarell Mason-Jackson to win a six-round unanimous decision.

Anderson took control of the bout in the fourth round when he caught Jackson with a stunning left uppercut. The punch sent Jackson reeling, but he managed to stay on his feet. From there, Jackson seemed to win almost every serious exchange in side. Jackson got his licks on Anderson in spots, but not enough times to pull out the victory.

Judge Holmes saw a shutout, 60-54. Judge Chevalier had it 58-56 while Judge Malik Waleed scored it 59-56. I saw it 59-55.

Anderson is now 3-0, one KO. Mason-Jackson goes under .500 at 3-4, one KO.

In the most exciting bout of the night, Portsmouth, VA middleweight John Terry won a close four-round majority decision over James Shedrick, Jr. of Philadelphia, PA.

In the first round, Terry dropped Shedrick with a left cross. In the third, Shedrick, whose father, Jimmy Shedrick, was a lightweight prospect in Philadelphia in the 70’s, returned the favor by knocking Terry down with a right hand.

But later in the third, Terry seemed to seal the deal by landing a left hand that sent Shedrick to the canvas. Terry was able to do enough in the final round to seal the victory.

Judge Waleed didn’t quite see it that way and scored the bout a draw at 38-38. Judges Gradowski and Chevalier saw the bout in favor of Terry at 39-37 and 38-37 respectively. I also saw the bout at 39-37.

Terry is now 2-1, one KO while Shedrick is now 3-4, one KO.

In other bouts on the card, Arick Washington of Seabrook, MD scored a four-round unanimous decision victory over John Rudolph of Cincinnati, OH in a junior welterweight contest. All three judges (Holmes, Waleed and Gradowski) scored the bout 39-36.

Washington is 2-1 while Rudolph is now 1-4, one KO.

In the opening contest, junior lightweight James Franks of Newport News, VA made his pro debut a successful one by stopping Cincinnati’s Fred Fleming at 2:58 of the second round of their scheduled four-round encounter. Fleming is now 0-2 in his career.

The promoter of the bout was Gene Molovinsky of Keystone Boxing. The matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.

One of the notable attendees at the card was Derrell Coley. However, Coley was notable on this night for a different reason. Coley was modeling a T-shirt that I think every DC boxing fan should own.

The shirt was called the "Fabulous Five" and it had pictures of Coley as well as pictures of DC's four world champions, Keith Holmes, William Joppy, Mark Johnson and Sharmba Mitchell. It was a beautiful sight. Coley is selling these shirts for about $30. I am in the process of getting more information on how to get these shirts and as soon as I find out, I will let you know.

Aiken's Opponent Changed!

Boy, how things change in boxing! Of course, if you are a true boxing fan (as all of you are!), you know this to be true.

Eric Aiken's opponent for his bout on December 10 will now be undefeated Rashiem Jefferson of Philadelphia. The bout will also originate from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. I did hear about this matchup but I thought this bout was changed to the Nunes bout, not from this bout.

Jefferson is 8-0-1 with five KO's. Jefferson last fought on August 25 when he scored a fourth round TKO over Ubaldo Olivencia in New York.

Jefferson may be familiar to some Beltway Boxing fans because he has fought twice at Michael's Eighth Avenue. His pro debut was a Ballroom Boxing bout when he scored a second round TKO over Margarito Lopez on August 3, 2004. Jefferson returned to the Ballroom on Sept 30, 2004 when he battled to a four-round draw with Yamin Mohammad.

'Mighty Mouse' Aiken Looks for NABA Cheese!

Forestville, MD super featherweight Eric "Mighty Mouse" Aiken has his most important bout to date as he battles for the vacant NABA Super Featherweight title on Dec. 10 at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

Aiken's opponent is a very familiar one in Brazilian Agnaldo Nunes. The two waged a very exciting and controversial war almost two years ago at the New Washington Convention Center, a bout that I thought was the best bout of 2003. Aiken won that bout by a six-round unanimous decision and scored two knockdowns in the bout, but I think it could have gone either way. One of the knockdowns was a tough call, because the Nunes camp thought Aiken knocked their man down while coming out of a clinch.

As a matter of fact, Despite the knockdowns, I thought Nunes won the last bout by one point, 57-56. I just thought he did more overall.

Since that bout, Aiken (12-3, nine KO's) has had some tough going of late, going 3-2 with two KO's and he has lost two of his last three, including a six-round split decision loss to Leo Martinez in his last contest. Martinez who was 6-5 at the time of the bout.

Nunes (15-1-1, 8 KO's), meanwhile, has gone 9-0-1 with four KO's since the Aiken loss. His last victory was a 10-round unanimous decision over Adalberto Borquez on October 21 in Santa Ynez, CA.

Quick observation: If this bout goes into double-digit rounds, it could be a problem for Aiken. While neither man has gone 12 before, Nunes went 10 in his last bout.

This is a make it or break it bout for Aiken. This could be Aiken's last chance to be a viable contender. I wish him well.

One Man's Opinion: Top Ten Boxers Along The Beltway 1985-2005!

While looking through my collection of old boxing magazines, I came across the March 1996 edition of The Ring. This issue had a special section called "A Tale of 10 Cities" in which different boxing writers listed the top 10 boxers from US cities where boxing was paramount.

They listed Boston, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore. Washington, DC did not make the cut.

Legendary boxing writer Alan Goldstein of the Baltimore Sun did the Baltimore list. His top 10 included:

1. Joe Gans
2. Harry Jeffra
3. Kid Williams
4. George (KO) Chaney
5. Joe Dundee
6. Vince Dundee
7. Vincent Pettway
8. Red Burman
9. Jimmy McAllister
10 Jack Portney

This section gave me inspiration. So I decided to put together a list of the top 10 Boxers Along The Beltway. Now I can't factually go back as far as someone like Alan Goldstein so names like Holly Mims and Bob Foster won't be on this list. But I can cover the almost 18 years that I have been watching Beltway Boxing as a member of the press. As a matter of fact, I will round this to an even 20 years.

So here is my top 10 of the past 20 years. I will go in reverse order.

10. Andrew Council (31-8-3, 20 KO's) Council was someone boxing fans all over the country respected. He was a solid body puncher who in another time, he probably would have been a world champion. Fought tough battles against Bernard Hopkins, Keith Holmes (twice), and Robert Allen. Did not perform well against a young Winky Wright. Council's best win was a ninth round TKO over a shopworn but still dangerous Buddy McGirt in 1995.

9. Darryll Tyson (50-14-1, 25 KO's) Tyson fought a who's who of boxers between 135 and 140 pounds. Bouts against everyone from Jimmy Paul (a 12-round win and a 15-round loss for the IBF Lightweight title) to Miguel Angel Gonzalez and from Livingstone Bramble to Oscar De La Hoya always showed Tyson in a positive light. Fought two of the best bouts ever seen along the Beltway: a 12th round stoppage of Reggie Green in 1994 for the NABF/USBA junior welterweight title and a 10th round TKO loss to Freddie Pendleton for the USBA title on the "Beltway Brawl" card. His dedication and approach to the game has been legendary.

8. DeMarcus Corley 31-4-1 (17 KO's) Is on this list because of his stunning first-round knockout over Felix Flores to win the WBO Junior Welterweight title as well as his ability to go the distance with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah and Randall Bailey. Corley brings more flash and talent to the 140-pound class.

7. Hasim Rahman (41-5-1, 33 KO's) A win next Saturday may force me to revise this list. Rahman would probably be higher on this list if he had not sqaundered chances to be an elite heavyweight against the likes of Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz. However, the impact of his stunning title victory over Lennox Lewis puts him on this list.

6. Keith Holmes (39-4, 25 KO's) Probably the most maligned champion we've had along the Beltway. Holmes never has received the respect he is due. People only remember the terrible loss he suffered in the Middleweight Championship Series against Bernard Hopkins, but when Holmes was on, he was as talented as they come. His first WBC Middleweight title win over Quincy Taylor, as well as wins over the likes of Andrew Council, Darryl Lattimore, Kelcie Banks, Hassine Cherifi and Paul Vaden proved that.

5. Vincent Pettway (43-7-1,32) This man was "Mr. Excitement" in the ring. From his thrilling loss to fellow Beltway Boxer Victor Davis in 1990,(in a bout that USA Network named one of their top 10 of all time)to his IBF Junior Middleweight title victory over Gianfranco Rosi in 1994 to his electrifying knockout win over Simon Brown at the "Beltway Brawl" in 1995 (which boxing magazines called everything from the Knockout of the Year to one of the Top 10 Knockouts of All Time), Pettway gave every thing he had everytime he stepped into the ring. Pettway was Baltimore's first world champion in almost 90 years.

4. Sharmba Mitchell (56-4, 30 KO's) A win over Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in two weeks might write Mitchell's ticket to Canastota. Mitchell ranks on this list for not only winning the WBA junior welterweight title in 1998, but also because of his excellence over a long period of time. Still needs a true marquee win but we have not had a more consistent boxer, especially over the last 10 years. Mitchell has always been a contender and a major player.

3. William Joppy (35-4-1, 26 KO's) Joppy has won three WBA middleight titles and although he doesn't have a marquee win (unless you count his knockout win over an aged Roberto Duran), he was a major player in the division for some time. His first title win over Shinji Takehara in Takehara's home country of Japan was something to behold.

2. Mark Johnson (44-4, 28 KO's) Johnson will be a hall of famer five years after he decides to hang up the gloves. He will be a first-ballot hall of famer. Johnson made the flyweight division a viable one for Americans because of his talent. The fact that he was the first African-American and second American to win the flyweight title is enough to get him in Canastota. In his prime, Johnson repeatedly made pound-for-pound lists around the world. His historic title wins over Francisco Tejedor and Arthur Johnson were phenomenal displays of punching power. And just when people thought his career was over, Johnson wins a third world title in 2003. He has had a remarkable career.

1. Simon Brown (47-12, 34 KO's) Brown was the first great Beltway Boxer of the post-Sugar Ray Leonard era. At one point, Brown was regarded as the best welterweight in the world. Brown fought some incredible battles against such foes as Tyrone Trice (twice), Al Long and, of course, who could forget his legendary battle against fellow Beltway Boxer and best friend Maurice Blocker in Vegas in 1991? Brown surprised everyone when he moved up to junior middleweight in 1993 and scored a major upset over future hall of famer Terry Norris in a bout Ring Magazine chose as the upset of the year. Even in defeat, Brown was a tremendous boxer with a boatload of heart. A definite hall of famer in my book.

So there you have it. I'm curious to know your top 10. Maybe we can have a compilation of the fan's top 10. Look forward to hearing from you.

Results from Woodlawn, MD!

Three of the Baltimore area’s finest prospects continued making positive strides in their young careers by notching victories in front of a raucous Baltimore Boxing crowd at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, MD.

In the main event, super featherweight Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa of Ellicott City, MD rebounded from a tough majority decision loss in his last bout to earn a tough six-round majority decision victory over a game Dean “Pit Bull” White of Fredrick, MD. The bout was Ricasa’s first six-round contest.

Both men showed themselves to be effective counter punchers but it was Ricasa who seem to land more of the scoring blows when it counted most. White, who was making his return after a five-year layoff, showed a very strong chin and took Ricasa’s best. By the end of the bout, both men started forsaking their jabs in favor of landing power shots.

Judge John Gradowski saw the bout even at 57-57 while judges Bill Holmes and Malik Waleed scored the bout 58-56 for Ricasa. My unofficial scorecard had Ricasa winning 59-55.

After the bout, Ricasa told me he knew what he was getting himself into by facing White.

“He’s just what his name says,” Ricasa said. “He’s a pit bull. I had a feeling he would hesitate coming in and when he did come in, I knew exactly what he was going to do. I’m a good counter puncher and I felt good going into the fight.”

Ricasa raises his record to 6-1, two KO’s with the victory. White falls to 11-3, six KO’s with the loss.

In the co-feature, undefeated super middleweight Tony “Cyclone” Cygan of Middle River, MD scored an explosive second-round technical knockout over Larry “The Gladiator” Brothers of DC.

Cygan started the damage early by dropping Brothers with a left hand to the head in the first round. Then Cygan finished Brothers off midway through the second round with a short, brutal, audience-gasping left cross that made Brothers crumple. Referee Malik Waleed didn’t bother to count to one, much less 10 and immediately stopped the bout at 1:50 of the second.

“My left was landing and I thought it was pretty strong,” Cygan said after the bout. “I tried to throw it a couple of times and was unsuccessful but then I caught him with those two good shots and that was it.”

Cygan is now 8-0 with six KO’s. Brothers is now 6-16-3, four KO’s.

Cygan is the truth, folks. Each bout he has shown me something different. First, it was the power shots. Then it was the body shots. In this contest, Cygan put the two together because it was the body shots that set up the head shots that put the normally durable Brothers on the canvas. This was a knockout of the year candidate for the Beltway.

Undefeated Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall of Baltimore had the toughest bout winning a four-round unanimous decision over Carlos “The Headbanger” Jones. This bout had Paschall moving up from super middleweight to light heavyweight while Jones dropped from his normal cruiserweight to light heavyweight.

The weight dynamic helped make an interesting bout as both men tried to land shots. Midway through the bout, Jones charged after Paschall, trying to bull rush Paschall. While Paschall was landing the more telling blows, referee Bill Holmes deducted one point in the second and third rounds for holding and use of your head.

However, Paschall finished the final round very strongly, landing power punches and keeping Jones at bay for the victory.

All three judges (Don Risher, Malik Waleed and Kenny Chevalier) scored the bout 38-36, the same as me.

Paschall’s record climbs to 6-0, two KO’s while Jones falls to 3-7, two KO’s. Paschall definitely is a crowd-pleasing fighter, but I would like to see more power from him.

In other bouts on the card, junior middleweight Derrick Willmore of Capitol Heights, MD registered a fairly easy four-round unanimous decision over “Diamond” Matt Hill of Reistertown, MD. Willmore, originally from Hollywood, FL, was in control throughout as he made his first in-ring appearance in almost two years. All three judges (Chevalier, Holmes and Risher) saw the bout the same as I did, 40-36.

Willmore is 7-3, one KO while Hill falls to 6-27-2, four KO’s.

Parkville, MD heavyweight Adam “Boom Boom” Bloom had an easy time scoring a second round TKO over the debuting Robert “The Man” Monroe of Front Royal, VA.

After knocking down Monroe twice in the first round, Bloom finished off his opponent 19 seconds into the second round. Bloom is now 2-0, two KO’s.

The final bout of the evening was a minor upset as Westbury, NY heavyweight “The People’s Champion” Jonathan Felton scored the first victory of his young career by stopping Wayne “Hammerhead” Hampton of Capitol Heights in the first round. Felton is now 1-2, one KO while Hampton falls to 1-1, one KO.

Boxing notables in attendance include USBA Super Featherweight champ Lamont “Bay” Pearson, former WBO Cruiserweight champ Boone Pultz, Darnell “The Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson, and local prospects Tony Jeter, Jed Phipps, Russ Shifflett and Mike Dietrich.

Also in attendance was pro football hall of famer Lenny Moore. The legendary running back for the Baltimore Colts has been a frequent attendee at Baltimore area boxing matches for years and now he will have the title of Commission Member to go along with his attendance. Moore was recently appointed to the Maryland State Athletic Commission by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich.

The promoter of the Baltimore Boxing card was Jake Smith. The matchmaker was Josh Hall. This was a solid show from top to bottom.

The next Baltimore Boxing show will be on Wednesday, December 7. Jake Smith told the crowd that Tony Cygan, Jed Phipps and Mike Dietrich will be on that card. Smith added that Cygan will be in the main event and he will participate in his first scheduled eight-round bout.

Anthony Peterson Scores Another Knockout Win!

This one got under the radar for everyone,including myself, but congratulations to Anthony Peterson. The junior welterweight from DC scored a fourth-round TKO over Roy Bohannon on October 15 at the Isle of Capri Casino in Lula, MS.

Peterson's record is now 14-0 with 10 KO's. He has now fought an amazing 10 times in 2005 with seven wins coming by knockout.

I still remember that scintilating performance Peterson put together on the McBride-Tyson undercard in DC. This was one of the best performances I've seen this year.

By the way, Anthony's brother Lamont is also undefeated at 14-0 with six KO's. Lamont has also fought 10 times this year with four wins by KO.

Official Card for Woodlawn, MD

Here is the official card for tomorrow night's Baltimore Boxing show at Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD.

The main event remains the same: Tony "Cyclone" Cygan of
Middle River, MD will take on Larry "The Gladiator" Brothers of DC.

The co-feature will match Baltimore's Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall against veteran Carlos "Headbanger" Jones of Landover.

Mike "Little Rock" Ricasa of Ellicott City will battle Dean White of Reston, VA.

Adam "Boom Boom" Bloom of Baltimore will match up against Dan Monroe of Front Royal, VA.

Wayne Hampton of Laurel, MD takes on Johnathan Felton of Stafford, VA.

"Diamond" Matt Hill of Reistertown, MD will battle Derrick Wilmore of Hollywood, FL.

Update on Upcoming Cards!

Bear with me,folks. This will be a long post, but it will be informative. I have updated information on four of the five cards that will take place along the Beltway in the next month.

I will have definitive information on tomorrow night's Baltimore Boxing card at Martin's West in Woodlawn late this evening. There is a slight bit of confusion concerning that card that can affect two of the other cards in this time span. The confusion concerns two boxers: Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin and Dhafir "No Fear" Smith.

As I reported in an earlier post, Lem Satterfield of the Baltimore Sun mentioned that Arvin and Smith were scheduled to face each other on tomorrow's night card. However, representatives for the November 4 BXF card and the November 10 Ballroom Boxing card say Arvin and Smith will be on their cards. Arvin is slated to headline the Ballroom show against an opponent to be named while Smith is scheduled to face James McCallister in the main event at BXF.

I'm not saying either Arvin or Smith couldn't be in two matches in a very short period of time, but I think it would be highly unlikely.

As far as tomorrow's card is concerned, here's what we do know at this time.

There is a VERY interesting six-round super middleweight bout scheduled between undefeated Tony "Cyclone" Cygan of Middle River, MD and DC's Larry "The Gladiator" Brothers. Promoter Jake "The Snake" Smith seems to be moving Cygan (7-0, five KO's) on a fast track and with good reason; Cygan is the most talented guy, in my opinion, to come out of Smith's gym. Cygan is a fierce body puncher and has good power. That power will be tested against Brothers, who despite his won-loss record (6-15-1, 1 NC, three KO's), tends to live up to his "Gladiator" nickname. This will be an excellent test for Cygan to see where he is in this business.

Another decent scheduled matchup involves Mike "Little Rock" Ricasa of Ellicott City, MD and Joey VanDaniker of Laurel, MD. This will be a six-round super featherweight bout. The interesting part of this for me is that both man have a common opponent in Ron "Teflon" Boyd. Both Ricasa (5-1, two KO's) and VanDaniker
(5-3-1, four KO's) lost to Boyd in their last outings. Ricasa's was a tough majority decision loss on the last Martin's West card in July while VanDaniker lost by disqualification on the McBride-Tyson undercard in DC in June. Maybe the winner will get a rematch with Boyd.

Other boxers scheduled for the Martin's West card include undefeated super middleweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall (5-0, two KO's) and heavyweight Adam "Boom Boom" Bloom of Baltimore (1-0, one KO).


Let's now move to November 4 at BXF Live in Millersville, MD. The main event, as we've stated, is "King" James McCallister of Landover (9-5-1, three KO's) vs Dhafir "No Fear" Smith of Upper Darby, PA (13-11-2, three KO's). This will be an eight-round bout that was scheduled for the last BXF in September but was postponed.

The co-feature is scheduled to include the return of one of the more popular Beltway Boxers of the 1990's -- Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller. This junior middleweight from DC would have crowds literally dancing in the aisles as he made his way to the ring. This was because Miller was one of the few boxers in the world who brought his own BAND to the ring. A brass band would play New Orleans style as Miller walked to the ring. Miller married his loves of music (he plays the trombone) and boxing every time he fought.

Once in the ring, Miller showed quick hands and solid knockout power. His record was 21-3 with 17 KO's. The losses came to quality opponents: a split decision USBA welterweight title loss to world title contender Raul Frank, a unanimous USBA Junior Middleweight title loss to former WBA Junior Middleweight champ Carl Daniels and a majority decision loss to Robert "Push-Up" Frazier.

The Frazier loss came in 2000, and that was the last time Miller was in a boxing ring. A combination of lack of boxing desire and serious legal issues kept Miller away from the ring. I recently talked to Miller and he says he is ready to go and he promised me that he will strike up the band again. Miller's opponent for his six-round bout on November 4 is to be announced.

The undercard will feature a couple of guys who made successful pro debuts on Bobby Magruder's card in Waldorf earlier this month. Waldorf cruiserweight Nick Caroleo will face the debuting Willie Williams of Baltimore while Wayne Hampton of Capitol Heights (1-0) will take on LaJuan Henderson of Portsmouth, VA (1-1). Other bouts on the card include James Shedrick of Philadelphia (2-3,one KO) vs. John Terry of Portsmouth (1-1, one KO) in a four-round super middleweight bout; and Fred Fleming of Cincinnati, OH (0-1) against James Franks of Portsmouth (pro debut) in a super featherweight encounter. There may be two more bouts added to this card.

Now to the Ballroom Boxing show on Thursday, November 10 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie. Ishamail Arvin is in the main event, as I said. The co-feature is a rematch of a bout that took place on the last Ballroom card in September between "Magnificent" Martinus Clay of Wilson, NC and Keenan Collins of Reading, PA. The last time these junior middleweights met, the bout went to a six-round draw. This one is scheduled for eight rounds. Clay (9-9-1, three KO's) is making his third attempt to get a win in Glen Burnie. Clay is 0-0-1 with 1 NC in the Ballroom. Collins (7-1-1, seven KO's) is 0-1-1 when he goes the distance in a bout. Every bout he has won has finished in either the first or second round.

Undefeated Baltimore welterweight Tim Coleman (3-0, one KO) will also be on this card. Coleman is scheduled to face John Rudolph of Cincinnati (2-2, one KO) in a four-rounder.

Also on the card, junior welterweight Filiberto Nieto of New York City (1-2, one KO)who will take on Jonathan Jones of Wilson, NC (0-1-1) in a four-rounder and Calvin Dixon, a cruiserweight from Greenville, NC (2-0, three NC's) will face an opponent TBA in a six-rounder.

As far as the November 11 Fight Night charity show at the Washington Hilton and Towers, I am still awaiting word on who will be on that card. The only name I have heard about on this card is out of towner and NABA Cruiserweight champ Chad Van Sickle. One stat I have heard about this card is that it is NOT sold out. That is a rarity because usually this event sells out months in advance. My speculation is that it is on a Friday this year instead of a Thursday and that could have thrown people off.

November's boxing slate will end with what looks like a monster of a card. I talked about this November 26 card at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro in a previous post. There have been some changes since then. But if this lineup holds up, this will be a great card as far as Beltway star power is concerned. Originally, former WBA champ William Joppy and former NABF Welterweight champ Derrell "Too Sweet" Coley were slated to headline. That now looks like it won't happen. However, the card is now slated to feature Purcell Miller, Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan, Nick Caroleo, Jarell Jackson and possibly, Teddy Reid. Looks like a good one!

As you can see, there is a WHOLE lot going on. Look for the final card for the Martin's West show later this evening!

Nady to Referee Rahman-Klitschko; Arvin to Face Safir in Woodlawn

My writing colleague and good friend Lem Satterfield of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that veteran Nevada referee Jay Nady will be the third man in the ring when WBC Heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko and WBC interim champ Hasim Rahman battle on November 12 in Las Vegas.

Nady has worked a number of high-profile title bouts including Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver-Roy Jones II and Kostya Tszyu-Zab Judah. It was during the Tszyu-Judah bout where Nady's name was well known because it was Nady that Judah attacked after the bout was stopped in favor of Tszyu.

Nady has also worked some of Rahman's bouts, including Rahman-Lennox Lewis II and Rahman's most recent victory over Monte Barrett.

I have only recently become a Nady fan. He has done well in some high-profile bouts. He is also a big guy (6-5, 250 pounds) so he shouldn't be intimidated by the big fellows. I think this is a good choice.

Satterfield says that Rahman has been sparring recently with two 6'6 boxers; Mike Tyson-conqueror Kevin McBride and Silver Spring, MD heavyweight Tony "The Tiger" Thompson.

By the way, Satterfield also reports that the judges for this contest will be Jerry Roth and Dave Moretti of Las Vegas and Anek Hongtongkam of Thailand.

As far as the local scene is concerned, the main event for this Thursday's Baltimore Boxing card will feature undefeated Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin (13-0-1, six KO's). Arvin is scheduled to face Dhafir "No Fear" Smith of Upper Darby, PA (13-11-2, three KO's).

That would be interesting because originally Smith was scheduled to appear on the November 7 BXF card in Millersville against "King" James McCallister.

I hope to have full information on both cards in the next few days.

Boxing Card Rumors and News!

I am hearing rumors that there will be a pretty good card coming to the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD on November 26.

I am hearing that it will be a Keystone Boxing card that is scheduled to feature former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy, former junior middleweight prospect Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller (who is scheduled to make his return in Millersville on the next BXF card on November 7) and possibly former welterweight contender Derrell "Too Sweet" Coley.

I'll let you know if this is true and I will provide details if this is true.

If this card comes to fruition, it will add to an already busy November. The BXF card is Friday, November 4, the next Ballroom Boxing show in Glen Burnie is Thursday, November 10 and the Fight Night charity card at the Washington Hilton is Friday, November 11.

The BXF show is scheduled to feature Miller, Tony Jeter and James McAlister. The Ballroom Boxing show is slated to have a rematch between Baltimore heavyweight Jed Phipps and Tom "The Ripper" Cameron. Phipps was blasted by Cameron the last time they met. The Fight Night card is scheduled to feature NABA Cruiserweight champ Chad Van Sickle (who is not from this area).

These ARE the Results from Waldorf!

Earlier today, I put up the results from the card from Waldorf, courtesy of my buddy Mike Swann of 15rounds.com. Thanks to an alert reader who noticed that they were the results from LAST year's card! I have deleted that post, but I want to make sure the poster who noticed that knew that I got your message and I thank you.

These are the results from Friday's show in Waldorf, once again courtesy of Mike Swann.

Every fall Bobby Magruder stages his annual pro boxing show at the Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf Maryland. The fighters are gritty and exciting, if not particularly skilled in a technical sense, and put on a great show for the bargain price of $40.

Magruder, a member of the Maryland and Washington D.C. boxing halls of fame, is a showman second to none in southern Maryland. Not only did the roaring sell out crowd enjoy a card of six fights, but on this night Magruder featured a Polynesian bent, “A Tribute to the Islands,” with each paying customer receiving a lei from hula girls upon entrance. In addition, the musical offerings of Charlie Taylor and Kurt Gibbons were on display prior to the live card and during the intermission.

Maryland fight fans, hungry for live professional boxing, are hopeful that Magruder provides more frequent offerings of his brilliant promotions.

On hand for the festivities were former jr. middleweight champ Vincent Pettway, former WBO cruiserweight titlist Boone Pultz, and light-heavyweight contender Darnell Wilson.

The honored guest of the evening was the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee. Everyone in the house flocked to Dundee like paparazzi after Lindsey Lohan. Women kissed him, men shook his hand and hugged him, and he graciously posed for pictures with the many that approached him with camera in hand.

The card began with a four rounder between light welterweights Tony Kinney, 1-3, and Pernell Jackson, who was making his pro debut. Jackson floored Kinney once in the first and twice in the second before the ringside physician advised referee John Gradowski that Kinney, should not come out for round three.

Next, in a six round jr. middleweight bout, Vance Garvey and Charles Clark fought to a majority draw by scores of 57-57, 57-57, and 57-56 for Clark. Garvey went down from body blows in the first and second rounds when his foot slipped on the canvas as he was hit, and referee Kenny Chevalier ruled them as knockdowns. However, two of the three judges scored both rounds as 10-9. One of the rounds was scored as 10-8 on the third card. Garvey is now 6-18-4, and Clark is at 14-21-2.

Henry Mayes, now 4-1 with 3 Ko’s, starched Marvin Robinson at 2:39 of round one with a good left hook that laid Robinson flat on the canvas for several minutes. Referee Malik Waleed immediately called a halt to the fight when Robinson, now 4-3, [3], hit the deck.

Jason Champion and Chris Govan both made their pro debuts in a jr. middleweight fight scheduled for four. Govan suffered a nasty cut over his right brow from a punch in the first round, and was floored in the second. By the third round, Champion’s punches spattered Govan’s blood on my score sheet, and referee Chevalier stopped the bout on the advice of the ring physician after the third round.

Oscar Colindres and Wayne Hampton were next in a heavyweight fight scheduled for four. Hampton, who had 1976 Olympic Silver medallist Charles Mooney working in his corner, floored Colindres in rounds one and two, and Colindres had a point deducted in round three for holding. Both fighters tired early and the fight was marked by clutching by both men. Referee Gradowski stopped the fight at 2:42 of round four after Colindres failed to return fire after being hurt by a barrage of shots from Hampton. The exhausted winner Hampton leaned over a neutral corner trying to catch his wind after the stoppage.

In the four round finale, local boy Nick Caroleo won his pro debut by majority decision over Derek Sierra, now 0-3-1, in a light heavyweight tilt. The scores were 40-36, 38-38, and 40-36. Caroleo showed some skills with some sharp body punching and was the aggressor throughout the fight, finishing with a flourish by banging Sierra with power shots against the ropes just before the bell in what had been a good round for both men.

Pro Boxing Comes to Waldorf October 14!

Bobby Magruder, known to many in the area as the "Don King of Southern Maryland," will have his annual pro card on Friday, October 14 at the Jaycees Hall in Waldorf, MD.

The most notable name on the card is scheduled to be Baltimore junior middleweight Charles Clark. Clark (14-21-1, five KO’s) is a wily veteran of the fight game who has had tough going of late, losing his last 10 bouts and 13 of his last 14. Included in that stretch are losses to two members of the first “Contender” series; runner-up Peter Manfredo, Jr. and DC-area rival Jimmy Lange. Clark has also lost to veteran contender Tony Marshall and undefeated prospect Yuri Foreman.

Clark’s opponent is scheduled to be veteran Vance Garvey of Indianapolis, IN. Garvey (6-18-3, one KO) has also struggled, going 0-4-1 in his last five bouts. Garvey has been busy this year. His scheduled six-round matchup against Clark will be Garvey’s 10th bout in 2005.

In another bout on the card, Baltimore super middleweight Henry “Hurricane” Mayes will try to bounce back from a devastating knockout loss in his last bout when he faces Marvin Robinson of Richmond, VA in a four-round contest. Mayes (3-1, two KO’s) was starched by Alton Rice in the first round on May 24 in Woodlawn, MD. Robinson (3-2, two KO’s) has not fought since winning a four-round unanimous decision over Mike Eatmon in Sept of 2004 in Richmond.

Five other bouts will make up the rest of the card which will include the pro debuts of DC-area boxers Nick Caroleo, Pernell “Action” Jackson, Wayne Hampton and Jason Champion.

Caraleo of Waldorf will battle Derek Sierra of Silver Spring (1-2) in a light heavyweight battle.

Jackson will face Jonny Kinney of Cincinnati in a junior welterweight encounter.

Heavyweight Hampton of Laurel battles Oscar Colindres of Atlanta, GA.

Champion of Hillcrest Heights takes on Cincinnati's Chris Govan in a junior middleweight encounter.

'Little Big Man' Challenges 'Pretty Boy Floyd'!

Fightnews.com is reporting that former WBA Super Lightweight champion Sharmba Mitchell of Takoma Park, MD will challenge undefeated WBC Junior Welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on a November 19 HBO card at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.

This should be a major payday for the "Little Big Man." Whether he can beat Mayweather remains to be seen, but it should be a great matchup. This will be the second Beltway Boxer Mayweather has faced. Mayweather scored a 12-round unanimous decision victory over former WBO Junior Welterweight champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley on May 22, 2004.

Mitchell has not fought since his fifth round technical decision victory over Chris Smith for the NABA Welterweight title on June 11 at MCI Center. The bout was the co-feature to Kevin McBride-Mike Tyson.

Jeter Wins in Comeback!

I was unable to attend the BXF show last night in Millersville, MD. However, One of my Fightnews colleagues and a man who is truly one of the best boxing photographers in the business, Mike Greenhill, was there and he filed the following report:

Middleweight Tony Jeter came back off a 4-year layoff in grand style, destroying Philadelphia's Lawrence Frisby in two rounds to win by TKO at BXF Gym (Boxing Extreme Fitness)in the Baltimore suburb of Millersville. Jeter, of Stevensville, enjoyed some home cooking, as he trains at BXF during the week. Jeter moved in behind his jab in Round One, and caught Frisby with a counter right to the head that turned his legs to pasta. Jeter then followed with a right to put Jeter down on the canvas. He rose on unsteady legs, and was promptly put down again, just before the bell.

Jeter wasted no time in the second round, flooring Frisby with a looping right to the top of the head. Moments later, the hometown kid dropped Frisby into the neutral corner with a counter left hook, and referee Gary Camponeschi waved off matters at 0:50 of the second. Jeter is now 4-1 (4) while Frisby falls to 3-9 (2).

In the night's other pro bout, light heavyweight Jarell Mason-Jackson of Temple Hills, MD gained a tough unanimous 6-round decision over Steve Garrett of Annapolis, MD. It was a back-and-forth battle until Mason-Jackson sealed the deal with a knockdown in the 6th and final round. Bill Holmes scored 58-55, Gary Camponeschi tallied 58-54 and John Gradowski recorded 59-54, all for Mason-Jackson. Garrett also had a point deducted in the final round for holding. Mason-Jackson improves to 3-3 (0), while Garrett falls to 2-4 (1).

There were only two pro bouts since the James McCallister-Dafir Smith main event fell through. However, the pro show was preceded by five amateur bouts, thus satisfying the Maryland State Athletic Commission's minimum 25-round requirement for the show to take place.

On hand to view the festivities were former cruiserweight champ Boone Pultz, welterweight contender Derrell Coley and USBA lightweight champ Lamont "Bay" Pearson.

'King James' Headlines at BXF on Oct. 7!

Landover, MD super middleweight "King" James McAllister will headline a four-bout professional portion of a pro-am card on Friday, Oct. 7 at the Boxing Xtreme Fitness (BXF) Gym in Millersville, MD.

McAllister (9-5-1, three KO's) has not been in action since November 2004 when he lost a six-round majority decision to Carlos DeLeon Jr. in Las Vegas. McAllister will face Dhafir "No Fear" Smith (13-11-2, three KO's) of Upper Darby, PA in an eight-round bout. Smith has lost his last five bouts, including an eight round unanimous decision loss to Derrick Whitley on Sept. 17 in Mansfield, MA.

The co-feature will involve two boxers who are returning after lengthy absences; middleweight Tony "Mo Better" Jeter of Columbia, MD. This will be Jeter's first bout since October 2001 when he lost a four-round unanimous decision to Kwame Bumphus in Philadelphia, PA.

Jeter(3-1, 1 NC, three KO's) will take on Lawrence Frisby of Philadelphia (3-8, two KO's) in a four-round encounter. Frisby has not fought since December 2001 when he won a six-round split decision over Tyrone Winkler in Philadelphia.

Two other four-round bouts will round out the pro part of the card; Jarell Mason Jackson of Temple Hills, MD (2-3) will battle Steve Garrett of Columbia in a four-round light heavyweight matchup. Also, James Shedrick of Philadelphia (2-3, one KO) will take on John Terry of Portsmouth, VA (1-1, one KO) in a four round super middleweight encounter.

Four amateur bouts are also scheduled for the card.

Aiken Loses Split Decision in Ohio!

Thanks to a poster for this tip.

Forestville, MD featherweight prospect Eric "Mighty Mouse" Aiken lost a tough six-round split decision to Leo Martinez in Columbus,OH on October 1.

I haven't seen any published reports on the bout, but Martinez is from Columbus so there could have been a hometown decision. One judge voted for Aiken, 58-56 while the other two voted 59-55 for Martinez. Martinez has, however, faced mostly winning record opposition throughout his career, so the win could be legitimate.

The loss looks bad for Aiken because his record is now 12-3 with nine KO's. Martinez's record is 7-5 with four KO's. So on paper, this is a bad loss. Maybe there will be a rematch.

Olakanye Loses on Byrd-Williamson Card!

Silver Spring heavyweight Adele "Super Bad" Olakanye lost by TKO on the undercard of the heavyweight doubleheader featuring Chris Byrd-Davarryl Williamson and James Toney-Dominick Guinn.

Olakanye was stopped in the fourth round by undefeated Shane Cameron of New Zealand (14-0, 13 KO's). Olakanye's record is now 6-3-2, four KO's.

By the way, Williamson, a native of DC who now lives in Colorado Springs, CO, lost by unanimous decision to Byrd in the WBC title matchup.

King Sues Rahman!!

Interesting story from my good friend Lem Satterfield of the Baltimore Sun concerning a lawsuit against WBC Interim Heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman by Don King.

This is the story in its entirety:

Promoter Don King has filed a federal lawsuit against Baltimore native Hasim Rahman, charging that he is entitled to half of the $4.2 million purse the ex-champion will earn for fighting World Boxing Council heavyweight Vitali Klitschko in November.

The suit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court's Southern District in Manhattan, charges the money is owed King in accordance with a contractual agreement granted in the event that King lost the purse bid to be the primary promoter for Rahman's title bout. The amount "is King's reward for driving up the bid," said Judd Burstein, King's attorney. King lost the purse bid to promoter Bob Arum, who bid $12 million to King's $11.1 million, but Burstein said Rahman still is under contract with King until July 2008.

Burstein said Rahman's refusal to agree to a payment stems from Rahman's financial trouble, and the fact that the Las Vegas resident "has a 2.1 million IRS tax lien against him."

The suit was filed, Burstein said, "because Rahman feels that if the IRS and Don King get their payments, then he's fighting Klitschko for nothing."

Ballroom Boxing Results!

Here are the results of the Ballroom Boxing card that took place on Sept. 29. The report is filed by my Fightnews colleagues Julian Burgower and "Priceless" Steve Price.

Ballroom Boxing opened their new season with a bang on Thursday night with the return of welterweight contender Kermit Cintron and heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon featured in abbreviated but successful bouts in front of the always-animated fans at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Cintron, who was coming off an unsuccessful April bid to capture the WBO welterweight title from Antonio Margarito, showed a new-look style in the three rounds it took to dismantle outclassed Francisco Parra of Tijuana, Mexico.

In the first round, Cintron displayed what six months of adjustments in the gym can do for you as he jabbed Parra, 12-6 (10), and unbridled a new, more defensive-type approach to his game. Parra seemed stunned with every punch landed by “El Asesino” and although game, knew immediately that he was being outclassed.

The second saw more of the first as Cintron moved well and employed a shoulder-roll type of strategy brought to recent reemergence by fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins and James Toney.
The third was to be Parra’s last, as Cintron opened up and let loose hard and well placed shots that connected with deadly accuracy. An overhand right dropped Parra midway through the round, with Parra dragging Kermit down to the canvass with him as he collapsed. Beating the count, Parra was briefly directed to be inspected by the ringside physician, his face having become a bloody mess. After the okay from ringside, Parra was put out of his misery as Cintron opened up a five-punch combination that connected beautifully with every shot. Parra again flopped to the ground, at which time it was said that he had had enough. The time was 2:07 as Cintron victoriously bellowed, “I’m back! I’m back!” to the crowd.

“I felt good,” exclaimed Cintron, now 25-1 (23), after the bout. “I wish he could have given me a better fight.” Citron also said that he feels comfortable in his new style and thinks that it will help him as he steps back up into major fights down the road. “I was working on it- concentrating on it more to give different fighters different looks.” Cintron expressed a desire to fight in his hometown of Reading, PA next, possibly in November before looking to challenge for another title. He said that it doesn’t matter whom he fights for a title, dropping names such as Margarito in a rematch, undisputed champion Zab Judah and Luis Collazo.

On the co-feature of the evening, heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon, 8-0 (6), easily stopped 271-pound Lincoln Luke in two rounds.

Luke, who brought in a 45-pound weight advantage, proved that weight can also be a disadvantage as he was in no shape to fight. Out of breath within the first minute of the round, Luke forced the fight into a sloppy mess as he staggered around the ring with Witherspoon patiently stalking him. Witherspoon connected on several occasions resulting with Luke flopping into the ropes.

In the second round, Chazz connected with a stiff right jab that knocked Luke down for an eight-count. Upon rising, Luke was deemed not able to safely continue by referee Bill Holmes and waived the fight off at 2:00 into the round. Luke, still with little birdies flying around his head, reacted with class, twice pushing Holmes in protest before Ballroom security entered the ring to restore order. Executive Director Patrick Pannella of the Maryland State Athletic Commission declined to comment on any disciplinary actions to be taken against Luke.

In the most exciting fight of the evening, welterweights Martinus Clay and Keenan Collins fought to a six-round draw in a battle of wills.
Collins, 7-1-1 (7), came out looking to end the night early with a big right hand, stunning Clay, 9-9-1 (3), on occasion but unable to finish as he had on his seven other victims.

Clay countered Collins’ attack with a good inside game, raking a two-fisted body assault into Collins’ midsection.

As the fight wore on, the lanky Collins looked more and more to his right hand, neglecting to continue through with any follow up punches- punches that could have made a difference in the outcome.
In rounds three through five, Clay was able to back Collins into the ropes several times and dig to the body.

At the end of six, scores read 58-56 for Clay, 58-56 for Collins and 57-57, ending in a draw.

In cruiserweight action, southpaw Calvin Dixon, 2-0-1 (0) with 3 No-Contests, counterpunched his way to a split-decision victory over William Bailey by scores of 57-55 for Bailey and 58-56 (twice) in favor of Dixon.

In the show opener, John Terry improved to 1-1 (1) in stopping Michael Dickerson, 0-2, at 1:05 of round one in a super middleweight bout.

Also in attendance was Hall of Fame running back Lenny Moore and former welterweight title-challenger Derrell “Too Sweet” Coley, who affirmed he was coming out of retirement to resume his boxing career.
Ballroom Boxing is promoted by Michael and Scott Wagner of Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Ballroom Boxing Card on Sept 29!

Here is the lineup for the Ballroom Boxing card on Sept. 29 at Michael's Eighth Avenue. I now can say who's headlining the show and it is a pretty big deal in my opinion.

The main event features former WBO Welterweight champion Kermit "Killer" Cintron! Despite his shocking loss to Antonio Margarito earlier this year, I think Cintron can still be a force to reckon with.

Here is the complete rundown as I wrote it for Fightnews:

Looking to bounce back after a devastating title loss, former WBO Welterweight champion Kermit “Killer” Cintron will headline the next Ballroom Boxing card on Sept. 29 at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Cintron, a native of Carolinas, Puerto Rico and now fighting out of Reading, PA, got his career off to one of the best starts in recent memory, winning 22 of his first 24 bouts by knockout. His biggest win was an eight-round TKO over Teddy Reid (editor's note: yes, our Teddy Reid) on July 17, 2004 in Houston, TX to win the WBO title.

But in his first title defense, Cintron and the boxing world were shocked when he was decimated by current champion Antonio Margarito on April 23 of this year in Las Vegas. Margarito scored a fifth-round TKO to win the title.

Cintron, who is ranked ninth in the world by the WBO, will take on Francisco “Panchito” Parra of Tijuana, Mexico in an eight-round bout. Parra (12-5, 10 KO’s) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision loss to Mario Jose Ramos on August 19 in Las Vegas.

The co-feature on the card brings the undefeated “Mensa with Muscle” Chazz Witherspoon back to the Ballroom for the third time. Witherspoon, (7-0, five KO’s) a heavyweight from Philadelphia, PA, returns to the ring after stopping Vernon Woodard in the third round on August 6 on the undercard of Jeff Lacy-Robin Reid in Tampa, FL.

Witherspoon will face Lincoln Luke (5-6, four KO’s) of Cedartown, GA in a six-round contest. Luke has lost his last four bouts over a three-and-a-half year period. Luke lost both his previous bouts in 2005, including his last outing, a four-round unanimous decision against Moultrie Witherspoon on June 18 in White Rock, SC.

In what could be an interesting bout on this card, junior middleweight Keenan Collins of Reading, PA will take on “Magnificent” Martinus Clay of Wilson, NC in a six-round encounter.

Collins (7-1, seven KO’s), a native of Brooklyn, NY, is looking for his fourth straight win and his fourth straight first-round knockout. Collins stopped John Mays in the first round on June 11 in Greensboro, NC in his last outing. Collins has not had to go past the second round in any of his seven victories. The only time Collins did go past the second round was in his only loss, a six-round unanimous decision to Michael Torres on December 3, 2004 in Atlantic City.

Clay (9-9, three KO’s, two NC’s) makes his second appearance in the Ballroom. His first outing was an eventful one. On June 16, 2005, Clay was stopped in the first round by highly-touted prospect Nick Casal. After the bout, Casal tested positive for cocaine. The Maryland State Athletic Commission suspended Casal and ruled the bout a no contest.

Since that bout, Clay broke a four-bout winless streak by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Kevin Carter on August 25 in North Charleston, SC.

In other bouts on the card, Riverdale, GA cruiserweight Calvin Dixon will face William “The Storm” Bailey of Chesapeake, VA in a four-round contest.

Dixon’s record of 1-0-1 is misleading because he has actually participated in five pro bouts. However, three of those bouts ended in no contests. Dixon’s last contest gave him the only draw on his record thus far. Dixon and Joseph Aiken fought to a four-round draw on April 30 in Savannah, GA.

Bailey (3-6-1, two KO’s) will make his 2005 debut on this card. Bailey’s last bout was a second round knockout loss to Joe Spina on June 12, 2004 in Mashantucket, CT.

Washington, DC lightweight Ron “Teflon” Boyd (2-1) will try to continue his winning ways against the debuting James Frank of Norfolk, VA in a four-round bout.

Boyd is coming off two nice victories early in his career. Boyd won by second-round disqualification over Joey Van Daniker on the undercard of Kevin McBride-Mike Tyson on June 11 in DC. Boyd then followed that victory with a four-round majority decision win over previously undefeated Mike Ricasa on July 21 in Woodlawn, MD.

Also on the card, DC welterweight Purcell Jackson will make his pro debut against Tyrone Hazzard (0-2) of Philadelphia in another four-round encounter. One more bout may be added to the card.

The promoter for the Ballroom Boxing series is Scott Wagner. The matchmaker is Chris Middendorf.

Leavander Johnson, 1969-2005

I know this is not a Beltway Boxing story, but every boxing fan should take a moment to honor the life of former IBF Lightweight champion Leavander Johnson.

Johnson died today at the age of 35 in Las Vegas. Johnson suffered injuries after losing his title to Jesus Chavez on Sept. 17.

I mentioned this in an earlier post (but I was actually off by one boxer), but Johnson battled and defeated four Beltway Boxers during his career: Lyndon Paul Walker, Floyd Favors, Anthony Suggs and, in one of his biggest wins, he gave Sharmba Mitchell his first loss.

He will be missed by all real boxing fans.

Wilson Battles Tiring Foe!

This is an interesting situation involving one of our more popular Beltway Boxers.

A boxer faces many physical obstacles when preparing for a bout. Those obstacles may include: the opponent, physical injury and illness, among others.

A recent conversation I had with Silver Spring, MD cruiserweight Darnell “The Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson adds another obstacle to the list: sleep deprivation.

Wilson said sleep deprivation was to blame for a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Vadim Tokarev in Kazan, Russia on August 18. Two of the judge’s scorecards for that evening said Tokarev pitched a shutout (100-90) while one scored a little closer (97-93).

In 2004, the National Sleep Foundation estimated that 40 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. There are 90 diagnosed sleep disorders.

Wilson (18-2-3, 15 KO’s) explained that this condition may have been the cause behind some lackluster efforts he has had in his career.

“Sleep deprivation is a combination of a lot of things, including insomnia,” Wilson said. “It’s probably been a few of my fights where (people) have said, ‘what the hell is Darnell doing? He seems out of it, he doesn’t know what he’s doing or something’s wrong.’”

“I never have fear of a man, ever,” Wilson continued. “But when I went to Russia, it (the sleep deprivation) multiplied four times. The first two nights there, I slept really well. But the night before the weigh-in and the night before the fight, I stayed up the entire night. I was in a zone. I was in space. Both days, I went to sleep at 8 am for about an hour.”

“When I was in the ring, it was like I was almost sleeping,” Wilson added. I had no strength, no stamina. I was running 5-6 miles every day, doing hard road work and sprints, so I was in perfect shape. But the sleep deprivation killed it all. I talked to a neurologist and I couldn’t imagine that sleep deprivation would have that kind of effect on you. I was in tip-top shape but it took everything I had. I had no power and I was slower than Butterbean out there.”

“Tokarev is normally a brawler, but he decided to just stand there and throw his jab because I was standing right there, I couldn’t move,” Wilson added.

Wilson said he is hoping to travel to Germany to face highly-touted cruiserweight contender “Hurricane” Paul Briggs on October 15. When asked if he has a fear of his sleep deprivation condition returning, Wilson emphatically said no.

“No way,” Wilson said. “That’s because I’m fixing myself. I’m getting plenty of rest. I’m ready to go. Come on, Paul. Let’s go!”

Addition to Fall Boxing Schedule!

There is one more boxing card along the Beltway this fall. However, this is not for the general public. It's the annual "Fight Night" on Friday, November 11 at the Washington Hilton and Towers.

Quite frankly, the boxing card usually is not very good. The draw for this event is always the number of boxing legends that come to this show. Men like Joe Frazier, Carmen Basilio, Jake La Motta, Ken Norton and Earnie Shavers are usually fixtures at this event, that raises money for a number of children's charities.

This is one of those events where you have to be in a very rich loop to attend and if you haven't received a ticket yet, you're probably out of luck.

One other note: Silver Spring heavyweight Adele "Super Bad" Olakanye will be on the October 1 James Toney-Dominick Guinn card in Reno, NV. Olakanye (6-3-2, four KO's) will be looking for the upset when he faces undefeated New Zealand heavyweight "The Mountain Warrior" Steve Cameron (13-0, 12 KO's).

Joppy Denies Assault Charges!

Recently I wrote an article for both Boxing Along The Beltway and Fightnews.com concerning recent assault charges against former three-time middleweight champion William Joppy.

After the story ran on Fightnews (which was a rehash of what The Washington Post printed earlier that day), Joppy's lawyers contacted me claiming there were inaccuracies in both stories. I talked to both Joppy and his lawyer Sander Davidson and the following article is a result of that conversation. I tried to get a hold of someone from Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan's camp but was unable to do so. Hopefully, someone from Buchanan's camp will contact me and I can give equal time to this situation.

This is the story as it will also appear on Fightnews.com


JOPPY ADDRESSES ASSAULT CHARGES; SAYS THEY’RE NOT TRUE!

Recently, the Washington Post reported (in a story that also appeared in part on Fightnews.com) that former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy was charged with first-degree assault in an incident on Sept. 8 in Capitol Heights, MD.

The Post and Fightnews reported that the victim of the alleged assault was undefeated middleweight prospect Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan of Capitol Heights.

However, in an exclusive Fightnews phone interview, Joppy and his attorney, Sander M. Davidson, said the report of the situation contained numerous inaccuracies and the charges are unfounded.

The Post, quoting a news release from the Prince George’s County Police Department, reported that on Sept. 8, Joppy approached an individual (reportedly Buchanan) around 5 pm at a traffic intersection. The release said the two began to argue and Joppy reached into the person’s vehicle and began to choke him before the person drove away. According to the release, Joppy then got into his own vehicle, chased the other car and hit it multiple times, causing it to spin out of control.

Joppy gave Fightnews a vastly different account of the situation, claiming he was the victim, not Buchanan.

“I was going over to look at Round One Gym (a recently closed gym in Capitol Heights where Joppy used to train). I was getting back into my car when Henry pulls up with three other guys in the car,” Joppy said. “Henry asked me, ‘what the ____are you doing around here looking for me?’”

“He struck me and hit me in my mouth and then he pulled off,” Joppy continued. “I jump into my car and he backed up into my car. He had a Navigator or Expedition, something like that. I guess he thought he wouldn’t damage the back of his car and he would damage the front of my car. He speeds off and I try to go to the side and tell him to get out of the car. He started to speed so fast, he loses control of his truck. When he lost control of his truck, I side swipe him, not purposely. He made it seem like I side swiped him purposely.”

“I was about to stop and get out of my car, but he had those guys with him. I didn’t know what they had. They could have had weapons. So I just kept going because if I had gotten out of the car, it would have really gotten ugly. So I went straight to the police station and pressed charges, but I got the warrant.”


According to Joppy and Davidson, this incident is the latest chapter in a two-year situation involving the two men. Joppy and Davidson claim the situation began in November of 2003 when Joppy was charged with assaulting James Ware at Round One Gym. Ware had come to the gym to repossess the car belonging to the gym owner’s wife. Joppy and Davidson say that it was actually Buchanan who hit Ware. At the time of this incident, Joppy was training at the gym getting ready for his December 13 contest against Bernard Hopkins.

On December 26, 2003, according to Davidson, Joppy was formally charged with assaulting Ware. In January of 2004, Ware filed a civil suit against Joppy. On August 12, 2004, Joppy was acquitted of all criminal charges. Ware’s civil suit against Joppy remains in litigation, but Davidson told Fightnews that in November of 2004, Ware filed another civil suit, this time against Buchanan because “all the evidence that came out in discovery pointed to Mr. Buchanan as the assailant.”

Davidson added that a Prince George’s County judge has combined the two civil suits and legal court proceedings will begin on the cases on October 25.

On June 16, 2005, Buchanan was scheduled to appear on a boxing card in Glen Burnie, MD. However, Buchanan did not participate in the weigh-in and was scratched from the card. Davidson and Joppy claim that Buchanan intentionally skipped the card because there was a warrant for his arrest because he failed to give a deposition concerning the civil suit.

On June 30, Buchanan gave a deposition in court in which he claimed the reason for his missing the weigh-in for the June 16th boxing card was that his scheduled opponent was injured and could not participate.

Representatives for Buchanan were unavailable to Fightnews for comment concerning these cases.

Full Fall Beltway Boxing Schedule!

If everything goes according to plan, the next three months will be busy ones for Boxing Along The Beltway. There are eight pro cards scheduled for the fall. Here is the schedule with all dates subject to change without notice.

Thursday, Sept 29, Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD. There are some interesting plans for this Ballroom Boxing card and I hope to have concrete knowledge on this in the next couple of days.

Friday, Oct. 7, BXF Gym, Millersville, MD. This is the Boxing and Extreme Fitness Gym, run by Jim Crossen. They are starting a series of pro-am shows on the first Friday of every month. One of the boxing coaches there is Roger Leonard, brother of Sugar Ray Leonard.

Friday, Oct 14, Waldorf Jaycees, Waldorf, MD. This is the annual pro card promoted by the "Don King of Southern Maryland," Bobby Magruder.

Thursday, October 27, Martin's West, Woodlawn, MD. The next Baltimore Pro Boxing show promoted by Jake "The Snake" Smith. Undefeated Tony "Cyclone" Cygan and Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall along with Mike Ricasa, "Smokin'" Jay Krupp and Henry "Hurricane" Mayes are scheduled to appear on the card.

Friday, November 4, BXF Gym, Millersville, MD

Thursday, November 10, Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD

Friday, December 2, BXF Gym, Millersville, MD

Thursday, December 7, Martin's West, Woodlawn, MD

So if you really love pro boxing, you have no excuse not to attend at least one of these shows. I assure you. You will have a great time! I will get you details on each show as they become available.

Corley Conquers in Coushatta!

Congratulations to former WBO Junior Welterweight champion and DC native DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley who scored a ninth round technical knockout over Johnny "Live Wire" Walker on Sept. 17 in Coushatta, LA.

According to GulfCoastBoxing.com, Corley controlled the first seven rounds before finally dropping Walker in the eighth round. Finally in the ninth, Corley walked in and landed a straight right hand that dropped Walker for a second time. The referee finally stopped the bout at :48 seconds of the round. Walker has now lost 15 straight bouts and is now 18-18 with 12 KO's.

Corley's record now rises to 31-4-1 with 17 KO's.

More Battle of Virginia Notes!

More information from the Battle of Virginia!

There were a couple of interesting sightings at the Patriot Center. I ran into two men who have not been in the ring in quite some time, but are planning to make in-ring returns soon.

Columbia, MD junior middleweight Tony "Mo Better" Jeter (pronounced JET-er) will be making his return either on Oct. 7 in Millersville, MD or Oct. 14 in Waldorf, MD. Jeter has not been in the ring since October of 2001 when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Kwame Bumphus in Philadelphia. His record is 3-1, 1 NC with three KO's.

And DC junior middleweight Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller will be making his return after a five-year hiatus. Miller was one of the most exciting prospects along the Beltway in the mid to late 90's and he definitely had the best ring entrance in the area as he was accompanied by a full scale brass band as he walked down the aisle. Miller also had loads of talent but has not fought since April of 2000 when he lost a majority decision to Robert "Push Up" Frazier. Miller's record is 21-3, 17 KO's. The only other losses came to perennial contenders Carl Daniels and Raul Frank.

It will be interesting to see what these exciting competitors still have after all these years.

Meanwhile, I also heard some very disturbing news about a boxer in a recent bout. Remember when Luther Smith was stretched in an ESPN bout in Connecticut last month? Well, a very reliable source whom I will not name told me that Smith walked into the ring that night LEGALLY BLIND!

The source told me that there were some questions raised during gym sessions because Smith had trouble avoiding the right hand. Smith said that he was all right. Somehow, Smith faked the eye exam and was allowed to box that night. This is just plain ridiculous!! Hopefully Smith will not try this again.

In happier news, Smith's cousin, featherweight Eric "Mighty Mouse" Aiken, told me he will be fighting for the NABF title against undefeated NABF champ Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero on Dec. 2 in California. The bout will be on ShoBox on Showtime. This looks like a tough one for Aiken because Guerrero has knocked out his last five opponents.

I also had a nice talk with Silver Spring cruiserweight Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson. Wilson talked to me about his recent loss to Vadim Tokarev in Russia. I plan to print the interview in its entirety later this week, but Wilson said his loss had to do with a sleep deprivation condition he has been battling. I will go into detail when I print the interview.

One other note. I will be talking this week with William Joppy's attorneys concerning this situation with Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan. Joppy's attorneys claim there are some inaccuracies in the Washington Post article as well as the article I wrote for this site and for Fightnews.com (which was basically a rewrite of the Post article). We'll see what happens after the conversation.

Battle of Virginia Recap!

Before I start, let me send my prayers to former IBF Lightweight champion Leavander Johnson, who is fighting for his life after suffering injuries in his title loss to Jesus Chavez Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.

Johnson may be familiar to Beltway Boxing fans, because he gave Sharmba Mitchell his first professional loss (by knockout) back in March of 1994. Johnson also stopped Virginian Anthony Suggs in the third round in February of 2002 and scored a first round TKO over DC's Floyd Favors in June of 2002. I wish him well.

Now as far as the Battle of Virginia is concerned, lots to talk about. Let's start with the card itself, which was a fine one.

In the main event, Jimmy Lange showed how to make a no-win situation a positive one. In winning the lightly-regarded WBE Junior Middleweight title at the George Mason University Patriot Center, Lange beat a guy in Perry Ballard who didn't have the talent nor the experience that Lange had. The no-win situation was if Lange won, he was supposed to. If Lange lost, it probably meant finis to his career.

Therefore, Lange had to win convincingly. Lange did exactly that. The former "Contender" from Great Falls, VA did an outstanding job using the left jab. Lange used his left so well, I really thought there was something wrong with his right hand. When Lange finally landed the right in the third, he dropped Ballard. Then in the fourth, Lange dropped Ballard twice with shots to the head and the body and put him away.

When I talked to Lange a month ago when this card was announced, he looked like if he could be anywhere else in the world than this press conference, he would be there. Lange was very smart from a mental aspect in this fight. He knew that it would be tough getting up for this bout, so he said he turned the preparation for this bout into a mental exercise with the goal of staying focused for this bout. He succeeded with honors last night.

To Ballard's credit, he was very gracious in defeat, calling Jimmy a "first-class act." Ballard proved to be one as well. Ballard did make one interesting point. This bout was originally scheduled to be fought at 147 pounds and was supposed to be for Ballard's World Boxing Empire Welterweight title. Somewhere along the line, the bout turned into a contest for the WBE vacant 154-pound title. Ballard seemed to have been forced to fight for this title. Ballard weighed in at 147 pounds. Lange came in at 150, so the pounds didn't play as big a part. But I can vouch for the fact that the bout was originally announced as a 147-pound bout.

The bout was a great one for Northern Virginia. The card brought out a lot of people who probably arent boxing fans, or at the very least, never been to a boxing card. Hopefully, either Lange or Ballard (or both, in separate bouts) can continue to be a part of Keystone Boxing's Virginia promotions.

Meanwhile, if there was a fighter of the night award for this card, my vote would go to Lamont "Bay" Pearson. The Capitol Heights native looked dominant in his fifth-round knockout over Shamir Reyes. Pearson looked like the Pearson who received a world title shot a few years ago, before he had trouble with his hands.

Pearson broke down Reyes gradually in this bout. By the third round, Reyes could offer NO offense. Pearson finally finished Reyes with a solid body shot and Reyes could not recover before the count of 10.

By winning his third career regional title (two USBA, one NABA), I think Pearson put himself right back in the world Super Featherweight title picture. When he is on (as he was tonight) no one is more talented along the Beltway than Lamont Pearson.

For me, the biggest disappointment of the night was the non-performance of Orazio "The Razor" Robinson. The junior middleweight from Manassas, VA was stopped early by Jesse Orta of Dallas, TX. Robinson suffered two crushing right hands in the first round of the bout and was put away. I know it's early but that loss was a major setback for Robinson.

In the first two bouts, Alexandria, VA junior welterweight Kay Koroma made his pro debut a successful one with a four-round unanimous decision over Terrell Davis. Koroma has talent but right now, he can't crack an egg. He has no power at this stage.

Also, Tim Coleman of Baltimore scored an easy victory over DC's Spenser Harsley, stopping him in the third round.

Still to come, some news and sightings from the Battle of Virginia!

Complete Battle of Virginia Commentary All This Week!

Let me just say that I will have complete results and commentary on the Battle of Virginia Card all this week. I want to congratulate Lamont Pearson on his USBA title victory and Jimmy Lange on his WBE championship win.

I will give you details and commentary about this card this week, because there is a LOT to talk about for this card, not only in the ring but outside it as well. There were some VERY surprising sightings in the crowd and some info about a boxer that I can ONLY share here.

I also had an interesting conversation with Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson that I will share here and on Fightnews.com

Let me say off the bat, though, that Thom Loverro of the Washington Times was wrong!! Keystone Boxing, led by Gene Molovinsky, did an OUTSTANDING job in promoting this card. An estimated 5,100 were at the George Mason University Patriot Center for this card. That's a great total. Based on that, it looks like Virginia may indeed have a promising boxing future.

I also want to send my best wishes to "Money" Mike Sawyer. Sawyer was supposed to make his pro debut last night, but he collapsed 90 minutes before showtime. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors said he was suffering from dehydration.

The word is that he is doing fine and did want to box, but doctors and officials wisely ruled against that.

More to come on this card and the people involved, coming soon, because I have a lot to say about this show.

Joppy Charged with Assault on Sugar Poo!

It was tough waking up to the following story:

The Washington Post is reporting that former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy has been charged with first degree assault in a Washington, DC suburb. The charge comes from an incident that took place on Sept. 8.

The Post says the victim of the alleged assault is undefeated middleweight prospect Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan of Capital Heights, MD according to representatives for both Joppy and Buchanan. The Post quoted a news release issued by the Prince George’s County Police Department. The release did not mention Buchanan by name, but said Joppy approached an individual around 5 pm at Ritchie Road and Walker Mill. The release said the two began to argue and Joppy reached into the person’s vehicle and began to choke him before the person drove away.

According to the release, Joppy then got into his own vehicle, chased the other car and hit it multiple times, causing it to spin out of control.

Joppy turned himself into police earlier this week and was released on $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 12.

Weights for Battle of Virginia!

Here are the official weights for tomorrow night's "Battle of Virginia" card at the George Mason University Patriot Center:

Jimmy Lange 150.5 vs. Perry Ballard 147(WBE jr. middleweight title)

Shamir Reyes 131 vs. Lamont Pearson 127.5(USBA jr. lightweight title)

Orazio Robinson 154.5 vs. Jesse Orta 154.5

Tim Coleman 144.5 vs. Spencer Hansley 142

Kay Keroma 138.5 vs. Terrell Davis 138.5

Mike Sawyer 154.5 vs. Chris Govan 154.5

Former DC Boxing Official Runs for Mayor!

If you live in the Beltway Boxing area, you probably know about this. I made it a more boxing-friendly article.

Michael A Brown, former vice chair of the District of Columbia Boxing and Wrestling Commission, has officially announced his intention to run for mayor of the Nation’s Capital.

The 40-year-old Brown served on the commission from 1996 until April of this year, when current DC Mayor Anthony Williams decided not to reappoint him to the position.

In recent years, Brown became the most visible figure on the commission, especially during the city’s attempts to give a boxing license to Mike Tyson in 2003 and to bring the Tyson-Lennox Lewis bout to DC in 2003. Brown’s efforts helped land Tyson in DC on June 11 of this year when Tyson lost to Kevin McBride.

Some reports speculated that it was the increased visibility Brown received that led to Brown’s removal from the commission by Mayor Williams, who has not ruled out the notion of seeking a third term.
Brown, son of the late Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown, is the managing partner of a government and public affairs firm that specializes in legislative and regulatory affairs, communications, government marketing and procurement.

This will be interesting to watch and I wonder how many times will Brown's willingness to bring Tyson to DC come up in debate situations. Brown will be facing folk during the campaign like current Ward 4 councilmember Adrian Fenty, who was totally against bringing Tyson here.

DC has had government outsiders become Mayors before (Sharon Pratt Kelly is the big example). Even though I am no political analyst, I think Michael Brown has a tough road ahead.

Corley's Louisiana Opponent Named!

According to Fightnews. com, the opponent for former WBO Junior Welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley in his Sept. 17 appearance in Kinder, LA will be journeyman Johnny "Livewire" Walker of St. Petersburg, FL.

Walker (18-17, 12 KO's) has not been a live wire of late, having lost his last 14 contests. Corley (30-4-1, 16 KO's) is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over Kevin Carter on July 29 in North Charleston, SC.

In an interesting bit of Beltway Boxing information, Corley is currently being trained by former Beltway Boxer Andrew Council, one of the more popular boxers to come out of the area.

Public Workout, Weigh-in for 'Battle Of Virginia!'

As the days wind down towards the “Battle of Virginia” on Saturday, Sept. 17, fans in the Washington, DC metropolitan area will have an opportunity to have an up-close look at some of the participants involved with the card.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, there will be a free public workout for some of the boxers at George Mason University during the school’s Patriot Day celebration. The Patriot Day celebration is a free outdoor festival with food, games and live music. The workout will be from 11 am to 2 pm and will be held in front of the Johnson Center clock tower on the main campus. Jimmy Lange, Perry Ballard, Lamont Pearson, Shamir Reyes and George Mason University alumnus “Money” Mike Sawyer are scheduled to participate. George Mason students can compete to become a guest ring announcer for the card.

The weigh-in will also be free and open to the public. The weigh-in will be held on Friday, Sept. 16 from 1-3 pm at PJ Skidoos, 9908 Lee Highway in Fairfax, VA.

Tickets for the card, which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, will be on sale at both events.

Pearson Tries for Vacant USBA Title!

There will now be two title bouts on the “Battle of Virginia” card on Saturday, September 17 at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. One bout will feature former USBA and NABA Super Featherweight champion Lamont “Bay” Pearson of Capitol Heights, MD. Pearson will try to win the USBA title again as he faces Shamir Reyes of Brooklyn, NY for the vacant title.

Pearson (21-3-1, 11 KO’s) is appearing in just his second contest since his August 2003 loss to now-IBF Super Featherweight champ Robbie Peden. Pearson’s bout with Peden was also for the USBA title. In his last outing, Pearson scored an eight-round unanimous decision over Ivan Alvarez on January 27 in Glen Burnie, MD. A win over Reyes may move Pearson closer to a second try at a world title. Pearson lost a title bid to former WBA champion Yodsanan Sor Nanthanchai in May of 2002 in Thailand.

Reyes (18-3-2, seven KO’s) is coming off a stunning first-round TKO over Luis Antonio Arceo on July 22 in Las Vegas. However, Reyes has been stopped twice in tries for regional titles. Former WBA Super Bantamweight and Featherweight champion Antonio Cermeno scored a 10th round TKO against Reyes in a bout for the vacant WBA Fedalatin Super Featherweight title in May of 2002 and Reyes lost by 12th round TKO to Gairy St.Clair for the WBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight crown in February of this year.

The other title bout will be for the vacant World Boxing Empire (WBE) Junior Middleweight title. Jimmy Lange of Great Falls, VA (25-2-1, 17 KO’s) against Perry Ballard of Martinsburg, WVA by way of Leesburg, VA. (17-0, 13 KO’s)
Other boxers appearing on the card include Woodbridge, VA junior middleweight Orazio "The Razor" Robinson(5-1-2, four KO's), debuting junior welterweight Kay Koroma of Alexandria, VA and debuting junior middleweight “Money” Mike Sawyer of Fairfax, who is a graduate of George Mason University. As mentioned earlier, Sawyer recently announced that he is donating half his purse to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Noted Washington, DC-area trainer Adrian Davis is also donating part of his purse.

One Beltway Boxer Replaces Another!

According to Fightnews.com, the September 17 boxing card at the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, LA (located in southwestern Louisiana and not affected by Hurricane Katrina) will go on as planned, but without former three-time WBA middleweight champ and DC native William Joppy. Joppy suffered an injury that will knock him off the card.

The main event at "Knockouts at Coushatta IX" will now feature another DC native --flamboyant former WBO jr welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley.

"We are fortunate to have secured "Chop Chop" Corley as our new main event fighter—he's fast, he's flashy, and he fights like a tiger in the ring. It's going to be a super exciting show," said Nora Popillion, the casino's events & promotions manager.

The last time Joppy and Corley were in a ring was when they appeared on a card in Charleston, South Carolina on July 28. Both men posted easy knockout victories.

Another Beltway Boxing Recollection!

This recollection talks about what could have been.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Jemal Hinton

If you ask long-time Beltway Boxing experts about who was the most talented boxer never to win a world title, many people would mention the name of Jemal Hinton.
From 1988 to 1992, the boxer out of District Heights, MD was the hottest prospect going in the junior featherweight and featherweight division. He had speed and solid power. He was 16-0 with 12 knockouts and had already picked up the WBC Continental Americas Super Bantamweight title. A world championship seemed just a few fights away.

Then suddenly, it all stopped. Hinton decided he had enough of the sport and promptly retired. Not even his father and trainer, Junious Hinton, could change his mind. No one but Jemal Hinton knows the real reason. Some speculated that Hinton adopted the Islamic faithand would not fight because of religious convictions. Whatever the reason was, Hinton's decision left a void in Beltway Boxing that took a long time to fill.

Recently, the name Jemal Hinton popped up again in the form of Jemal Hinton, Jr. He was scheduled to box at the Mayor's Cup last month but couldn't get an opponent. I'm assuming this was Jemal's son.

Sawyer, Davis Donate Purse Portions to Hurricane Relief!

I just confirmed an anonymous tip that Fairfax, VA welterweight "Money" Mike Sawyer and legendary trainer Adrian Davis will donate half their purse money from the September 17th boxing card to relief efforts necessary in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Well done, gentlemen!!

Chris Middendorf, the matchmaker for the Sept 17th "Battle of Virginia" at George Mason University, is checking to see if other boxers on the card will follow suit. Sawyer is making his pro debut on that card, so that is a wonderful gesture.

Teddy Reid Update!

Felix Dialosio, the manager of junior middleweight Teddy "Two-Gun" Reid of Adelphi, MD, has informed me that he is looking over a contract that would send Reid into the ring against undefeated "Tremendous" Travis Simms on Oct. 1 in Tampa FL. That would put Reid on the HBO PPV card that features the bout between James Toney and Dominick Guinn.

Reid (23-7-1, 17 KO's) is a former NABF Junior Welterweight and USBA Welterweight champ who has fought some solid performers over his career. The majority of his losses have been against tough people (Golden Johnson, Kermit Cintron and Rodney Jones to name a few). This one should be another toughie. Simms (24-0, 18 KO's) is a former WBA Junior Middleweight champ who was recently stripped of the title. Simms' twin brother, Tarvis, is also undefeated.

Reid will probably be the toughest boxer Travis Simms has faced in his career. Simms is coming off a win over Bronco McKart, but McKart is past his prime. This should be an interesting matchup if it comes off.

Another one of Dialosio's boxers, middleweight Maxell "The General" Taylor of Baltimore is going back into the ring on Sept. 29 in Martinsburg, WVA. Taylor (12-2, five KO's) is coming off a tough eight-round unanimous decision loss to "Contender" participant Ahmed Kaddour on July 22 in Santa Ynez, CA.

Cummings, Petersons Post Victories!

Three of the Beltway's brightest stars posted solid victories in the past few days.

Undefeated cruiserweight Cory "Black Ice" Cummings of Baltimore scored a 10th round TKO over Tim Bowe on September 3 in Cincinnati. According to the Fightnews report, Cummings put Bowe down in the fifth and seven rounds before finishing him off in the 10th. It was the first time Cummings going 10 rounds. Cummings is now 14-0, 11 KO's and has won his last seven by knockout. As I said before, this guy has been under the radar, but he is legitimate. Cummings is a real solid prospect.

More well-known prospects are the undefeated Peterson Brothers of DC. Both posted dominating victory on a card in Little Rock, AR on Sept. 1. Junior welterweight Lamont scored an easy eight-round unanimous decision over late sub Ron Frankel. All three judges said Peterson pitched a shutout (80-72 on all cards) to raise his record to 14-0, six knockouts. Lightweight Anthony blasted Jorge Alberto Reyes, stopping him 1:38 into the second round. Anthony is now 13-0, eight KO's.

I like both Peterson brothers, but while Lamont was the more notable amateur, I think, while they will both be solid pros, Anthony has something special about him. He has been truly dominant recently.