Please Participate in Poll!

Recently, I have been talking to people who are interested in doing webcasts (streaming video play-by-play) of Beltway Boxing cards. They've asked me to gauge the interest of Beltway Boxing fans in this idea. I have put up a poll for you to participate in. The poll is on the left side of the blog between the profile and the links.

I know Ballroom Boxing did this a few years ago, but this is an interesting possibility. Please vote on this idea. Thanks.

'Sugar Poo' Predicts Victory in Tournament!

In the final part of my interview with Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan, he predicts victory in the ShoBox tournament.

Buchanan Discusses Super Middleweight Tournament!

Undefeated Capitol Heights, MD super middleweight Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan discusses his involvement in this weekend's ShoBox Super Middleweight tournament.

This is the Middendorf Interview!

Here is the exclusive interview with matchmaker Chris Middendorf! Thanks to all of you who sent in questions. Unfortunately, I didn't get as many as I hope, so I added some of my own. However, I think this is one of the most interesting and informative interviews I've ever been a part of. My thanks also to Chris for taking time to answer the questions.

Q. A couple of folks wanted to know about your background. I know you are in the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame as a champion sailor. But a couple of folks wanted to know about your background and how you got into this business of matchmaking.

A. In May of 1987 I made a deal with a friend of mine and ended up with a piece of the then current USBA Light Heavyweight champion, Prince Charles Williams. Six months later he beat Bobby Czyz and he reigned as World Champ for three years. It was fun, I was a silent partner and I made some money. A few years later together with that same friend, I became a more active manager and signed a number of fighters in the area and a few across the country. We signed Teddy Reid when he was 2-1, a group of heavyweights including Gerard Jones, Derek Amos, Nelson Adams and a kid from Texas named Calvin Lampkin who was 1-2. Teddy had tremendous success, and was one fight away from a world title and Lampkin ran off 19 straight wins and was about to fight his biggest fight against Oleg Maskaev, when he failed a blood test and his career was over. Throughout the four or five years that I was a manager, I did everything I could to absorb as much about the sport as I could. I was in the gyms everyday, and went to every fight I could. I worked corners, carried the spit bucket, made decisions about opponents, hustled to make fights for our fighters, traveled everywhere. During that time I invested a lot in the fighters and lost every cent of it!

I really owe becoming a matchmaker to (Maryland State Athletic Commission Executive Director) Pat Pannella. I was very careful always and probably a real pain with matchmakers about whom my guys were fighting. Pat finally said to me that I was too involved in the choosing of opponents and if I wanted to stay being a manager that I could not do that. He told me that if I was going to be that involved that I had to become a matchmaker. After a little thought I decided to go that way and a few months later I was doing the shows at Ballroom and some small shows in different places. I knew within a very short period of time that it was a good fit for me. I liked the people and I loved the challenge of trying to put on a good match. So at that point I gave up the management end of representing fighters and turned to working for various promoters across the country to make their matches.

Q. This question comes from another great matchmaker in our area, DC Boxing Hall of Famer J.D. Brown:

"As a former matchmaker for some of the biggest fights in boxing history (Leonard vs. Duran, Leonard vs Hearns, Bowe
vs. Holyfield, and Buster Douglas vs. Holyfield), I know the pressure you get in putting good fights on. Tell the audience what it takes to make a fight happen because I don’t think they have a clue of what goes on behind the scenes, and a fight is not a fight until the bell rings."

A.“I was running and I took a different route because the rain had caused there to be puddles on this one street, and I got chased by a dog, jumped over a fence to get away and sprained my ankle so I can’t fight on tomorrow nights card”!

I received that message one night from a fighter after a weigh-in. Why was the fighter running at night after a weigh-in I will never know, or maybe he was not running at all! But working as a matchmaker you have to love what you do and you have to take these calls in stride. Fighters get hurt; have problems with their managers, fall outs with their trainers, problems with their families, their jobs, their parole officers. They have all sorts of medical problems, all sorts of reasons why they might not climb through the ropes. What I am doing is working with the managers or the fighters to make a match for them against someone that they feel that they can beat at an amount of money that is appropriate to the level of the fight, the type of promotion, whether or not it is televised and whether it fits with their schedule and the development of their career. It is a constant negotiation until the contract that I sent out gets signed and returned.

Then there is the harrowing time leading up to the weigh-in, where I am hoping that the fights stay together at the same time as I am looking forward to what I imagine to be good fights. I have been blessed by doing so many shows at the Ballroom where Scott and Mike Wagner have not had promotional deals with fighters. This has allowed them to try to simply put on good fights and be willing to pay for them. For many years the shows were broadcast everywhere and it was more than easy for managers or promoters to be willing to take a riskier fight with their prospect because of the television exposure. That made it much easier to convince them and the fighters. Knowing that you were getting national television exposure, managers knew that they stood to gain a lot by having their fighter look good at the Ballroom. For a period we have been without that, which has made it much harder, but there will be television at the Ballroom again soon enough, and then things will change back. But whether there is TV or not what makes it great being a matchmaker is when the stars align and you get a great fight, whether it is a four rounder between two pro debuts or a main event.

Just like any fan, if I can sit back and enjoy a great fight and an enthusiastic crowd, what could be better? Maybe the last at bat in the bottom of the ninth, or overtime in Stanley Cup hockey, or the finals of March Madness are comparable, but for me, I will take two great, well matched fighters and the ebb and flow of an even fight. When fights can be a combination of brilliant tactics and fantastic athletic ability, combined with the tension of the moment and a wild crowd, that is, for me, a peak moment in sport. At those moments, there is no greater sport in the world, and to play a small part in it by being the matchmaker is very, very special.


Q. One person wanted to know about your thoughts on the Beltway Boxing scene, the champions and contenders.

I have lived in the DC area since 1974. This area has always been one of the most important areas in the world for producing great fighters and tremendous champions. Just look at the fighters of the last ten years- Joppy, Holmes, Reggie Green, Coley, Lamont Pearson, Mitchell, Too Sharp, Teddy Reid, Corley, Andrew Council, Rahman...the list goes on. And then look at what is going on now with Aiken as a world champ, Rahman defending his belt, the world finally waking up to Tony Thompson, Corley getting ready to win a world title again, Joppy ready to make another go of it. Then you have a youth movement with the Peterson brothers, Buchanan, Arvin, Tim Coleman, Tyrell Samuel and a terrific group of rising stud young amateurs. One of the reasons it has been so great to be involved in the boxing scene here is the fact that we have such a knowledgeable fan base. Maybe it is because of the amateur programs or just because of the quality of fighters that grew up here, but doing shows across the country, the fans here are far and away some of the most sophisticated fight fans. They can appreciate a great tactical fight where the same fight might be booed someplace else. They know what they are looking at and that is terrific. In addition it means if I put someone on who I consider prospect and folks have never heard of him, but see him work, get behind him and get excited by him and want to see him again, it becomes very rewarding.

Q. Another person asked why you don't use talent like Mike Paschall, Mike Ricasa, Dean White, Jessie Nicklow and Russ Shifflett. Are they under exclusive contract to Jake Smith?

A. I try and see most of the shows in the area, and especially almost all of Jake Smiths shows, because they are some of the more professional shows in the area. And I go there to enjoy a fight and to check out and see if there is someone that I should be using either at the Ballroom or on shows across the country. As a matter of fact, I saw Dean White beat Ricasa and he impressed the hell out of me. So when I wanted to put Nick Casal in a fight that was a step up for him, I called Dean and made the fight against Casal in Las Vegas. Now it was a very hard fight to make because Dean fell into the age category where he needed to get a huge amount of tests. So I worked with his team and we got it done. And he fought a tremendous fight which ended in a draw. It was a close fight and Dean’s team thought he won. I told him that I would work to do a rematch here in Maryland and it would be a huge attraction at the Ballroom since Casal has fought here before.

Of the other fighters on the list, I have spoken with Russ Shifflett, who is currently not fighting, to try and get him to come out and restart his career. In terms of the others, I do roughly forty shows a year across the country, which seems like a lot and that I should have plenty of slots to put whomever I want on. But in actuality every show has its required fighters, either driven by television or by the site or by the needs of the promoter, so when I go to see Mike or Jessie Nicklow fight, I am watching where they are at and judging how they are developing and just making a mental note so in the future if I see an opportunity to put them in a fair fight then I will. And fair fight is the guiding principle here.

Q. A sidebar question was why wasn't Paschall considered for the Shobox tournament? The writer felt that Paschall had a similar record Lucas Arias who will face Henry Buchanan.

In the case of Buchanan, I have made most of his fights, know him extremely well and know what I think he is capable of. So I am putting him in the Showtime Super Middleweight tournament because I think that he is ready for a step up. He could rise to the occasion and over the next six months win three fights on television and turn into a tremendous young star. So he is going in on a level playing field. Dean White is a tough kid and I knew that he would not only be a test for Casal, but an opportunity for Dean to step up and show us how good he is. He is late in his career, and I am very pleased that he is now going to get the chance to fight Monte Clay next month. And unlike the shows where I am the matchmaker and therefore try to be neutral, I will definitely be rooting for Dean. He deserves success.

I do not know whether Jake Smith has exclusive promotional contracts with fighters. I do not think that he does. In order to ask a fighter to sign an exclusive promotional contract, the promoter must be able to guarantee the fighter certain minimum purse amounts and guarantee a certain number of fights each year. In addition the promoter must have the strength to put the fighter on television and to be able to move the fighter up in the world rankings and to attract quality opponents to come fight his or her fighters.

Q. A few people wanted to know how you as a matchmaker get paid. Is it straight fee, percentage, do you get extra if the matchups are great.


A. Matchmakers get paid by the promoters a set fee per fight card. If it is a high profile TV show it might pay a little more than a club show, but basically the promoters consider that you are making the fights on their card and pay you accordingly. I wish there were extra fees for good matchups, but unfortunately there are none.


Q. A fan wanted to know who is this jr. welterweight out of Texas Americo Santos, and when can we see him again?

A. Americo Santos is a 25-1 jr. welterweight prospect out of Garland, Texas that I work with for Gary Shaw. Every fight he is in is exciting. In his last fight he fought a very tough Mexican fighter named William Morelo for a minor WBC belt. Now Americo is an all offense, no defense type of fighter and for 8 rounds his defense was to stop every one of Morelo’s punches with his face and keep charging forward. There must have been some point where Morelo had to say to himself “who is this crazy mother f*****?”. And by the 9th and 10th round, Americo started to just wear poor Morelo out and finally knocked him out with forty seconds left in the twelfth round. I had ok’d the opponent, knew it was going to be a tough fight, but at the same time since it was for a title the rewards were worth it (Americo’s next fight will either be a main event on an upcoming ShoBox show I am working on, and also coincidentally trying to bring another undefeated area fighter on as the co-feature, or on the Evander Holyfield show in Dallas in August).

Q. What generated the idea for the tournament and why did you pick the Super Middleweight division as the weight class to do a tournament?

A. Several factors- first, I see the day ahead where I will read about a prospect in Zaire on a boxing website over breakfast and be able to click and suddenly be watching his last fight. When that comes and it is almost here, we will become more and more of a global sport. Doing so many shows on Showtime that operates on a smaller budget than HBO, I wanted to seek a new way to attract a broader group of fighters from around the world. This tournament is getting attention around the world and with it will be more and more contacts and calls from fighters who no one has ever heard of who can really fight and want an opportunity and they will be part of future shows. I am already in the planning stages for next year’s version which will be in a different weight class. What I hope is that the first two weeks of the tournament next year can be in another country to help to expand the world view.

And another important factor is so much of what you read in the media is that the audience here is Hispanic and that you must have Hispanic fighters to attract the really large audiences. I think that is a very provincial attitude. The fact is that Hispanic fight fans are great fight fans and right now they come out the most for their fellow fighters, but they know the sport and have great respect for good fights and fighters. If we are able to put on a tournament each year that brings people from all over the world, we create more of a world audience with less pure nationalism driving their choices, and more pure love of great fights.


I was attracted to the super middleweight division because there were seventeen undefeated young guys most of whom were unknowns. I have ended up with six committed to the tournament although one has had visa problems so 5 of the 8 in the tournament are undefeated.

And being from Maryland how could I not include Sugar Poo! Clearly I had to give the world a chance to appreciate him in all his glory. But as I mentioned above I like him as a fighter, he has tremendous heart and I have seen him in fights where he did not train, had problems with the weight, got into deep water and just dug down and knocked the other guy out. I think he has great potential- and what is exciting for me is that I am in the position to give him an opportunity whereby if he wins three fights he will be making some money and on his way to being a star. The question is, will he rise to the occasion and do it. So make sure to tell all your readers to tune in to Showtime at 11pm on July 28th and watch him work!

Q. Is there a "seeding" process that determined the matchups for the first round? If so, where was Buchanan ranked?

A. Seedings were simple as I did not want to put Americans against each other in the first round, and four of the fighters had to fight on August 4th (the second Friday show) so the seedings fell easily into place.


Q. When you make a bout for a promoter, do you do it based on what you think would make the best matchups or do you do it based on what the promoter has brought out in the past? In other words; is your matchmaking gameplan different for Ballroom Boxing than it is for Gary Shaw?

A. The way I do my match ups for each promoter is different. With Shaw there is the tremendous pressure of Showtime or HBO and making quality matchups that work for them. The key is to make a quality match up whereby the style of our fighter works with the style of the opponent so that GSP comes away with a win and then gets a future date on the network for that fighter. Matching up of styles and imagining how a fight will take place, speaking to colleagues in the business about match ups is what I find to be the most intellectually challenging aspect of the sport. For the Ballroom, the matchmaking plan has really been to make Glen Burnie a spot on the boxing map where top prospects go to fight. So bringing in the young guns, matching them up in quality fights and seeing how they perform is what that is about and at the same time putting on the type of fights that the crowd there is used to seeing. If you went with me for a year and saw all the fights that I do, you would realize how few early knockouts there are on any of the shows. And the reason for that is simple and is the basis for my matchmaking- the bottom line is that I am going to be sitting ringside for each fight and I am a fan of fights. I do not want to be bored nor do I want to see a kid get gored. I want to see even fights with quality fighters, sit back and enjoy them. I want all the hours that I spend on the telephone, all the fights that I watch on TV and all the gym visits to mean something and be worth something. And to me that means I want a great fight.

Middendorf's closing comments: "I really appreciate the opportunity to answer these questions. I wish that there were more. I also wish that there was a fair way for me to respond to the really negative comments. Unfortunately, people are going to say whatever they want and the nature of your blog is that they can with complete impunity and anonymity. The sad thing is that that limits the ability of the blog to drive constructive dialogue and it becomes a forum where people feel free to vent. The funny thing to me is that people who have serious questions of how the boxing world works or how fights are made don’t just come up and ask me. If they don’t want to do it in person, they can email me at chris@middendorfsports.com."

Amateur Results From Woodlawn!

Here are results from tonight's amateur card at Martin's West in Woodlawn, MD:

Heavyweight: Alex Johnson of Keely's Boxing and Youth Center in DC defeated Steve Wheeler of Baltimore Boxing Club by decision in a four-round bout.

Middleweight: Dean Bartch of Brooklyn Boxing over Eric Lowe of Loch Raven by decision.

Super Heavyweight: John Johnson of Cashland Baltimore over Jason Boyer of Fredrick, MD.

Welterweight: Lenwood Dozier of BXF defeated Daniel Ankers of York, PA. by decision.

Lightweight: David Veras of BXF RSC-2 over Devin Desrocher of Brooklyn Boxing.

Middleweight: Vincent Batteasi of BXF over Richard Lin of Baltimore Boxing.

Heavyweight: Darryl Wertz of Baltimore Boxing defeated Michael Snowden of DC.

Thanks to "The Auctioneer" Brad Dudley for his assistance. If there are any corrections necessary, please let me know because it's probably a mistake I made.

Ocean City Boxing Show Shaping Up!

Jake Smith's August 12 boxing card at the Ocean City Convention Center is starting to come together. Here's what it looks like so far:

The main event will be an eight-round super middleweight bout between Essex, MD's Tony "Cyclone" Cygan and David "Weezel" Estrada of Chicago, IL. Cygan (10-1, six KO's) is coming off a difficult six-round majority decision victory over Roy Ashworth on June 21 at Martin's West. Estrada (9-7, seven KO's) has lost his last three bouts including a six-round unanimous decision to Ishmail Arvin on June 15 at Michael's Eighth Avenue.

The co-feature should be an interesting one as Baltimore cruiserweight Willie "For Real" Williams will take on Richard Steward of New Castle, DE. Williams (2-1, one KO's) won his last outing, a four-round unanimous decision over Ryan Madigan on June 21 at Martin's. Stewart (8-1-1, six KO's) fought a six-round draw against Glenn Turner on June 16 in Philadelphia in his last bout. Stewart is gaining more notoriety as the older brother of "The Contender: Season 2" participant Michael "No Joke" Stewart.

In what could be a very interesting contest, Baltimore super middleweight Henry "Hurricane" Mayes will take on James North of Weston, WVA. Mayes (5-1, four KO's) will be trying to bounce back after a tough second-round knockout loss to Jarell Mason Jackson on April 21 at the Pikesville Armory. North (8-12-2, three KO's) has lost his last two bouts to undefeated fighters Roger Cantrell and Anthony Hanshaw, who is in the upcoming ShoBox super middleweight tournament.

Also scheduled to appear on this card are undefeated Baltimore-area boxers Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall (8-0, two KO's)and Jesse "The Beast" Nicklow (5-0, two KO's) along with Reisterstown, MD favorite "Diamond" Matt Hill and undefeated Upper Marlboro heavyweight "Big" Phill Brown (1-0).

More on this card as it develops.

Amateur Show in DC July 29!

Local boxing legend Keely Thompson is hosting an amateur boxing show on Saturday, July 29. It will be "Fight Night in Columbia Heights" at the Number 10 Boys and Girls Club, 2500 14th Street, NW.

According to the information I received, two of the boxers that are scheduled to be featured on the card will be natives of El Salvador who now live and train in DC; heavyweight Edwin Duarte and middleweight Jose Mario Flores. The card is scheduled to begin at 5 PM.

Advance tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for children. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, contact Keely's District Boxing and Youth Center at (202) 232-0193.

Washington Post Profiles Franchon Crews!

A few weeks ago, it was the Baltimore Sun. Today, the Washington Post has a profile on 19-year old amateur boxing sensation Franchon Crews of Baltimore. Looks lengthy and has some nice information. The story was written by Marc Carig.

If you read the story online at Washingtonpost.com, go to the audio slideshow they have. You can hear Franchon talking over some great photos!

Please give the Post positive feedback on this story. It may convince them to do articles on future Beltway Boxers!

Corley Documents Documentary!

In the second part of my interview with DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, he talks about a documentary project in the works.

'Chop Chop' Corley Talks About Sept. 15 Title Bout!

Former WBO Junior Welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley talks about his Sept. 15 title bout against Junior Witter.

Schedule Addition: 'Pit Bull' White on ESPN2 August 11!

I just received word that Smithsburg, MD lightweight Dean "Pit Bull" White will also be a part of the busy August I talked about earlier. White will be facing Monty Meza Clay on Friday, August 11 on ESPN2 from Chester, WVA.

Since those two losses to Mike Ricasa and Oronde Dawley in late 2005, White (13-4-1, six KO's) has been on a bit of a roll as he is unbeaten in his last three contests. White won a six-round split decision over Marty Robbins on January 20 in Pikesville then won an eight-round unanimous decision in the rematch against Ricasa on February 23 in Woodlawn.

White then held the highly-talented Nick Casal to an eight-round draw on June 3 in Las Vegas.

Clay, who hails from Rankin, PA, comes into the contest with a record of 20-1, 13 KO's. Clay suffered his first loss in his last contest on May 12 as he was stopped in the 11th round by Edner Cherry in a bout for the NABA Lightweight title.

Franchon Crews -- Golden Glove Champion!

The victories continue for amateur boxing champion Franchon Crews. The 19-year-old from Baltimore won her championship bout at the Women's National Golden Gloves in Fort Lauderdale, FL with a 5-0 decision over Jessica Francois of Baton Rouge, LA.

Crews is now a national champion, a Pan American Games champion and a Golden Gloves champ. It's a shame there will be no women's boxing at the Olympics.

Also at this year's Golden Gloves event, Tyrieshia Douglas of DC won a 125-pound non-tournament bout 5-0 over Donna Blue of Florida.

Busy Time Along The Beltway Coming Up!

The next few weeks will be extremely busy for boxers and fans along the Beltway. Starting this week, Beltway Boxers will be in action somewhere almost every week until the end of August. Some of these items have already been talked about but a couple have not. Here is the schedule so far:

Thursday, July 20, Martin's West-- Baltimore Boxing has an amateur show. One of the featured boxers will be light heavyweight Steve Wheeler.

Friday, July 28, Las Vegas--Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan faces Lucas Arias in first round bout of ShoBox Super Middleweight tournament.

Friday, August 4, Memphis, TN--Anthony Peterson in ESPN2 co-feature against Marc Thompson.

Wednesday, August 9, Ledyard, CT--Teddy Reid takes on former world champion Verno Phillips in ESPN2 main event.

Saturday, August 12, Las Vegas--Hasim Rahman defends WBC Heavyweight title against Oleg Maskaev on Pay-Per-View.

Saturday, August 12, Ocean City, MD--Baltimore Pro Boxing promotes card at the Ocean City Convention Center. The card is scheduled to be telecast for a tape-delayed showing on Comcast.

Saturday, August 19, Reno, NV -- Sharmba Mitchell takes on Paul Williams on HBO's Boxing After Dark.

Saturday, August 19, Springfield, VA--Promoter Scott Farmer is bringing a card to the ABC Sports Complex.

Friday-Sunday, August 25-27, Washington, DC--The Mayor's Cup Invitational Amateur Boxing Tournament comes to the DC Armory.

And that will lead into September, which right now features DeMarcus Corley in a world title bout, a possible IBF Featherweight title defense for Eric Aiken, and pro cards coming to Woodlawn and Glen Burnie!

A. Peterson Returns to ESPN2 August 4!

NABO Lightweight champion Anthony Peterson of DC returns to action on Friday, August 4 when he appears as the co-feature on an ESPN2 card at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN.

The undefeated Peterson (18-0, 14 KO's) will take on Marc Thompson (15-1, 12 KO's, two NC's) of Topeka, KN in a non-title, eight-round co-feature.

Don't let Thompson's record fool you. The only other time he stepped up in competition was in his only loss. He was stopped in the first round by undefeated 140-pound contender Mike Arnaoutis in a bout for the NABO Junior Welterweight title in January of this year.

Other than two wins against Raul Munoz, all of Thompson's other wins have come against debuting fighters or under-.500 boxers. The positive with that is the fact that he has 12 KO's, so he knows what to do with those boxers.

Thompson, A. Peterson Make Major Ratings Moves!

For those of you who believe in the rankings of the major governing bodies, you might be interested to know that two big wins by Beltway Boxers have allowed them to move quickly up the world rankings.


Newly crowned WBC Continental Americas and NABO Heavyweight champion Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring, MD moved up to number six in the WBO and number 10 in the WBC by virtue of his dominating win over Dominick Guinn.

New NABO Lightweight champ Anthony Peterson of DC also leapt into the top 10 as he is ranked number seven by the WBO.

In other ranking news, former three-time WBA middleweight champion William Joppy is listed at number 8 by the WBC at super middleweight and, inexplicably, number 15 at light heavyweight by the WBO.

Also, former WBO Junior Welterweight champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley will go into his September 15th WBC Junior Welterweight title bout against Junior Witter ranked number two by that governing body. Witter is ranked number one by the WBC.

Corley Title Bout Date Set; Buchanan Has Opponent for Super Middleweight Tourney!

Two big items here. I can confirm a Boxingtalk.com report that there is now a date for the matchup between former WBO Junior Welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley and Junior Witter. The bout will be for the vacant WBC Junior Welterweight title. The date will be Sept. 15 in London, England.

Corley will come into the bout with a record of 31-4-1, 17 KO's and has not fought since Sept of 2005 in Kinder, LA when he scored a ninth round TKO over Johnny Walker.

A side note about that Louisiana bout: That bout became the catalyst for a proposed documentary about Corley. The film currently has the working title of "Do or Die: A Champion Becomes an Underdog, an Underdog Becomes a Champion." The documentary may be distributed by the end of the year.

I plan to have an interview with the producer of the documentary, Paul Glasco, as well as Corley himself, sometime next week.


If you read one of Chris Middendorf's posts, he mentioned that there is now an opponent for undefeated Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan for the ShoBox Super Middleweight Tournament. Buchanan (13-0, 10 KO's) will face undefeated Lucas Arias of Costa Rica (10-0, eight KO's). This bout will be on the first night of the tournament, which will be Friday, July 28 at the PFTC Sports Center in Las Vegas, NV and, of course, will be on ShoBox.

I will be talking to both Middendorf and Buchanan about this tournament. We now have one question for the written Middendorf interview.

Joppy and Brown Talk About the 'Leonard Legacy'!

In the final part of my interview with William Joppy and J.D. Brown, we talk about the legacy of the greatest Beltway Boxer of all time, International Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard and what that has meant to the area pro and amateur boxers over the last 20 years.

Joppy and JD Talking Championships at 168 Pounds!

I talked with former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy and DC Boxing Hall of Famer J.D. Brown about their plans for Joppy in the 168-pound division.

This interview was actually conducted BEFORE Joppy defeated Jonathan Corn this past Saturday in St. Louis. However, due to technical problems beyond my control, it is just showing up today. However, you can get an insight into Joppy's future plans.

Still Looking: Where are the Middendorf Questions?

I am scheduled to do my interview with matchmaker Chris Middendorf next week. Last week, I requested questions from the Beltway Boxing fans to ask Middendorf. To date, I have received NONE!

Where are all the fans who had the big mouths and wanted to talk bad about the man? Suddenly, when asked to put their name behind their questions, they all slink away! That's PITIFUL!

That shows that some fans have no heart. They're afraid to put their name behind what they say, but they feel they can do so from a distance. Step up! You have until Saturday, July 15 at 11:59 ET to do so.

Remember to send your questions to my email address: digital_fightnews@hotmail.com

Joppy Wins in St. Louis!

Former three-time WBA middleweight champion William Joppy (37-4-1, 28 KOs) knocked out Jonathan "Native Sensation" Corn (44-15-2, 23 KOs) at the Saavis Center in St. Louis in the fifth round on the Roman Karmazin-Cory Spinks undercard.

Joppy dropped Corn in the first, then laid him out face first with a big right hand at 2:15 of round five of a super middleweight bout.

ESPN.com Says: Aiken vs. Guerrero, Mitchell VS Williams, Corley VS.Witter!

The following information comes from truly one of the best boxing reporters in the business, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com and it involves three high-profile Beltway Boxers.

In his weekly notebook, Rafael writes that IBF Featherweight champion Eric "Mighty Mouse" Aiken of Forestville could make the first defense of his title against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero on Sept. 2. This is a bout that both men have wanted for a long time. Guerrero (18-1-1, 11 KO's) recently avenged his only loss with a knockout over Gamaliel Diaz on June 23 on ShoBox.

Aiken currently has a record of 16-4, 12 KO's. According to Rafael, if all parties agree to the bout and if Showtime decides to carry it, it could end up as the co-feature to the heavyweight bout between James Toney and Samuel Peter.

Another long-talked about battle could take place on August 19 when former WBA Super Lightweight champion the "Little Big Man" Sharmba Mitchell of Takoma Park takes on undefeated phenom Paul "The Punisher" Williams. There was talk that this bout was to take place on May 3, but the bout fell through and Mitchell (57-5, 30 KO's) ended up beating Jose Luis Cruz by 10-round unanimous decision.

What makes this bout even more intriguing is that Williams (30-0, 22 KO's), a native of Augusta, GA, has been training around the Beltway for quite some time now. To me, this is the epitome of a crossroads bout. The contest would headline an HBO "Boxing After Dark" telecast, according to Rafael.

And Rafael notes that negotiations are almost completed for a matchup for the vacant IBF Welterweight title between former WBO Junior Welterweight champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley of DC and Junior Witter of England. According to Rafael, the bout will take place in London sometime in September.

Corley (31-4-1, 17 KO's) has not fought since September of 2005 when he stopped Johnny Walker in the ninth round in Kinder, LA. Witter (33-1-2, 19 KO's)has been inactive since October of 2005 when he defeated Colin Lynes by unanimous decision to when the European, British and Commonwealth Junior Welterweight titles in London.

I'll keep you posted on how these bouts develop.

Pearson Stopped in Ninth Round!

Capitol Heights, MD lightweight Lamont "Bay" Pearson was stopped in the ninth round by former WBA Super Featherweight champion Joel Casamayor in Phoenix, AZ. Pearson fought well early, but the former champion got going midway through and forced Pearson to stop boxing at 44 seconds of the ninth round.

Nice Baltimore Sun Article on Franchon Crews!

Please pick up today's Baltimore Sun for a nice feature article on Amateur boxing champion Franchon Crews. The article's called "Knockout Voice, Killer Punch" and it was written by Lem Satterfield and John Eisenberg.

Crews will head to the national Golden Gloves this weekend.

Also, please send positive feedback to the Sun about this article. Let's convince the editors that boxing should be written about more frequently in their paper.

Thanks should also go to the Baltimore Examiner for picking up the slack. They have written some nice stories recently on Tyrell Samuel and Mike Ricasa. You can check their website www.baltimoreexaminer.com to see those stories. I wish their brethren at the DC Examiner would do the same.

Pearson-Casamayor Weights!

Capitol Heights, MD lightweight Lamont "Bay" Pearson weighed in at 134 pounds for tonight's ESPN2 matchup against former WBA Junior Lightweight champ Joel Casamayor, who weighed in at 136.

There is a great preview of this bout on Fightnews.com written by one of my favorite writers, Graham Houston. Please check it out.

Pearson Assesses DC Boxing Scene!

In the final part of my interview with Lamont "Bay" Pearson, he gives his views on the local boxing scene.

Lamont Pearson Talks About July 7 Contest!

Lamont "Bay" Pearson, now fighting as a lightweight, joins me to talk about his July 7 nationally televised ESPN2 bout against former WBA Super Featherweight champion Joel Casamayor.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! Interview with Chris Middendorf Coming Soon!

To answer some of the comments and questions concerning boxing in this area and beyond, I will be interviewing matchmaker Chris Middendorf later this month. This interview will be done in a slightly different manner as it will be a strictly written interview.

Another difference is that Middendorf will answer questions that will come primarily from you, the Beltway Boxing fans! To be a part of this, there are some guidelines you will have to follow.

1. No anonymous questions. Please list your real name and the town you live in. Not only will this give me an idea on where the readership for the blog is coming from, but, in all honesty, there should be ownership provided by those who want to ask tough questions. Feel free to ask him about the Ballroom Boxing promotion, the upcoming ShoBox Super Middleweight Tournament (where he serves as matchmaker) or anything else involving the sport.

2. Only questions will be answered. This will not be a forum to dish out any personal attacks against Middendorf or anyone else. No name-calling will be allowed in this interview.

3. Please do not send your questions here to the blog. Send your questions to my email address: digital_fightnews@hotmail.com. I will pass the questions on to Middendorf.

4. The deadline to send your questions in for the interview will be Saturday, July 15 at 11:59 PM ET.
I will write up the interview for the blog the following week.

I am looking forward to your questions and this interview. Thanks!

Reid Faces Phillips on ESPN2 August 9!

Adelphi, MD junior middleweight Teddy "Two-Gun" Reid returns to action on Wednesday, August 9 when he faces former IBF and WBO Junior Middleweight champion Verno Phillips at the Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT. The bout will be televised by ESPN2.

Reid (23-7-2, 17 KO's) returns to the scene of his last bout, a 10-round draw against J.C. Candelo on January 20. In that bout, Reid lost two points for roughhousing.

Ironically, Phillips' last bout was also against Candelo on April 5 in New Orleans. Phillips (39-10-1, 20 KO's) won a 10-round unanimous decision.

Nwodo Wins USBA Cruiserweight Title!

Baltimore cruiserweight Emmanuel “Chukwu” Nwodo added his name to the growing list of cruiserweight contenders with an explosive third-round knockout over Chicago, IL’s Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas to win the vacant USBA Cruiserweight title at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

In front of a standing-room only crowd of 1,500, Nwodo wasted no time in winning the title. The native of Enugu, Nigeria dropped Thomas with a picture-perfect left hook a minute into the first round. Thomas, a former NABA Cruiserweight titleholder, showed a lot of resolve getting up from the punch and surviving the round, but he never got back in the bout.

By the third round, Nwodo was in complete control of the contest. Nwodo sent Thomas to the canvas for the second time in the contest with a right-left combination. Seconds later, Nwodo sealed the victory as Thomas walked into a straight left hand and fell back to the canvas. Referee Joe Cooper waved the bout off at 2:30 of the third.

“I trained strong (for this fight)” said Nwodo, who came into the contest ranked third by the USBA. “I know I am strong like a brick. I know I am one of the best cruiserweights out there right now and I can show what I am made of.”

The win was the 10th straight for Nwodo, who is 10-0 with eight KO’s since fighting full time in the United States. Overall, the victory raises Nwodo’s record to 20-4 with 16 KO’s. Thomas, who was ranked fourth by the USBA, falls to 16-5, 14 KO’s.

In other bouts on the card, DC middleweight Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller captured his first victory since returning from a five-year hiatus. Miller scored a second-round TKO over Ron Krull of Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

After a relatively even first round, Miller started to land solid body shots on Krull, resulting in Krull dropping to the canvas. As Krull got up from the punch and came forward, he ran right into a Miller straight right hand followed by another wicked body shots. Referee Cooper called the bout at 1:24 of the second.

This was Miller’s third contest since his hiatus. He fought a tough six-round draw against Jason Naugler in November 2005 then lost a controversial second-round TKO to Dante Craig in March of this year. Miller’s record is now 22-4-1, 17 KO’s. Krull’s record drops to 6-28 with five KO’s. He is winless in his last 14 bouts and has lost 10 in a row.

In what was billed as a “turf war” between two long-time Washington-area fan favorites, cruiserweight Derek Amos now of Woodbridge, VA, made short work of Stafford's Jason Waller, registering a first-round knockout.

Amos sent Waller crashing to the canvas early in the round with a crushing left-right combination. Referee Cooper didn’t bother to count and the bout was stopped at 38 seconds of the round.

The bout was Amos’s first in three years and broke a 12-bout losing streak. His record is now 14-22, nine KO’s. The loss was Waller’s sixth straight and drops his record to 28-33-4, with 19 KO’s.

In super middleweight action, Akron, OH’s Delbert Sommerville made his pro debut a successful one by defeating local fan favorite “Money” Mike Sawyer of Falls Church by four-round unanimous decision. Sommerville showed good speed and repeatedly beat Sawyer to the punch, though Sawyer showed good resilience. All three judges (Gail Carpenter, Brian Costello and Greg Coleman) scored the bout, 39-37. I scored the bout a draw, 38-38.

The loss was Sawyer’s first in his pro career. His record is now 2-1, one KO.

In a battle of young heavyweights, Ray Grant of DC scored a quick first-round knockout over Akron’s Dennis King to win his pro debut.

Grant dropped King with the first straight right he threw in the contest. King did not beat referee Rick Ellis’ count and the bout was stopped at 28 seconds of the round. With the loss, King is now 0-3.

In the curtain-raising contest, debuting cruiserweight William Prieto of Akron won a relatively easy four-round unanimous decision over Boris Calizat of Arlington, also making his pro debut.

Prieto kept Calizat at bay throughout the contest with good hand speed. In the latter stages of the bout, Prieto taunted his opponent by dropping his hands and sticking out his face before firing his punches. All three judges and the Fightnews scorecard saw the bout 40-36.

The promoter and matchmaker for the card was Han “Sugar” Kim.

Other notables in attendance included former WBC Middleweight champion Keith Holmes, ShoBox super middleweight tournament participant Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan, former “Contender” star Jimmy Lange, and Beltway-area prospects Thomas “KO” Snow, Reggie “The Mechanic” Holly, Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow and Ibn Ali, the nephew of Muhammad Ali.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: This was a really solid card that featured an exceptional performance by Emmanuel Nwodo. This past week saw two Beltway Boxers make major strides in their careers. First it was Tony Thompson and now Nwodo. If you combine Nwodo's win with the loss suffered by cruiserweight contender Dale Brown Friday night on ESPN2, Nwodo should be in prime position to get a shot at a world title in 2007. Nwodo told me that his people may want to take one more bout before a title shot.

By the way, the tally now reads one world title and five regional belts won by Beltway Boxers so far this year!

Purcell Miller needed a victory badly and he got a good one against a pretty tough opponent in Ron Krull. Miller may still be able to bring a lot to the table in the ring. His ring entrance is still one of the best I've seen anywhere in boxing with the full brass band leading him to the ring.

Tough going for Mike Sawyer. He just couldn't get going in this contest. I didn't think Delbert Sommerville was that wonderful of an opponent, but Sawyer was a step slow tonight, although I thought it could have been a draw.

I really didn't think Derek Amos was going to knock out Jason Waller. That rarely happens to Waller, but Amos just caught him.

The bout itself generated a lot of nostalgic feelings for me because I covered both guys at the beginning of their careers. An added bit of nostalgia came when I saw Amos's father, Herman, for the first time in many years. Herman Amos was a promoter in the early to mid- 90's and he along with his business partner, Spurgeon Montgomery, put on the first boxing cards at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro. Of course, Derek appeared on many of those cards and those events helped get the TV series I appeared on, "Boxing Spotlight," generated throughout the area.

I have not had the pleasure of meeting Ray Grant, but he definitely brought a crowd with him to the bout. Grant made short work of King but someone who already has a fan base makes him one to watch right off the bat.

Speaking of the crowd, they came in full force for this show. Kudos have to go to Han Kim and his staff for making a jump from their last show in late April which was a typical club show, to hosting a regional title bout. That is not always typical of what happens in this business but they can definitely build on this.

Dominic Wade Wins Gold Medal at Junior Olympics!

Congratulations to Largo, MD's Dominic Wade who won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the Junior Olympic National Championships in Marquette, Michigan.

Wade defeated Issac Atencio of Denver, CO by a score of 9-3 to capture his second straight Junior Olympic title. Wade also scored his second straight victory over Atencio. Wade beat Atencio earlier this year for the 2006 Silver Gloves championship.

Because of his victory, Wade will travel to Antalya, Turkey to compete in the 2006 Cadet World Championships August 3-14.

Three other Beltway Boxers won silver medals at the Junior Olympics. Gary A. Russell of Capitol Heights lost his final bout in the light welterweight division to Gerardo Iberra, Jr. of Houston, TX by a score of 14-12. Super heavyweight Zakki Scott of Temple Hills was stopped by defending champion Trevor Bryan of Albany, NY in the third round. In the 95-pound division, Darious Moton of Oxon Hill lost by a 14-2 decision to Favian Cervantez of Arleta, CA.

By the way, there was a slight error in the last update on this story. I received information through USA Boxing that Moton and Wade were brothers. That is wrong. My apologies.

Scale Watch for Springfield, VA card!

Here are the weights for tonight's card at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Emmanuel Nwodo 199 3/4 VS Chris Thomas 195
Jason Waller 195 VS Derek Amos 201
Mike Sawyer 159 VS Delbert King (will weigh-in today)
Purcell Miller 168 VS Ron Krull 177
Ray Grant 254 1/2 VS Dennis King (will weigh-in today)
Boris Calizaya 181 1/2 VS William Prieto (will weigh-in today)

I will post the results about this time tomorrow. I also hope to have complete results concerning our local amateurs in the Junior Olympics and I will have a MAJOR announcement about an upcoming interview that will be on this site by the end of the month.

Joppy Opponent Named for July 8!

Former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy will face Jonathan "Native Sensation" Corn of Menominee Territory, WI in a 10-round bout on the undercard of the IBF Middleweight title matchup between champion Roman Karmazin and challenger and former undisputed welterweight champ Cory Spinks July 8 at the Saavis Center in St. Louis, MO.

Joppy (36-4-1, 27 KO's) will be battling as a super middleweight for the second time of his career. This will be Joppy's first appearance since a knockout win in January.

Corn (44-12-2, 23 KO's) once fought for the WBO Middleweight title, losing to then-champion Armand Krajnc by second-round KO in March 2000. Recently, Corn has fallen on tough times, going winless in his last eight bouts with seven losses and a draw that came in his last contest with Earl Jackson on May 25 in Denver, CO.

As a point of info, the Joppy-Corn bout will be part of an incredible Don King card that will also include a matchup for the vacant IBF Cruiserweight championship between Steve Cunningham and Guillermo Jones and 10-round bouts featuring former WBA and WBC Cruiserweight champ Jean-Marc Mormeck,former WBA Middleweight titleholder Maselino Masoe and former WBO welterweight titlist Daniel Santos.

Locals Advance to Finals of Junior Olympics!

Four local amateur Beltway Boxers will participate in the finals of the 2006 Junior Olympics in Marquette, Michigan.

Defending middleweight champion Dominic Wade of Largo recorded his third stoppage of the tournament, defeating Michael Rauchut of Philadelphia. Wade will now face Issac Atencio of Denver, CO in a rematch of the 2006 Silver Gloves title bout. Wade won the first bout between the two.

Wade's younger brother, Darious Moton, will be in the finals of the 95-pound division. Moton defeated Oscar Cantu of Kingsville, TX 16-7 to advance to the final round. Moton will face Favian Cervantez of Arleta, CA in the championship bout.

Speaking of family ties, Gary A. Russell of Capitol Heights will try to follow in the footsteps of older brother Gary Russell, Jr. by winning a Junior Olympic championship. Gary A. who goes by Allen, won a hard-fought semifinal defeating Oscar Molina of Commerce, CA 18-16. Allen will now face Gerardo Iberra, Jr. of Houston for the light welterweight crown.

Super heavyweight Zakki Scott of Temple Hills will be in the championship contest in his division. Scott advanced by recording a second-round stoppage against Matthew Burgess of Tacoma, WA. Scott will face the defending national champion Trevor Bryan of Albany, NY.

In the light flyweight division, Kevin Rivers, Jr. of Waldorf lost his semifinal match to Randy Caballero of Coachella, CA, 20-14. In the 201-pound division, Tavon Sol of Baltimore lost a semifinal bout to Norman Neeley of Paterson, NJ 17-9.

Local Amateurs Advance to Semis of Junior Olympics!

Four amateur Beltway Boxers have advanced to the semi-finals of the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championships in Marquette, Michigan.

In the Light Welterweight division, Capitol Heights's Gary A. Russell, the younger brother of amateur champion Gary Russell, Jr., scored his second double-digit victory of the tournament, defeating Pueblo, CO's Raymond Leyba 19-4. Russell will battle Oscar Molina of Commerce, CA in the semis.

In the Middleweight bracket, Dominic Wade of Largo advanced by scoring his second consecutive stoppage victory. Wade defeated Raymond Martinez of Spring, TX by delivering two standing eight counts before the referee stopped the contest. Wade is vying for his second straight Junior Olympic title. He will have to get past Philadelphia's Michael Rauchut to advance to the finals.

Super Heavyweight Zakki Scott of Temple Hills defeated Cecil Chandler of McLaughlin, SD, 23-6 to move into the medal round. Scott will now face Matthew Burgess of Tacoma, WA in the semis.

And in the Light Flyweight division, Kevin Rivers, Jr. of Waldorf won his quarterfinal match by defeating Amini Shakoor of St. Louis, MO, 18-11. Rivers will take on Randy Caballero of Coachella, CA in the semifinals.

Local boxers who did not advance to the semifinals include lightweight Emmanuel Taylor (the younger brother of Maxell "The General" Taylor) of Edgewood. Taylor lost to 2006 Silver Gloves champ Hector Vasquez of Irving, TX by the score of 13-9.

Also, heavyweight Nicholas Kisner of Glen Burnie lost his quarterfinal contest to Keith Hunt of Peterson, NJ by the score of 11-3.

Nwodo Talks About Coming to America!

In the second part of a very interesting interview, Baltimore cruiserweight Emmanuel "Chukwu" Nwodo talks about adapting to the American style of boxing. Nwodo, by the way, is 9-0 since coming to the United States.

Emmanuel Nwodo Ready for July 1!

Cruiserweight contender Emmanuel "Chukwu" Nwodo discusses Saturday night's USBA Cruiserweight title bout against Chris Thomas at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Thompson Dominates Guinn to Win Two Regional Titles!

Well, did we collectively call this or what?

In an absolutely dominating performance, Silver Spring, MD's Tony "The Tiger" Thompson captured the WBC Continental Americas and NABO Heavyweight titles by defeating Dominick Guinn tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.

To a lot of you, this should not be a surprise. Many of you wrote in and said this bout would happen in this manner. The judges scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

This performance puts Thompson squarely in the heavyweight picture now. This was a really solid performance for Thompson, who raises his record to 28-1, 17 KO's and wins his 24th consecutive bout.

So now, if you're keeping count, that's one world title for the Beltway this year (IBF Featherweight champ Eric Aiken) and now FOUR regional titles (Thompson has two and both Peterson Brothers have one: Lamont -- WBC Americas Jr. Welterweight, Anthony -- NABA Lightweight title).

A reminder: Emmanuel Nwodo goes for number five this Saturday (the USBA Cruiserweight title) in Springfield, VA!

Full Preview of July 1 USBA Title card in Springfield, VA!

The vacant USBA Cruiserweight title will be on the line on July 1 when Emmanuel “Chukwu” Nwodo takes on Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Nwodo, a native of Enugu, Nigeria, is now fighting out of Baltimore, MD. He comes into this contest with a record of 19-4 with 15 KO’s. Since coming to the United States, Nwodo has been undefeated (9-0, 7 KO’s). In his last contest, Nwodo stopped Ron Krull in the first round on April 29 in Springfield.

The Chicago, IL native Thomas has a record of 16-4, 14 KO’s and is looking for his second regional title. Thomas won the NABA Cruiserweight championship on October 22, 1994 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Tipton Walker in Rosemont, IL. Thomas no longer holds that title. He has not fought since December 10, 2005 when he went to an eight-round draw against Billy Willis in Harvey, IL.

The scheduled co-feature bout will pit middleweight Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller of Washington, DC against Ron “Poor Boy” Krull of Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Miller (21-4-1, 17 KO’s) makes his first appearance since March 3 of this year when he was stopped by Dante Craig in the second round at the Lincoln Theatre in DC. Krull (6-27, five KO’s) has fought in many different weight classes from welterweight to cruiserweight. Ironically, one of Krull’s victories was against the promoter of this card, Han Kim. Krull stopped Kim in the fourth round in a February 2004 bout in Atlantic City.

In a battle of two local favorites, Derek “Hollywood” Amos will take on Jason Waller in a cruiserweight contest.

Amos, a native of Fort Washington, MD, returns to the ring for the first time since March of 2002 when he was stopped in the first round by Frank Walker in Philadelphia. Amos (13-22, eight KO’s) battled as a heavyweight throughout most of his career and suffered losses to many notable boxers including Razor Ruddock, Chris Byrd, Monte Barrett and Tony Thompson. Amos is now campaigning as a cruiserweight and is looking to break a 12-bout losing streak.

Waller, who hails from Stafford, VA, is a 16-year veteran of the sport, who has also fought his share of cruiserweight and heavyweight champions and contenders. Among the names on Waller’s resume include Torsten May, Vassily Jirov, Andrew Golota, and Shannon Briggs. Waller (28-32-4, 19 KO’s) will be trying to reverse a five-bout losing streak.

In other bouts on the card, the Shah Brothers of Centerville, VA will be in action. Welterweight Ali Shah (1-0, one KO) will face Mike Krull, the younger brother of Ron Krull. Mike Krull is 0-3. Middleweight Zain Shah (1-0, one KO) will battle Randy McCrory of Sault Ste. Marie, MI (0-1).

Local favorite “Money” Mike Sawyer of Falls Church, VA will also be on the card against Deltbert Summerdill in a super middleweight contest. Sawyer is 2-0, one KO.

Scale Watch for Thompson-Guinn!

Here are the weights for tomorrow night's nationally televised ESPN2 bout between Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring and Dominick Guinn. The bout is for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.

Dominick Guinn 229.5, Tony Thompson 238

Joppy, Buchanan Slated for Returns!

Former three-time WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy is scheduled to return to action on Saturday, July 8 on the undercard of the "Gateway to Glory" card in St. Louis, Missouri.

Joppy,who is somehow ranked number 8 by the WBC at 168 pounds, will battle as a super middleweight for only the second time in his career. He has not fought since January 7 when he stopped Erik Howard in the fifth round in Madison Square Garden.

As some of you have mentioned, undefeated super middleweight prospect Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan is vying to be a part of a proposed super middleweight tournament promoted by Gary Shaw Promotions and Showtime.

A couple of clarifications:

1.According to published reports, the field for the tournament has NOT been set. This means Buchanan is not yet officially part of the program.

2. This also means that there is no official bout yet between Buchanan and Anthony Hanshaw.

I'll keep you posted when this tournament is made official. The tourney is scheduled to begin on July 28.

Tony 'The Tiger' Thompson Talking Titles!

Maryland State Heavyweight champion Tony "The Tiger" Thompson talks about his biggest step to date; an ESPN2 matchup versus Dominick Guinn for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title on Wednesday, June 28 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.

Cygan, Paschall, Ricasa Winners in Woodlawn!

The Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, MD featured three local boxers who made minor comebacks due to different situations. One boxer came back from illness and a loss, another returned from an injury and one returned after a loss. All three were victorious, although two struggled to majority decision wins.

In the main event, Baltimore middleweight Tony “Cyclone” Cygan won a six-round majority decision over late sub Roy “The Destroyer” Ashworth of Lake Charles, LA. Cygan, who was making his first appearance since a January 20th loss to Billy Lyell and subsequently suffering through an undisclosed illness, looked sluggish at times during the slow-paced bout. At times, Ashworth, who came into the bout seven pounds heavier than Cygan (167 ¾ to 160 ¾), was able to take advantage and become more offensive-minded.

By the fourth round, however, Cygan picked up the pace, throwing numerous body shots that made Ashworth take a few steps back throughout the second half of the contest.

Judge Malik Waleed scored the bout a draw at 57-57. Judges John Gradowski and Don Risher saw the bout for Cygan at 58-56 and 59-55 respectively. My scorecard saw the bout 59-55 for Cygan.

With the win, Cygan raises his record to 10-1, six KO’s while Ashworth falls to 4-3.

The co-feature saw undefeated light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall of Pasadena return after a six-month absence because of a broken hand. Paschall got off to a good start in his six-round encounter with William “Outside Thunder” Gill of Toms River, NJ but then had to struggle to earn a majority decision.

In the first round, Paschall landed a number of looping left hands that caught Gill repeatedly. But in round two, Paschall used his feet more than his hands, at times clowning in the ring against his opponent.

By the third round, Gill seemed to figure out how to avoid Paschall’s looping shots and pressured his opponent, keeping him on the outside. Gill showed good offense while Paschall had to deal with a cut along the right eye. The judges seemed to give credit to Paschall’s good defense as he avoided a number of Gill’s offensive attempts.

The judge’s scores were very disparaging. Judge Gradowski saw the bout as a draw, 57-57. Judge Risher saw a close contest in favor of Paschall, 58-56, while Judge Gary Camponeshi thought Paschall pitched a shutout, 60-54. My scorecard had a different view of the bout, giving the contest to Gill, 58-56.

Paschall’s record is now 8-0, two KO’s while Gill falls to 3-9, two KO’s.

Also on the card, Ellicott City lightweight Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa registered a first-round TKO over Andrew “The Little Bull” Mendez of South Bend, IN in his return since his tough, eight-round unanimous decision loss to Dean White last February.

Ricasa landed hard shots early in the round and finished the contest with a solid body shot. Mendez did not seem to take the shot well and backed away. In a delayed reaction of about three seconds, Mendez dropped to one knee. Mendez got to his feet at the eight-count, but his corner threw in the towel.

Ricasa is now 7-2, three KO’s while Mendez falls to 3-4, three KO’s.

In other bouts on the card, undefeated middleweight Jessie ‘The Beast” Nicklow of Severn scored a dominating first-round TKO over the debuting Jessie Horton of
Washington, DC.

In the last 30 seconds of the contest, Nicklow caught Horton with a solid right hand that drove Horton to his own corner. Nicklow rained blows upon him until referee Gary Camponeshi stopped the contest at 2:54 of the round. The 19-year-old Nicklow is now 5-0, two KO’s.

Baltimore light heavyweight Willie “For Real” Williams bounced back after a loss in his last outing to win a four-round unanimous decision over Ryan “The Lion” Madigan of Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Williams raised his record to 2-1, one KO.

Heavyweight “Big” Phill Brown of Upper Marlboro, MD made his pro debut a successful one by defeating “The Real People’s Champion” Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA by four-round unanimous decision. Felton is now 1-2, one KO.

The promoter of the card is Jake Smith. The matchmaker is Josh Hall.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: To be honest, I thought both Cygan and Paschall were off their games on this card. You may call it ring rust and that may be true, but it took them a while to get going. In fact, I don't think Paschall did much offensively in his contest. I gave the bout to Gill because he pressured Paschall. Yes, Paschall showed good movement but I thought Gill did a better job of pressing the action.

There may be some disparaging comments about Ricasa's victory. Body shots give that delayed reaction sometimes. I think Ricasa's shot was legitimate and obviously his opponent's corner saw something that forced the trainer to throw in the towel.

I am becoming more and more impressed with Jessie Nicklow. He did what he was supposed to do against a debuting boxer. Nicklow has improved greatly over the past few months.

Willie Williams will be a real good prospect when he finds a jab. Everything was a power shot in this case this evening. It got him a good victory but a jab will serve him well.

Phill Brown made a good debut. He is a very tall, very big man (weighed in at 288 1/4 pounds). Too early to tell how good he will be, however.

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: I can now officially reveal a secret I have held about the return of a legendary Beltway Boxing figure. In fact, some of you guessed it correctly when I talked about it, but the official announcement was made at Martin's West.

Former WBO Cruiserweight champion Boone Pultz is slated to return to action on the Saturday, August 12 Baltimore Pro Boxing show at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, MD.

Pultz, who was the first WBO Cruiserweight titleholder, has not fought in more than 10 years. He has a record of 23-1 with 15 KO's. In his prime, he was one of the most popular boxers to ever represent the Beltway. It will be interesting to see how he does.

Other Beltway Boxers in attendance last night included former three-time world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, Corey "Black Ice" Cummings, Tyrell Samuel, Adam "Boom Boom" Bloom, Tony "Mo Better" Jeter and Mike Dietrich.

Also in attendance was top-ranked female amateur Franchon Crews, just back from her gold medal-winning performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I plan to interview her for the blog in the next few days as she prepares for the National Female Golden Gloves on July 9.

Comments on the Ballroom Boxing Thread!

Here is my take on the recent discussion involving Ballroom Boxing.

Weights For Woodlawn Tomorrow Night!

Here are the official weights for tomorrow night's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Martin's West in Woodlawn.

Tony Cygan weighed in at 160 3/4. He has a new opponent in Roy Ashworth of Lake Charles, LA. Ashworth is 4-2 and he weighed in initially at 170 1/4. Reportedly, he was asked to lose some pounds.

Other weights:

Mike Paschall 172 vs. William Gill 171 1/2

Mike Ricasa 132 1/4 vs. Andy Mendez 128 3/4

Jessie Nicklow 157 vs. Jessie Horton 158 1/2

Willie Williams 175 vs. Ryan Madigan 174 1/2

Phill Brown 288 1/4 vs. Jonathan Felton (had not weighed in yet).

Wrapping Up with Wagner!

In the final part of our interview with Scott Wagner, he discusses the future of Ballroom Boxing.

What is the Direction of Ballroom Boxing?

In part two of my interview with Scott Wagner, he discusses the direction of the successful Ballroom Boxing promotion.

Scott Wagner Responds to Comments!

Ballroom Boxing promoter Scott Wagner joins me to respond to the comments placed during this past week.

Catching Up on Beltway Boxers...

Thanks to "Money" Mike Sawyer for alerting me to a couple of results concerning Beltway Boxers that went under the radar.

On June 17, undefeated lightweight prospect Thomas "KO" Snow of Capitol Heights won a four-round unanimous decision over Waldo Rangel in Winston-Salem, NC. Snow is now 4-0, two KO's.

Also on the 17th, Front Royal, VA welterweight Andrew Farmer remained undefeated by scoring a second-round KO over DeAngelo Ginyard in Martinsburg, WVA. Farmer is 2-0, two KO's.

Preview of Baltimore Pro Boxing Card June 21!

After recovering from health ailments and injuries, two of the Baltimore area’s brightest prospects return to action on a Baltimore Pro Boxing promotion card on Wednesday, June 21 at Martin’s West in Woodlawn.

Middle River middleweight Tony “Cyclone” Cygan makes his first appearance almost five months after suffering his first career defeat. Cygan lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Billy Lyell on January 20 at the Pikesville Armory. Representatives for Cygan told me that their boxer was not 100 percent for that contest, saying he dealt with numerous health problems including having cysts removed prior to that contest.

Cygan (9-1, six KO’s) will take on Akron, OH’s Anthony Little in the eight-round main event. Little (6-3, one KO) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over George Klinesmith on March 23 in Wheeling, WVA.

Undefeated Baltimore light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall also makes his return after suffering a broken hand in his last bout, a six-round unanimous decision over Don Shrock last December 7 in Woodlawn. Paschall (7-0, two KO’s) will battle William Gill of Toms River, NJ in a six-round co-feature. Gill (3-8, two KO’s) is coming off a four-round majority decision loss to Paul Kravchenko on May 18 in Huntington, NY.

Another featured bout has super featherweight Mike “Little Rock” Ricasa of Ellicott City taking on Andy Mendez of Indianapolis, IN in a six-round encounter. The 40-year-old Ricasa (6-2, two KO’s) is looking to bounce back after an eight-round unanimous decision loss to Dean "Pit Bull" White on February 23 at Martin’s West. Mendez (3-3, three KO’s) was stopped in the first round by Buzz Grant in his last encounter on March 9 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The loss broke a three-bout winning streak for Mendez in which all three of the victories came by knockout.

In other bouts on the card, undefeated Severn middleweight Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow (4-0, one KO) will take on debuting Jessie Horton in a bout scheduled for four rounds. The 19-year-old Nicklow is coming off a four-round unanimous decision over Don Shrock on April 21 in Pikesville.

Baltimore light heavyweight Willie “For Real” Williams will also look to get back on the winning track as he takes on Ryan Madigan in another four-round contest. Williams (1-1, one KO) lost a four-round unanimous decision to Bobby Jordan on the April 21 Pikesville card. Madigan is making his pro debut.

Heavyweight Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA also returns in a four-rounder against debuting Phill Brown. Felton (1-2, one KO) has not fought since winning his first career pro bout, scoring a first-round TKO over Wayne "Hammerhead" Hampton on October 27, 2005 at Martin’s West.

Pearson Battles Casamayor July 7 on ESPN2!

Beltway Boxers continue to appear on national television. Former USBA and NABA Super Featherweight champion Lamont "Bay" Pearson of Cheltenham, MD will take on former WBA Super Featherweight titleholder Joel Casamayor on Friday, July 7 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. This will be a lightweight encounter that will be televised on ESPN2.

Pearson will come into the bout with a record of 23-3-1, 12 KO's while Casamayor is 32-3-1, 20 KO's.

More on this bout in the next couple of weeks.

Comments on Ballroom Boxing!

Those of you who have been long-time boxing fans in the area probably know firsthand about the success of the Ballroom Boxing promotion at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie. Without question, the shows that Scott Wagner has help promote have been among the best not only in this area, but throughout the country.

Recently, however, I have talked to some fans who have been dissatisfied with the recent Ballroom Boxing shows. I received an email from a long-time Ballroom Boxing fan named Gary Garadetsky who very honestly and thoughtfully detailed his constructive criticism toward the promotion. With his permission, I share his email with you.

"Good day.


I wanted to take some time and provide you feedback from last night's fights plus give you my opinion on the recent Ballroom Boxing shows.


I have been attending Ballroom Boxing since the late 90's. We used to get the balcony seats because, at the time, they came with a free open bar for several hours. You then changed the free open bar to giving a few drink vouchers for each person. Eventually, the drink vouchers were stopped and we stopped getting the balcony seats because it wasn't worth the extra dollars any more. Regardless of how the perks for the balcony seats were cut back, I could always count on at least 7 good quality fights, and I always had a great time at the Ballroom.


Recently, however, the number and quality of the fights has been in a steep decline (noticeably along with the paid attendance). Last night, myself and 3 co-workers paid $100/seat to watch only four professional fights. Last month's Ballroom card had only 5 pro fights, and this has now become the rule rather than the exception. I understand that fights and fighters are subject to change, but only 4 pro fights for $100 seats? I feel that you guys are constantly pulling the "bait and switch" with both the fighters and number of fights. If I paid $100 for a Casino fight ticket in Atlantic City, I would get to see at least 8 fights from better known fighters. Is it worth it now to pay $100/seat knowing that the advertised fighters are most probably not going to be on the card, and I'll get to see 5 pro fights if I'm lucky - no, it's just not worth it anymore.


It's a real shame. What used to be a great night of fights has tuned into a night of feeling disappointed and ripped-off. It is not a one time occurrence but is now the current state of Ballroom Boxing. I overheard many fans last night who felt the same way.


What happened? What happened to Ballroom Boxing? Did you get too greedy for your own good? Is there competiton from other local venues that's taking the fans away? Are you having internal issues that's effecting the quality and quantity of fights?


I think I'll give the Ballroom one last try. I'll buy General Admission seats as the price of Ringside seats isn't worth the $100 anymore. If the next fights are similar to the recent fights, I am done with the Ballroom and you will lose a long time supporter.


I hope that you can solve your issues and return Ballroom Boxing to what it used to be.


Good luck and thanks."


I am REALLY interested in what you all have to say about this situation. Ballroom Boxing has had a string of bad luck in their main events recently, but they also put together what is the bout of the year thus far in the matchup between Maxell Taylor and Derek Ennis. Please send your thoughts about the state of Ballroom Boxing.

Peterson Wins NABO Lightweight Title!

DC Lightweight Anthony Peterson (18-0, 14 KO's) won a lopsided twelve round decision over Adan Hernandez (14-5, 5 KO's) to claim the NABO lightweight championship in Memphis, TN.

Peterson was able to land his jab at will against Hernandez, winning by scores of 120-108, 120-108, 119-109.

Now, both Peterson Brothers have regional titles. Lamont Peterson has the WBC Americas Junior Welterweight title.

If you're keeping count, that is one world title (Eric Aiken--IBF Featherweight title) and two regional titles for Beltway Boxers so far this year!

Fightnews.com Report on Ballroom!

Here is a complete report on what took place at Michael's Eighth Avenue from my writing colleague, "Priceless" Steve Price of Fightnews.com.


Baltimore banger, Ishmail Arvin, trudged his way to a six round unanimous decision victory over shifty Chicagoan, David Estrada last night at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD in the Middleweight main event.

The co-main witnessed skillful Welterweight, Tim Coleman of Baltimore boxing his way to a six round unanimous decision victory over Taurus "Mushin" Corbbrey of Bluffton, SC.

When boxing enthusiast think of Baltimore boxing icons, the first names that come to mind are Hasim "The Rock" Rahman and Vincent "The Ambassador" Pettway who both have won world titles at Heavyweight and Junior Middleweight, respectively. Baltimore or B-more as some like to call it, known for its blue collar atmosphere, and tough as nails mentality may have found some new upstarts that may one day bring another championship or two to "Charm City."

Looking to shake off some ring rust after a seven month layoff due to a bad cut over his left eye suffered in a bout in November of 2005, Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin, 162 lbs., hoped to make a major splash back onto the boxing scene.

His opponent, David Estrada, 161 lbs., was looking to make Arvin's return an uneventful one.

Both fighters came out in the first round jabbing, with most of the pressure being applied by Arvin.

In the second round a hard right hand by Arvin staggered Estrada who immediately complained to the referee that he was hit behind the head, but to no avail. The blow seemed to affect Estrada's equilibrium for most of the bout. Towards the end of the round, a seemingly overwhelmed Estrada uncorked four consecutive right hands that hurt Arvin at the end of the round.

The middle rounds possessed good action in spurts with most of the damage doled out by each fighter coming in the form of right hand bombs. Some swelling began to form under Arvin's left eye in the fourth round, courtesy of Estrada right hands.

The last round was clearly the best round of the fight with both warriors hurling punches with bad intentions. A left hook by Arvin hurt Estrada and the end looked near. Amazingly, Estrada recovered and hurt Arvin with a hard right hand-left hook combo, warranting cries for more from an appreciative crowd.

However, Estrada's heroics were not enough in the eyes of the judges as Arvin was declared the winner by scores of 59-55, 60-54, and 60-55. PSP scored the contest 58-55 for Arvin.

With the win Arvin's record goes to 13-0-2 6 Ko's while Estrada's drops to 9-7-0 7 Ko's.

Arvin - "I figured that the right hand would be the punch to beat him with, I kept catching him with it. He caught me with some good shots, but I wasn't hurt. I should have boxed more, but I was anxious, because I haven't been in the ring for a while. I haven't been getting enough sparring lately as well. I would like to get back in the ring as soon as possible."

Arguably, the best overall performance of Baltimore hopefuls this night was by crafty Welterweight, Tim Coleman.

Coleman, 145 lbs., came out jabbing and employing a steady body attack on his opponent Taurus Corbbrey, 148 lbs., who was content with dancing and flicking out jabs.

The action picked up in the second round when Coleman, boxing nicely, placed a well timed right hand to the jaw of Corbbrey that rattled the South Carolina boxer.

Coleman continued to display outstanding skills in the middle rounds, landing 1-2 combinations, jabs, and crisp body shots.

Corbbrey came alive in the fourth and realized that Coleman tended to keep his right hand down and began to deliver some left hook counters, one of which stood Coleman up. Coleman recuperated from the blow and boxed effectively for the remainder of the round.

The last round was huge for Coleman as he unleashed every punch imaginable on his opponent, hurting him with a left hook and almost dropping a wobbly Corbbrey with a barrage of punches. Corbbrey gamely fought back and held on to hear the final bell.

Coleman was announced the winner by scores of 59-54, and 59-55 twice. PSP scored the bout 60-54 for Coleman. Coleman's record jumps to 5-0-0 1 Ko and Corbbrey sees his record dive to 4-2-1, 1 Ko. Coleman is definitely a fighter to keep an eye out for in the future.

Coleman - "I was happy with my performance tonight. I need to stop dropping my right hand though. I just came back from camp with Emmanuel Steward and Jermain Taylor, so I was prepared. He was a bigger fighter than what I am used to fighting. Usually when I hit guys my size with those shots, they go. I had to eat before the weigh-in to get my weight higher for this fight. I am moving back down to Junior Welterweight. I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible."

Coach Crawford(Coleman's trainer) - "He had an excellent training camp and he was very. He wants to fight ten rounders against the big boys. He'll continue to grow and learn from the tough fights."

Another Baltimore pugilist who continues to impress in local circles is Tyrell Samuel.
Samuel brought his record to 7-0-0 5 Ko's with an impressive one shot knockout over veteran Margarito Lopez, Philladelphia via Puebla, Mexico.

Margarito may have won the first round of the Featherweight bout by simply staying busier.

In the second round, sensing that Margarito could not hurt him, Samuel stepped up the pace and registered a series of stinging jabs and a serious body attack to the Mexican warrior. A well placed lefthook to the liver by Samuel dropped Lopez hard. Referee Kenny Chevalier reached the count of ten 2:12 of the round with no problem. Lopez falls to 8-16-1 3 Ko's.

In the curtain raising bout, Chris Edmonds, Cincinatti overcame two first round knockdowns to KO exhausted Brandon Artis, Capron, VA., in a Super Middleweight battle. Referee John Gradowski called off the bout at 2:05 of the round. Edmonds evens off his record with the win at 2-2-0 2 Ko's and Artis loses his pro debut.

Scott Wagner was the promoter and Chris Middendorf was the matchmaker.

Ballroom Boxing Results!

Here are the results from last night's Ballroom Boxing card.

Before I start, let me apologize for the late posting. Because of family obligations, I was unable to attend last night's show and I am getting results from my fellow reporters, namely "Priceless" Steve Price and "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears.

In the main event, Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin remained undefeated with a tough six-round unanimous decision over David Estrada of Chicago. Arvin is now 14-0-2, six KO's while Estrada falls to 9-7, seven KO's.

Undefeated Baltimore lightweight Tyrell Samuel scored a second round KO over Margarito Lopez of Philadelphia. Samuel stopped him at 2:12 of the second. Samuel is 7-0 with five KO's; all five of his knockouts coming in his last five bouts.

In what I'm told was a great bout, undefeated Laurel, MD welterweight Tim Coleman scored a sixth-round unanimous decision over Muhsin Correbrey of Hilton Head, SC. Coleman is now 5-0, one KO while Correbrey falls to 4-2-1, one KO.

Cruiserweight Chris Edmond of Cincinnati survived two first-round knockdowns to register a first-round knockout of debuting Brandon Artis of Capron, VA. Edmond is 2-2, two KO's.

I will have more comments on this card later this weekend.

Changes and Weights for Tonight's Ballroom Card!

Here is the lineup for tonight's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

First, the highly anticipated matchup between Ismail "The Arsenal" Arvin and Purcell "Hard Rock" Miller is off due to a reported injury to Miller's hand.

Also, Jed Phipps is off the card as is his scheduled opponent, James Stanton. No one has said why Phipps is off the card and Stanton reportedly failed his physical.

So, now the card looks like this:

Arvin (who weighed in at 162 pounds) will now face David "The Weezel" Estrada of Chicago, who is 9-6, seven KO's (161 pounds).

Tim Coleman 145 vs Mushin Correbrey 148 3/4

Tyrell Samuel 125 3/4 vs Margarito Lopez 125 1/4

Brandon Artis 165 3/4 vs. Chris Edmunds 172

Ron Boddie will also battle Jameson Bostic. Both men will weigh-in today.

Coleman Opponent Announced for Ballroom June 15!

The Ballroom Boxing show slated for this Thursday, June 15 at Michael's Eighth Avenue gets better and better.

Another bout has just been announced. Undefeated welterweight Tim Coleman of Laurel, MD will face Mushin Corrbrey of Hilton Head, SC in a six-round battle.

Coleman (4-0, 1 KO) last fought on April 7 in Philadelphia and won a four-round unanimous decision over Marquis McConnell.

But this will be perhaps Coleman's toughest test to date. Corrbrey (4-1-1,1 KO) has fought here in the area three times and has won all three bouts by unanimous decision. He recently scored his first career knockout against Shelton Barnes on April 21 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

This is another good battle for the June 15 card!

Washington Times Article on McBride-Tyson Aftermath!

On this date a year ago, Kevin McBride made Mike Tyson quit on his stool in the sixth round at MCI (now Verizon) Center in DC. The aftermath of this event has caused interesting ripples over the past 12 months. The aftermath of this event is detailed in an article by Thom Loverro in today's Washington Times.

A lot of the information detailed in the story is very similar to what Mike Swann of 15rounds.com talked about in his two-part expose on this subject. Part one of Swann's report can be found in the December 2005 archives on this blog.

There is one statement that I have to disagree with in Loverro's story and I would like to throw in an editorial here.

Loverro quoted the legendary York Van Nixon who is a former commissioner of the District of Columbia Boxing and Wrestling Commission and has been a high-ranking official with the World Boxing Association for a number of years. Van Nixon said the event was "a joke" and it was bad for boxing.

In many ways, the event was good for boxing, especially in DC. The card brought many people out to boxing who normally don't go. The attendance was over 15,000, the largest I can remember for a Beltway Boxing show in many years, if not ever. The event made DC the center of the boxing world for at least a week.

If there is an issue with this card, it's with the aftermath. This deals with how the city, especially the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission handled the aftermath of arguably the most important card in the city since Joe Louis fought Buddy Baer in Griffith Stadium in May of 1941.

The DC Commission, did not follow up on the wave of excitement generated by the McBride-Tyson card. The commission did not promote themselves and encouarge promoters to put on cards here in the city. This could have been because of the financial problems suffered by co-promoter Marty Wynn because of this card. Maybe the Commission was waiting to see what would happen to Wynn after the card.

But these are the facts, folks:

Since June 11, 2005, The District of Columbia has had a grand total of TWO boxing cards in the city. One of those was the annual Fight Night charity boxing card which is not really open to the general public. So in reality, DC has had ONE card (March 3 at the Lincoln Theatre) since Tyson-McBride.

By contrast, The Ballroom Boxing card on June 15 in Glen Burnie will mark the 20TH card for the State of Maryland since this date last year. Northern Virginia has had TWO cards since Tyson-McBride and has two more slated for July and August.

The lack of activity in our Nation's Capital is a serious issue, folks. The city blew a major chance to become a hotbed after Tyson-McBride. This card should have been used as a catalyst to boost boxing in the city.

The card did a lot for me personally. The week of the card, I was interviewed by a number of radio stations in the area and around the country. I even did an interview at two in the morning with a station in Vancouver, British Columbia after the card was over.

The card was also a catalyst for me to start this blog almost a year ago. If I could see this as an opportunity to expand my territory, why couldn't the commission see the card in the same light?

I know of people who want to promote here, but say they have issues working with the commission which make it difficult. There are other issues as well. The lack of types of venues like Michael's Eighth Avenue or Martin's West in the city with adequate parking and secure surroundings make it difficult to promote shows. Also promoters seem to feel that they have to spend a lot of money to make a lot of money. They go for the big, fancy places because they look good. In boxing, many times you spend a lot of money to LOSE a lot of money.

By contrast, Han Kim is promoting a USBA title bout on July 1 in a venue that MAY seat 2,000 once he reconfigures.

I know I've gone off on a little tangent but there have been lasting effects since this date last year and it goes beyond even what Loverro and, before him, Swann, have been talking about.

Please share your thoughts on this situation.

Franchon Crews Wins Pan American Gold!

Middleweight Franchon Crews of Baltimore has won a gold medal in the Pan American Women's Amateur Boxing Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Crews, the number one-ranked middleweight in the United States, earned her second stoppage victory of the tournament defeating Argentina's Tamara Garcia. Crews earned the stopping by moving out to a 15-point lead, forcing the referee to stop the contest.

Crews was one of three US boxers to win gold medals in Argentina. The American team also captured three silvers and four bronze medals.

Warrick Suffers Ninth-Round Knockout!

Landover, MD junior welterweight Michael Warrick suffered a crushing knockout against Demetrius Hopkins tonight at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

Warrick was actually fighting a solid contest and had to battle a knee that was hurt in the fifth round. Warrick's manager, former world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, told ESPN2 that Warrick hurt the knee in training camp. But still, Warrick seemed to be in the bout, if not possibly leading.

The knockout, quite frankly, will come up in discussions for knockout of the year. Hopkins landed a devastating right hand that sent Warrick to the canvas face first. Referee Randy Newman immediately stopped the contest at 1:59 of the ninth.

Warrick's record drops to 18-4, 11 KO's. Hopkins remains undefeated at 24-0-1. 10 KO's.

Interview with Donna Duva Brooks!

Promoter Donna Duva Brooks joins me to talk about her upcoming ESPN2 card on June 14 in Dover, DE (featuring ring announcer Henry "Discombobulating" Jones) and the possibilities of promoting a card later this year along the Beltway.

Ballroom Boxing Card Features Exciting Local Main Event!

The next Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue on Thursday, June 15 features a potentially outstanding main event with serious Beltway implications.

The main event will be an eight-round contest between undefeated Baltimore middleweight Ismail “The Arsenal” Arvin (13-0-2, six KO’s) and DC veteran Purcell “Hard Rock” Miller (21-4-1, 17 KO’s).

In the co-feature, Baltimore heavyweight Jed Phipps (17-4, 10 KO’s) looks to bounce back against veteran James “The House” Stanton, Philadelphia (17-6, eight KO’s) in a six-round contest.

Also on the card, undefeated featherweight Tyrell Samuel of Baltimore (6-0, four KO’s) will take on Margarito Lopez, Philadelphia (8-14-1, three KO’s). This will be Samuel’s first scheduled six-rounder.

Brandon Artis a light heavyweight from Virginia, will make his pro debut vs. Reuel Williams (0-1) of Delaware.

And undefeated welterweight Tim Coleman of Laurel (4-0, one KO) is also slated to be on the card.

Two more bouts are slated for this card and it looks like it will be a great one. Keep in mind, this will be the last Ballroom Boxing card scheduled until after their summer break. I'll have a complete preview later this week!

White Holds Casal To Draw!

In what many would consider a major surprise, Smithsburg, MD's Dean "Pitbull" White held highly touted unbeaten lightweight Nick Casal to an eight-round majority draw last night in Las Vegas.

The bout was a slugfest that resulted in two 76-76 cards along with one card favoring Casal 78-74.

White's record is now 13-4-1, six KO's while Casal's record is 14-0-1, 12 KO's.

Those who know how White battles figured he would give Casal some difficulty and we were right!

A. Peterson Title Bout Moved to June 16 on ESPN2!

Undefeated DC Lightweight Anthony Peterson's bout for the vacant NABO Lightweight title has been moved up a day.

Instead of being buried on the undercard of the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright matchup, Peterson's bout will be the main event on a free outdoor card in Memphis on Friday, June 16. The bout will be televised on ESPN2.

Peterson's opponent remains the same, Adan Hernandez of El Paso, TX. Peterson will be the third Beltway Boxer that will appear on ESPN2 this month. Junior welterweight Michael Warrick of Landover will take on Demetrius Hopkins on Wednesday, June 7 in Atlantic City and Heavyweight Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring will battle Dominick Guinn on Wednesday, June 28 from Houston, TX.

Crews Wins First International Bout!

Baltimore middleweight Franchon Crews recorded her first international win in quick fashion, stopping Canada’s Maude Bergeron in the second round of their bout at the Pan American Amateur Boxing Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Crews is ranked number one in the United States in her weight class.

The event continues until June 8.