Palma Talks About July 8 Bout in Las Vegas!

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #112 - Palma Discusses Kelley Bout!

Alexandria, VA lightweight Jaime "The Punisher" Palma discusses his July 8th bout against former WBC Featherweight champion "The Flushing Flash" Kevin Kelley!

Beltway Boxers Headed to Salem, VA August 9!

Two of Virginia's best prospects will be part of a Pro-Motion Sports Promotions card on Saturday, August 9 at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

Headlining the show will be Front Royal, VA junior welterweight Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer (10-1, seven KO's). Farmer will battle undefeated "Lightning" Rod Salka of Bunola, PA. (6-0, two KO's) in a scheduled eight-round contest. Farmer has not fought since stopping Edward Anderson in the third round on February 23 at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA. Salka is coming off a four-round unanimous decision victory over Jose Caraballo on May 30 in Monroeville, PA. This will be the first scheduled eight-round contest for both men. Salka has never been past four rounds in his career.

This card will also mark the return of undefeated Front Royal cruiserweight Terry "T-Brick" Roy (7-0-1, six KO's). Roy has not fought since November of 2007 because he has been recovering from injuries suffered in an altercation at his home last December. Roy will battle undefeated Danville, VA native Jaywon Woods (7-0, five KO's) in a six-round contest.

Also slated for this card will be Salisbury, MD lightweight Randolph Scott (0-1). Scott, who lost his pro debut by majority decision to Gerald Smith on June 6 in Philadelphia, PA, will be facing the debuting David Hopkins of Roanoke, VA in a four-round contest.

Hold Spears Family in Thoughts and Prayers!

I ask that you hold the family of my very good friend and broadcast partner "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears in your thoughts and prayers. Jerome's mother, Irene C. Spears, passed away early this morning after a long illness.

Funeral arrangements are forthcoming, but Jerome asked me to let the Beltway Boxing community know about this situation.

New Maryland Promotional Group Looks for 'Better' Promotions!

Throughout the sport of boxing, a growing number of the folks who are the main source of generating revenue in the sport -- the boxers themselves - are starting to learn the promotional side of the sport.

Such is the case in Maryland, where Laurel, MD junior middleweight Tony "Mo Better" Jeter is leading a new promotional company -- Better Promotions -- that will make its maiden voyage on Friday, September 19 at the Maryland Sportsplex in Millersville, MD.

Here, Jeter and two of his promotional partners -- James Wilkins and Christen Cunningham talk about their plans for promotions.


Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #111 - New Maryland Promotional Group Looks for 'Better' Promotions!

Laurel, MD junior middleweight Tony "Mo Better" Jeter discusses his future plans on the promotional side of boxing. Joining him are two members of Better Promotions: Christen Cunningham and James Wilkins.

Peterson Wins Unanimous Decision in Vegas!

DC lightweight Anthony Peterson maintained his undefeated record with a workmanlike 12-round unanimous decision over Fernando Trejo of Mexico City, Mexico.

Peterson's fundamentals helped give him the victory as he used his jab to set up crushing uppercuts throughout. Two judges said Peterson pitched a shutout, 120-108, the other judge scored the bout 119-109.

With the win, Peterson captured the interim NABF Lightweight title and raised his record to 27-0, 19 KO's. The loss drops Trejo's record to 30-14-4, 18 KO's.

UPDATE: It has been reported that Peterson hurt his left hand in the fifth round of the contest. His hand was x-rayed after the bout but no word on the results of the x-rays.

Buchanan Wins by TKO at the Playboy Mansion!

Capitol Heights, MD super middleweight Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan used a stunning body-head combination to stop Decatur, GA's Brian "The Assassin" Norman in the ninth round tonight at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA in front of a nationally-televised ESPN2 audience.

Buchanan steadily gained control of the bout before ending the contest with a brutal left hand to the body and right to the head that dropped Norman against the ropes. Referee Lou Moret stopped the bout at 1:02 of the ninth.

With the win, Buchanan is now 17-1, 12 KO's. Norman falls to 16-8, four KO's. This was the second time Buchanan has stopped Norman. Buchanan scored a third-round TKO over Norman in September of 2004 in Glen Burnie, MD.

A. Peterson Weighs 133 for Vegas Bout Tomorrow!

DC's Anthony Peterson weighed in at 133 pounds for his nationally-televised bout against Fernando Trejo tomorrow night at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Trejo tipped the scales at 132 pounds.

The two boxers will battle for the interim NABF Lightweight title. The bout will be shown on the Versus Network Fight Night series. The broadcast begins at 9 PM ET with the Peterson-Trejo bout being the main event of the telecast.

By the way, I will be providing round-by-round commentary on the Peterson-Trejo contest during my BATB News and Commentary show tomorrow night on Youcastr.com, beginning at 10 PM ET. You can click on the Youcastr widget on the page to link to my show.

Palma To Face Former World Champ Kelley July 8 in Vegas!

Alexandria, VA lightweight Jaime "The Punisher" Palma has just signed a contract to face former WBC Featherweight champion "The Flushing Flash" Kevin Kelley in a scheduled 10-round bout on Tuesday, July 8 at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, NV.

Palma (13-11-1, three KO's) will be trying to bounce back from his tough four-round unanimous decision loss to Sebastian Hamel on May 9 in Fredericksburg, VA. This will be Palma's second scheduled 10-rounder of his career, but his first since September of 2005. Palma is a substitute for Abdul Malik Jabir, who recently pulled out of the bout.

Kelley (59-8-2, 39 KO's) won his world title on December 4, 1993 against Goyo Vargas. The resident of Flushing, NY has fought some of the greats of the game including Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales as well as former world champions Alejandro Gonzalez (who Kelley lost his title to in January of 1995), Naseem Hamed and Derrick Gainer. Kelley has not fought since losing an IBF Super Featherweight title elimination bout to former world champ Manuel Medina in November of 2006.

Buchanan Hits Super Middleweight Weight Limit for Tonight!

Capital Heights, MD super middleweight Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan weighed in at the weight class limit of 168 pounds for his 10-round, nationally-televised matchup tonight against Decatur, GA's Brian "The Assassin" Norman at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. Norman also weighed in at 168 pounds.

The bout will be the co-feature on tonight's Wednesday Night Fights on ESPN2. The telecast begins at 11 PM ET.

July Boxing Preview!

Here are some events that are coming in July.

There will be a wake to honor Eddie "Speedy" Van Kirk on Sunday, July 13 at the Baltimore Boxing Club, 506 1/2 S. Broadway in the Fells Point Section of Baltimore.

The wake will begin at 2 PM. Refreshments will be served and it is open to all.

The next Beltway area card will be the Baltimore Pro Boxing card on Friday, July 25 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore. So far on tap for this card are two interesting Beltway Boxing showdowns.

The main event, as announced on the most recent BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up Show, will pit undefeated Baltimore middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow (18-0-1, seven KO's) against Charlottsville, VA's George "War Time" Rivera (8-2, three KO's) in an eight-round battle.

In the co-feature, undefeated Baltimore super middleweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall (17-0-1, four KO's) is slated to take on Takoma Park, MD's Willis "The Prophet" Lockett (10-5-4, four KO's) in a scheduled 10-round bout.

Also slated for the card are Beltway rookies Keith Gross (light heavyweight from Lusby, MD, 1-0, one KO) and Robert "Mac Attack" McConnell, Jr. (cruiserweight from Ellicott City, MD, 1-1) as well as former WBO Cruiserweight champion Boone Pultz and the Maryland-area debut for undefeated Arlington, VA junior welterweight Todd "White Lightning" Wilson (4-0, one KO). Also, Baltimore amateur standout Steve Wheeler will make his pro debut.

Interesting news concerning Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker. On Saturday, July 26, Tucker (4-0, four first-round KO's) will be featured on a card in York, PA (by the way, the card will be headlined by Ballroom Boxing favorite Carney Bowman, who will be fighting for the first time in his hometown).

Tucker has reportedly taken on noted manager Cameron Dunkin as an advisor. Dunkin has managed 18 world champions including current world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, reigning IBF Flyweight titleholder Nonito Donaire and defending WBO Featherweight champ Steve Luevano.

'Speedy' Van Kirk Passes!

Sad news to report. Beltway Boxing fan favorite Eddie "Speedy" Van Kirk passed away on Sunday, June 22 at the age of 45.

Van Kirk, a native of Baltimore, was a popular 13-year pro who had a record of 27-9-2, 13 KO's. In August of 1989, Van Kirk won the Maryland State Junior welterweight title stopping Keith Grimes in the seventh round.

Other notable bouts include a loss to future world champion Vincent Pettway for the Maryland State Welterweight title on March 4, 1991 at the Baltimore (now 1st Mariner) Arena. Van Kirk faced two other future world champions during his career; Hector Camacho, Sr. and Vinny Pazienza.

Arrangements are forthcoming. BATB sends condolences to the Van Kirk family.

Williams, Guerrero Win Bouts By Knockout!

Two Beltway Boxers won bouts by knockout last night. At the Campbell Fitness Center in Salem, NJ, Baltimore light heavyweight Willie "For Real" Williams stopped Alfred Kinsey of Atlantic City in the sixth round.

According to Fightnews.com's Rick Scharmberg, Williams got the win with a brutal body attack that eventually wore down Kinsey and stopped him with a minute to go in the sixth round.

This was a co-feature bout and Williams's first scheduled eight-round contest. This was also Williams's fifth straight victory.

With the win, Williams raises his record to 11-2, three KO's. Kinsey's record is now 6-3-1, three KO's. Our very own Henry "Discombobulating" Jones served as ring announcer for the card.

At the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN, undefeated Beltway rookie Fernando Guerrero kept his streak rolling. The Salisbury, MD resident scored his eighth knockout in eight bouts as he knocked out Omid Bahreini of Conway, AK at 2:10 of the first round. This bout was on the non-televised undercard of the Berto-Rodriguez/Arreola-Witherspoon HBO doubleheader.

Guerrero is 8-0, eight KO's while Bahreini is 2-3, two KO's.

'For Real' Williams Weighs 176 1/2 for New Jersey Bout!

Baltimore light heavyweight Willie "For Real" Williams tipped the scales at 176 1/2 for his eight-round co-feature bout against Alfred Kinsey tonight at the Campbell Fitness Center in Salem, NJ. Kinsey weighed in at 176.

My thanks to Brother Chin from the Honeycomb Boxing Gym who will be working Williams's corner as the cut man and took time out of his busy schedule to email me this info.

L. Peterson Secures Opponent for July 5!

15Rounds.com is reporting that undefeated DC junior welterweight Lamont Peterson has an opponent for his important nationally televised Saturday, July 5 bout at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Peterson's opponent will be Rogelio Castaneda, Jr. of Sacramento, California. Castaneda (24-13-3, eight KO's) has come very close to world title contention, losing an IBF title elimination bout to Demetrius Hopkins in November 2006.

It has been reported that should Peterson (24-0, 11 KO's) win, he will get a world title bout against the winner of the main event of this card -- the WBO Junior Welterweight championship rematch between champion Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt.

The card will be televised by Showtime.

Barnett Stops Miranda in the Cayman Islands!

DC junior welterweight Ty Barnett remained undefeated with a fourth-round TKO over Pavel Miranda last night in Georgetown, Cayman Islands.

Barnett took care of business early in the fourth, stopping Miranda at 25 seconds of the round.

Barnett is now 14-0-1, 10 KO's. Miranda falls to 15-2, eight KO's.

Cummings Loses Unanimous Decision in Chicago!

Baltimore light heavyweight Corey "Black Ice" Cummings lost a 10-round unanimous decision to former IBF Light Heavyweight champion Montell "Ice" Griffin last night at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL.

Griffin knocked Cummings down in the third round and according to the judges's scorecards, Griffin had complete control of the bout. All three judges scored a shutout for Griffin, 100-89.

Cummings's record falls to 16-3, 12 KO's. Griffin is now 49-7, 30 KO's.

Grant Provides Excitement, But Loses Unanimous Decision!

Riverdale, MD heavyweight Horace "The Reason" Grant almost gave a major shock to the audience in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas as well as a nationally televised ESPN2 audience by dropping opponent Kevin "Big Man" Burnett in the eighth and final round.

But the bulk of the bout belonged to the Augusta, GA native Burnett and he went on to defeat Grant by a unanimous decision. Grant suffered a technical knockdown in the third round when he was battered into the ropes and referee Joe Cortez called the knockdown.

Grant had a moment in the fourth round when he landed some solid punches on Burnett but Burnett controlled the rest of the bout until Grant landed a thunderous right hand that dropped Burnett at the bell to end the bout. Burnett was able to beat Cortez's count and preserve his victory.

With the loss, Grant's record falls to 12-2, seven KO's. Burnett is now 13-1-1, eight KO's.

'The Reason' Grant Weighs 250 For Tonight's TV Bout!

Riverdale, MD heavyweight Horace "The Reason" Grant weighed in at 250 pounds for his nationally televised ESPN2 bout tonight at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. His opponent in the scheduled eight-round contest, Kevin "Big Man" Burnett of Augusta, GA, came in at 261.

Both these guys are similar in record (Grant 12-1, seven KO's; Burnett 12-1-1, eight KO's), similar in height (Grant 6'3", Burnett 6'7") and similar in type of competition. Should be a good one. The card is scheduled to come on ESPN2 at 9 PM ET.

Magruder Wins Junior Olympics Title!

Congratulations to Suitland, MD 114-pounder Antonio Magruder! Magruder captured the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championship in his weight class by virtue of a 10-5 decision victory over defending champion Luis Cortez of Las Vegas, NV at the Superior Dome in Marquette, MI.

This is Magruder's second major title of the year, as he captured a Silver Gloves championship in February.

DC's Asia Stevenson lost in her title bout as she fell to Valerie Farley of Port Huron, MI by decision, 22-19.

Cummings Weighs 177 For Chicago Bout!

Baltimore light heavyweight Corey "Black Ice" Cummings weighed in at 177 pounds for his scheduled 10-round contest against former world champion Montell "Ice" Griffin tomorrow night at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL. Griffin weighed in at 176 1/2.

There are bouts from this card that will be televised on Telefutura tomorrow night but Cummings-Griffin may not be one of them. I'm still awaiting final confirmation on that.

Magruder, Stevenson Advance to Junior Olympic Finals!

Suitland, MD 114-pounder Antonio Magruder has advanced to the finals of the 2008 Junior Olympics National Championship in Marquette, MI.

Magruder defeated Manuel Avila of Fairfield, CA by decision, 18-12. Magruder will take on Luis Cortez of Las Vegas, NV in the finals. Cortez decisioned Jeremy Longoria of Corpus Christi, TX, 9-8.

Female 132-pounder Asia Stevenson of DC also made it to the final round as she won a 16-8 decision over LeTeisha Darden of Wilmington, NC. Stevenson will battle Valerie Farley of Port Huron, MI in the final round. Farley defeated Jasmine Acevedo of Beeville, TX by a 9-2 decision.

DC's 125-pounder Antoine Douglas lost his semifinal bout by stoppage in the second round to Joel Diaz of Palmdale, CA. Chris Warden of Lusby, MD lost by a 20-10 decision to Pedro Sosa of the Bronx, NY in the 145-pound class.

The Latest From 'The Tiger!"

Here's the latest blog entry from DC's Tony "The Tiger" Thompson as he prepares for his July 12 outing against Wladimir Klitschko. This time out, Thompson does some venting about some "fans" along the Beltway concerning a recent situation before giving us info about his training. Here is the unedited Tony Thompson.

Hello fellow bloggers and blog readers I would like to start this week’s blog with a little venting. Now anyone that knows me understands how much I love DC and the whole DMV(DC, Maryland and Virginia).

However, I must say some not all of you are getting on my MFnn- nerves with the bullshit. What is the bullshit Tony you might ask? O.K. let me explain. It seems that some of us still have the crab in the barrel syndrome. Meaning, as soon as they see a fellow DMVER doing something good or positive in any way they promptly start talking crazy. Instead of using your hands too help one of your own up you use your claws to pull them down and in the process, you pull us all down. Hence, what we call the bullshit. Now, I don't normally respond to the bullshit but if I keep letting it go, it can become an epidemic and infect us all.

Therefore, I will provide a clear and precise response to some of the things that have been said. First, let’s address the Askia situation (I hope I spelled your name right buddy). Let me begin by saying that Askia is a buddy of mine. So, when I say what I'm about to say, he knows I will only be saying things that I have told him to his face and they are true. I did not hurt Askia in sparring on purpose. We are in the fight and hurt business, so guess what, sometimes you get hurt. To answer your questions, no I was not mad at him for supposedly getting off on me that's his job and it’s my job to respond. Anybody that's met me knows I don't get mad I just get even, which again is my job. I have worked with a lot of the young fighters and I hardly ever go into the sparring ring with the intent of trying to hurt somebody on purpose (I never say never because somebody might have been trying too hurt me and like I said I don't get mad I get even, Mo Wilson). My objective is too get better and hopefully help the other fighters get better. Now if you are a slacker and you jump in there with me you might get hurt. This is sometimes the case with Askia and remember this is something that I have told him, to his face. This was done not in an attempt to belittle or embarrass him, but to tell him the truth and hopefully motivate him too take this sport serious. Because I always tell people, you play basketball and football you don't play boxing you live, eat, breath, and sh-- boxing.

OK, that's enough venting for this week I have more but I don't want this whole weeks blog too be negative so let’s talk about what’s going on in camp. Now last week we left off with me taking a iniquitous ass whooping from my fellow fighters (I don’t do sparring partners because you can't get better that way). They really came to work, which was not all that fun for me but great for what we are trying to accomplish. So this week I had to respond and lets just say my team felt a lot better about my performance as did I.

Now don't get me wrong, in no way were we pushing the panic button, but they were happy to see some of the great work that I’m capable of producing. As a result, I was pleased to see that I was finally adapting to the Florida heat and humidity. Sometimes this sport plays games with your mind and you have to be mentally tough to deal with not looking your best every day. I'm somewhat vain about getting my ass kicked, as is most fighters, especially the good ones. Anyway, so I was not happy with myself. But as I have said, on many occasions, that I have a great team and they do a great job of keeping me sane and composed. By the way, my team consists of Tom Browner, Barry Hunter, and BB Hudson, not Buddy McGirt not to say anything bad about Buddy and we will get into that next week but we are just using his gym. Sometimes your trainers have to pull you back so they can build you up and that can be frustrating for the fighter sort of what happened to Big Brown last week.(I'm talking about the horse get your minds out the gutter.lol.) However, to my credit, I do a great job of listening and executing a plan and sometimes that plan includes rest. So after taking a day off in the middle of the week I came back on Thursday and looked spry for a man of my advanced age.

Now don't think a day off for me is like a day off for you. I still had to get my ass up and go to work it just didn't consist of sparring or all that damn running. I don't like to run unless the police are coming, I need to catch a plane, or of course, it's only one pack of Oreo’s left on the shelf at the store. Naw I’m just kidding about the plane. Therefore, bloggers I will holla back next week and I will try my best DMVERS to fight the crab grabbers that plagues our lovely city. How about throwing crab grabbers in there, I haven't heard that since the 80's. Goodbye.


"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” John Donne

(For those who don't remember the "Askia situation" Askia Schneider was scheduled to face Jonathan Felton at Michael's Eighth Avenue last month but was hurt in training against Thompson -- GDW)

Beltway Faces Tough Competition at Junior Olympics!

Beltway Boxers had a rough outing in today's action at the 2008 Junior Olympics National Championship at the Superior Dome in Marquette, MI.

Three boxers from the area moved into the semifinals. Chris Warden won his quarterfinal bout in the 145-pound division, decisioning Raul Prieto of El Paso, TX, 11-9. Antonio Magruder of Suitland, MD decisioned Zachary Borunda of Pueblo, CO, 15-4 in the 114-Pound division. Also, DC's Antoine Douglas won his quarterfinal matchup in the 125-pound class by decision over Byron Zamora of Port St. Lucie, FL, 21-7.

Five Beltway representatives lost their quarterfinal matchups today. In the 110-pound division, Deven Matos of Fort Washington, MD was disqualified 34 seconds into the third round in his bout against Carlos Chavez of North Hollywood, FL. Landover, MD's Marcus Gaddis lost by decision to Ricky Rodriguez of Evans, CO, 17-14 in the 119-pound class.

During today's morning session, Tavon Frazier of Baltimore, MD lost his bout in the 114-pound division to Jeremy Longoria of Corpus Christi, TX. In the 138-pound division, Jamal Alantez-Fox of Temple Hills, MD lost a close decision to Zeddie Adams of Cleveland, OH, 9-8. Also, D'Mitrius Ballard of Temple Hills was stopped in the second round (RSCO-2, :56) by Eddie Gomez of the Bronx, NY.

Early Results from Junior Olympics!

Here are some Beltway-themed results from the preliminary rounds of the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships in Marquette, MI (updated with evening results):

110 Pounds: Deven Matos stopped Jose Martinez of Jonesboro, AK at 1:20 of the first round (RSC-1).

119 Pounds: Marcus Gaddis decisioned Randy Luciano of Passaic, NJ, 22-10.

145 Pounds: Chris Warden decisioned Bobby Bryant of Olive Branch, MS, 15-8.

119 Pounds: Shadeed Floyd lost to Jose Ramirez of Avenel, CA, 21-4.

165 Pounds: Jerry Odom lost to Anthony Bailey of Memphis, TN, 7-6.


(Morning session)
114 Pounds: Antonio Magruder decisioned Kiun Evans of Little Rock, AK, 16-7.

125 Pounds: Antoine Douglas decisioned Richard Coronado of Arizona, 15-12.

138 Pounds: Jamal Alantez-Fox decisioned Joe Almanza, 19-5.

Junior Olympics Begin Tomorrow in Michigan!

The 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships begin tomorrow in Marquette, MI. A number of Beltway Boxers will be competing. Here is the scheduled lineup.

80 Pounds: Gregory Outlaw, Upper Marlboro, MD

114 Pounds: Tavon Frazier, Baltimore, MD; Antonio Magruder, Suitland, MD

119 Pounds: Shadeed Floyd, Washington, DC; Marcus Gaddis, Landover, MD

138 Pounds: Alantez-Jamal Fox, Temple Hills, MD

145 Pounds: Chris Warden, Lusby, MD

154 Pounds: D'Mitrius Ballard, Temple Hills, MD

165 Pounds: Jerry Odom, Bowie, MD

All of the Beltway Boxers will be in the East Central Region, except Magruder and Gaddis, who qualified by winning the Silver Gloves title and will be in the "Silver Gloves" region.

Barnett, Williams Have Opponents for Bouts This Weekend!

DC junior welterweight Ty Barnett and Baltimore light heavyweight Willie "For Real" Williams will have what should be good competitive bouts this weekend.

On Friday, June 20, Barnett (13-0-1, nine KO's) will take on Pavel Miranda of Tijuana, MX (15-1, eight KO's) in a scheduled eight-round contest at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in Georgetown, Cayman Islands. Barnett defeated veteran John Brown by six-round unanimous decision in his last outing on January 26 in Tunica, MS. Miranda scored an eight-round unanimous decision over William Gonzalez for the WBC Youth and the WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation Light Welterweight titles. No word yet on whether those belts will be on the line against Barnett.

On Saturday, June 21, Williams (10-2, two KO's) will be in an eight-round main event bout at the Campbell Fitness Center in Salem, NJ. Williams will take on 2001 National Golden Gloves Middleweight champ Alfred Kinsey of Atlantic City (6-2-1, three KO's). Williams has won his last four contests, including a six-round unanimous decision over Andre Hemphill on April 18 in Pikesville, MD. This will be Williams's first scheduled eight-round bout. Kinsey has been inactive since February of 2006 when he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Aneudi Santos, but he is unbeaten in his last seven bouts (6-0-1).

Nicklow Narrowly Wins, Tucker Wins, Davis Draws!

Here are the results from the Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore:

Baltimore, MD middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow won a narrow eight-round unanimous decision over Suitland, MD's Jayson Champion. Nicklow scored a knockdown early in the first round, which proved to be the margin of victory. Judges Joe Ware and John Gradowski scored the bout 77-74 while Judge Don Risher saw the bout 76-75. Nicklow is now 18-0-1, seven KO's. Champion falls to 4-4, three KO's. This was a rematch of a December 7, 2006 bout that Nicklow won by six-round unanimous decision.

Like the first bout between these two, I thought Champion won the bout, 77-74.

The co-feature saw another win and another first-round TKO for Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker. Tucker stopped Philadelphia, PA's Khalil Farah at 2:19 of the round. Tucker is now 4-0, with four first-round KO's. Farah is now 3-3, one KO.

The controversy of the night was the result of the bout between DC super middleweight Demetrius Davis and undefeated Pittsburgh, PA's Tommy Karpency. With the undefeated record and a future ESPN2 date on the line, Karpency ran into a savvy and experienced buzzsaw in Davis, who definitely fought the best bout in his return from boxing after a nine-year absence.

Unfortunately and yes, inexplicably, Davis was only able to manage an eight-round majority draw. Judge Risher scored the bout 79-73 for Davis but judges Ware and Kenny Chevalier saw a draw at 76-76. I scored the bout 79-74 for Davis, with the second round deemed even. I rarely make comments about the judging on this site, but that was simply a horrible decision. Fortunately for Davis, he did get the draw. That raises his record to 18-14-5, seven KO's while Karpency remains undefeated at 11-0-1, seven KO's.

Elsewhere on the card, cruiserweight Robert "Mac Attack" McConnell, Jr. won his first pro bout, capturing a four-round majority decision over Wilson, NC's Octavius Davis. McConnell is now 1-1 while Davis is 0-1-1.

In a battle of debuting super middleweight Beltway Boxers, Lusby, MD's Keith Gross scored a third-round TKO over Orlando "The Future" Pugh of DC. Gross wore down Pugh until Pugh was unable to come out of his corner for the fourth round.

In the opening bout, Pittsburgh, PA super middleweight Jimmy Lubash won a four-round unanimous decision over John "The Baptist" Terry of Virginia Beach, VA. Lubash is 7-1, three KO's while Terry falls to 2-12-3, one KO.

Please listen to the entire BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up show for detailed comments and a nice announcement about the main event on the July 25 card at Du Burns.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #110 - Results From Du Burns!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I recap an exciting and somewhat mystifing night of boxing from Du Burns Arena in Baltimore!

Snyder Wins Majority Decision Over Mackey!

Berlin, MD middleweight "The Berlin Bomber" Joshua Snyder won a four-round majority decision over previously undefeated John "No Mercy" Mackey of Montgomery, AL (by way of DC) in front of a nationally televised ESPN2 audience at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, PA.

According to reports, Snyder dropped Mackey twice during the bout and went on to the victory. Two judges scored the bout 39-37 and 38-37 for Snyder and one judge saw the draw at 38-38.

Snyder's record is now 7-3, three KO's while Mackey is now 9-1, three KO's.

(Personal update): I just witnessed the bout on ESPN 360. That was a great bout. I agree with Han Kim. A rematch should happen, but it shouldn't be rushed. I also hope the promoter took Teddy Atlas's advice and gave both men bonuses. Both Snyder and Mackey fought with heart, class and talent. Both guys took solid steps in their career. Very impressive!!

Weights From DuBurns!

Here is the scale watch for tomorrow night's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore:

Jessie Nicklow 153 3/4 vs. Jason Champion 152 1/2

Demetrius Davis 171 3/4 vs. Tommy Karpency 173 3/4

Mark Tucker 178 vs. Khalil Farha 175 3/4

Robert McConnell 190 vs. Octavius Davis 200

Keith Gross 173 3/4 vs Orlando Pugh 170 1/4

John Terry 163 ½ vs. Jimmy Lubash (scheduled to weigh-in tomorrow)

Apparently, the bouts featuring Mike Paschall and Tony Cygan have been called off.

A. Peterson Foe Announced For June 26 in Vegas!

The opponent for undefeated DC lightweight Anthony Peterson's Thursday, June 26 bout at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada has been announced.

His name is Fernando "The Thief" Trejo from Jarrell, TX by way of Mexico City. Trejo (30-13-4, 18 KO's) is a veteran who in the last few years has fought better-known competition including the likes of Ebo Elder, Agnaldo Nunes and Bobby Pacquiao, whom he lost to by TKO in the fourth round in his last outing on November 23 in Cabazon, CA.

Peterson (26-0, 19 KO's) is coming off an eighth-round TKO over Jose Antonio Izquierdo on January 4 in Biloxi, MS.

This contest will be the main event on the Versus Network.

Lamont Peterson (24-0, 11 KO's) will be on the Saturday, July 5 card from Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as the televised co-feature. The opponent is still to be announced. This bout will be televised by Showtime.

Thompson Blogs As He Prepares for Klitschko!

WBO number one heavyweight contender Tony "The Tiger" Thompson has been blogging about his preparations for his Saturday, July 12 challenge for the WBO/IBF titles against champion Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg, Germany.

Unfortunately, I found out about the first entry too late but this is the second entry after his return from Germany and the press conferences held there. Future entries will also appear here.


Upon my return from Germany, I immediately started training in order to get in shape for my dream fight.

My manager (Nate Peake), Sharmba (Mitchell), Steve Francis and Broynee Hudson went to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet with Mackie Shilstone. He did a whole body assessment, to tell me how bad my body really is…not fun at all. He had me doing MRI’s, seeing a heart and back specialist and a chiropractor.

The MRI was the worse. If you had an MRI you would know this is nerve wrecking. MRI is the most stressful thing in medicine. You go to see what's wrong with you and the test stresses you out. MRI looks like a hollow hot dog. You have to fit yourself in there, not an easy task for a big man like me. And the noise… err, err, err, so noisy for an hour long! They tell you not to move but how the hell you not going to move? And you know what happens your nose begins to itch the second they tell you not to move.

Everything came out fine but the doctor threw a surprise on me. He did a prostrate exam. I'm only 36! I'm thinking to myself, did Klitschko get to this doctor? I'm too young to have this exam without someone playing with me! He didn't even tell me he was going to do this, he's like "lean on your elbows" and I was caught by surprise. After the horror, I came back home to have a team meeting. In the team meeting we discussed where I was going to train for the fight. We really wanted to train in Washington DC, the location felt right and I really wanted it to be a part of the experience and accomplish this journey together. But unfortunately some ‘big wigs’ couldn't pull off the deal and we decided to move the camp to Vero Beach, Florida.

I left the wife and 7 kids back at home with the broken air conditioner, broken dishwasher, broken dryer and the electricity down in one half of the house. To me, this is God's sign that I better get this fight done. I have to get this fight done. But I am OK with leaving to train because I know my wife and kids are going to be OK. They know daddy is doing what he has to do to get this stuff fixed.

They had me a little barbecue party (I was only able to be there for about 2 hours) before having to leave to the airport. So I kissed the family so long and traveled to Florida the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Most of my other family members that were invited got there late, so they owe me some time spent together. My brother who is stationed in Japan, Army Sergeant Keith Thompson dropped me off at the airport.

I traveled with Broynee Hudson and Tom Browner and we got to Vero Beach around 9:00 PM. When I arrived a couple of people thought that I was Lebron James. I wish I had that darn "I am not a basketball player" T-shirt on now.

Sharmba Mitchell was already in Florida and picked me and my team up at the airport.

For the next week we trained hard. Got on schedule and went to Buddy McGirt’s gym. My back was sore so I had to see a masseuse. Come to find that I was being massaged by Hitler… or should I say Dr. Kevorkian. He left me worse than I had started so now I am back to my number 1 rule… never let a man massage you, only a woman. Can’t wait to see my regular masseuse Jamie from Florida. Looking forward to a real massage. Stop laughing!

After that I had to travel back to Washington for my sisters wedding. The day before the wedding and hours before I boarded the plane, I get a call from US
Airways informing me that my flight had been canceled and that I would have to make “alternative arrangements.” After hollering for a while they were able to put me on a flight that departed earlier. Little did I know that they had me in a center seat where the passenger next to me decided to rest his tray table on my knees. About an hour and a half before the flight landed I decided to stand and stretch my legs for the remainder of the flight (or at least until they asked me to sit down). I stood in the stewardess section and people seemed kind of nervous as if I was guarding the restroom.

The next day (the wedding day) I barely made it to the church on time because there was a storm.. There was zero visibility and to top it off the storm was so bad that the electricity in the church went out. There were no lights, no air conditioning and no music (seemed like I was back at home). Now we had to improvise. Luckily the RTL German camera crew were there filming me and we used their camera lights when it came time for the priest to read. Finally, my brother and me gave our older sister away because both of my parents are deceased.

I flew out the next Sunday night. However because of a faulty toilet and the storm, I was sitting in a center seat again for an hour and a half on the runway. These airlines are quickly putting me in the mood to get my hands around Klitschko’s neck. If this keeps up I may not be able to restrain myself until July 12.

I waited until Monday to resume working out and it was back to work again. On Tuesday, I worried about Wednesday. Why? Because the TV people don't have me in a speedboat this time, they thought of something crazier, but at least on dry land but unfortunately a little bit scarier.

Wednesday they've got me working with real life tigers and I know they are going to eat me. You know how it goes, they are well trained then they return to their wild instincts and attack.

Animals do attack.

Wednesday will forever be known as the day of the tiger in my mind.

Wednesday, I started with my normal sparring session; it was predictable, as I took my lumps in the Florida sun (LOL).

Tea anyone..

It was also the day of the Tiger shoot with RTL TV from Germany. After we finished sparring, I had to recharge my battery by getting a little rest and do my best of not thinking of how nice this tiger was going to treat me.

Animals do attack.

I then hopped on my first helicopter ride, which was pretty interesting and scary. A lot of you may ask why? Everybody that knows me understands that flying is not one of my favorite things. Especially something as small as a helicopter where you feel every bit of the wind whipping against the chopper.

Before I got on the helicopter the pilot gave me a few instructions. One rule in particular stuck in my mind. The pilot said never walk towards the back of the
helicopter because people have been known to lose a limb or two. So this did a lot to help my confidence for getting on this helicopter.

Since RTL was also flying in the helicopter, I had to sit in the back seat scrunched up as if I was in the middle of the coach section on a plane. You can imagine how I felt like a sardine. Surprisingly, once the helicopter took off I had the time of my life. Man it was it was crazy. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

At 500 feet, it was incredible to see the top of Orlando and the rest Florida from that height. You would be surprised to see how many wild animals and sh-t you see running around loose. Because I am, kind of a nature nerd it was cool for me. After an hour ride in the helicopter and dodging a bus fire below, we landed at the tiger compound. This is where it really gets interesting.

I was excited and anxious at the same time, because I have a soft spot in my heart for big cats especially tigers. I was also kind of fearful because some of the things that I was about to do with the tiger. I was nervous and fearful baby!! Some of the things they wanted to do were walk the tiger on a leech, feed the tiger by hand (by hand!!!), wash the tiger with a hose and kneeling down beside the tiger while rubbing him on his back (I was thinking more like begging him for his forgiveness not to eat me). This was a tall order.

I thought it was pretty interesting because when I fed the tiger I only fed him the legs and thighs of the chicken, that’s right all the dark meat. And he seemed to really enjoy it. I didn't know if I should bring out the deep fry or if I should be worried because I was the only dark person there (LOL).

Never was I calm, even when the tiger was behind the cage and I was feeding him. I fed a 600-pound tiger name CHAD. Somehow I thought the name just did not fit very well. So, I immediately changed his name to Sampson. However, let me explain by saying, no disrespect to all the CHADS out there, but I thought a tiger this magnificent deserved a magnificent name.

I fed Sampson a chicken leg at the top of the cage and when he stood fully extended, he was over 7 feet tall. Baby he was big!! Shaq and Yao Ming have nothing on my new friend Sampson.

It was a magnificent but very scary site. It made me feel justified in my kids choosing the name of the Tiger for me because the tiger is majestic, he is intimidating, he is ferocious and more importantly, Sampson was just plain beautiful. Beautiful like me baby!

When I first got to the tiger compound, I was a little hesitant because I do not like to see ANIMALS HELD CAPTIVE. However, the tigers where in such wonderful shape and I have to commend the guy that ran the compound for the way he kept his place. The way the animals where treated as well as the condition of the animals. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the guy who ran the compound but after this fight, I am definitely going to take my kids there. However, they will not do all the things I did with tiger but they will definitely get to see all the animals.

It’s real funny that German TV has shown more interest in introducing me to their public than our own TV networks in the US. To me that's really unfortunate because most of our TV networks think of me as an after thought, when it comes to this fight. Nevertheless, this just adds more motivation for me and I am not bitter at all. I am just determined BABY!! So after all the excitement on Wednesday it was back to work on Thursday.

Brother back to work it was. It started off pretty bad for me because I was exhausted from all the tiger stuff and posing for pictures. It was good to get the PR stuff over with and get back to the grind of winning the heavyweight world championship.

Let me describe Buddy's gym for those who don't know. For anybody that has ever been to Florida, you know it is an understatement to say that it’s freaking hot down here. Even though Buddy has a great gym, it’s pretty much a warehouse with no fan, no air condition and no ventilation. If its 90 degrees outside, then it is about 115 inside at 9 a.m., when I train. Therefore, without having my proper rest with the heat beating down on me, I was dog-tired after sparring and not much in the mood for continuing anything else. But they (trainers) did not have any mercy on me, as they pushed me through the rest of my workout, which good trainers are supposed to do. So I was very tired but satisfied with the quality of my workout. I was also looking damn forward to my day off from sparring on Friday.

We worked very hard Friday. My trainers again did a great job of pushing me through the hard work and the heat. Barry Hunter, Tom Browning and BB Hudson; they make a great team knowing my body and the right things to do to get me through my workouts. Having the Headbangers family down here was a plus as well.

That's about it, I guess I will catch you people a little later, time for bed now. I got to run in the early morning.
- By Tony Thompson

Snow Faces Undefeated Boxer in Philadelphia July 18!

Undefeated Capitol Heights, MD featherweight Thomas "KO" Snow will risk his record against Philadelphia, PA's undefeated prospect Teon Kennedy in an eight-round main event on Friday, July 18 at the New Alhambra in Philadelphia.

Snow (10-0, eight KO's) has not fought since winning by second-round TKO over Terrance Roy on December 15. Snow had two bouts against Tyrell Samuel cancelled.

Kennedy (8-0, four KO's) is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over Castulo Gonzalez on March 7 in Philadelphia.

Guerrero, Buchanan Opponents Named!

The seven-day period of June 20-27 continues to be a big one for Beltway Boxers. On Saturday, June 21, undefeated Salisbury, MD middleweight Fernando Guerrero (7-0, seven KO's) fights for the eighth time this year, taking on Omid "The Sandman" Bahreini (2-2, two KO's) of Conway, AK at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis, TN. This will be a non-televised bout on the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast that features undefeated prospects Andre Berto and Chris Arreola in separate bouts.

Guerrero scored his fourth first-round knockout of his pro career in his last outing against Chuck Orso on May 24 in Tunica, MS. Bahreini is also coming off a first-round knockout victory. Bahreini stopped Ryan Hord on March 8 in Fort Smith, AK.

Meanwhile, the opponent for Capitol Heights, MD super middleweight Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan for his eight-round contest on Wednesday, June 25 at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA has been announced. Buchanan (16-1, 11 KO's) will battle Brian "The Assassin" Norman of Decatur, GA (16-7, four KO's).

Buchanan last fought on March 3 in Carson, CA, winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Ross Thompson. Norman is coming off a close, eight-round majority decision loss to Demetrius Davis on May 3 at the District Heights Municipal Center in District Heights, MD. This bout will be the televised co-feature on ESPN2's Wednesday Night Fights.

Amateur Boxing Comes to Henderson Hall July 19!

While the pro card that was slated for Henderson Hall in Arlington, VA in June was called off, there will be an amateur card headed to that facility on Saturday, July 19.

The card will be called "July Justice," and is slated to feature some of the better boxers in the Commonwealth. The first bout on the card is scheduled to start at six PM.

In other amateur news, the Junior Olympic Nationals take place in Marquette, Michigan on June 17-21. I will let you know now that posting of results from that event here will be a little sketchy because I will be taking a short break from BATB during that week.

Also, NBC will be showing highlights from the recent USA Boxing Olympic Invitational that took place in Bridgeport, CT. The Beltway's own Gary Russell, Jr. participated in that event. The telecast will be on Saturday, June 14 at 3 PM ET with Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas (NBC's Olympic Boxing announcers) calling the action.

Martin Loses in Philadelphia!

Baltimore featherweight Darrell Martin lost a four-round unanimous decision to Philadelphia's Paul Fernandez tonight at the Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.

After a strong first round, Martin faded throughout the rest of the contest as Fernandez's strong body shots took their toll.

Martin has now lost three in a row and his record is now 2-4.

Also on the card, Cumberland, MD junior middleweight Dontre King lost his pro debut by second-round TKO to Steve O'Meara of London, England (2-0, one KO) and junior welterweight Randolph Scott of Salisbury, MD lost his pro debut to Philadelphia's Gerald Smith by a four-round majority decision. Both Beltway Boxers were late additions to this card.

Holly Loses in Brooklyn; Samuel, Orji Off Philadelphia Card!

DC junior welterweight Reggie "The Mechanic" Holly lost by a four-round unanimous decision to Stephane Malenou last night at the Aviator Sports Arena in Brooklyn, NY. Holly's record is now 7-4, two KO's while Malenou evens his record at 5-5-1.

By the way, the two co-feature bouts on this card as well as one exciting swing bout were on ESPN2 and the matchmaker of the card was our very own Chris Middendorf. ESPN2 analyst Teddy Atlas took a moment during the telecast to praise Middendorf for the competitive bouts.

As we move to Friday, June 6 in Philadelphia, it looks like Baltimore featherweight Tyrell Samuel and Laurel, MD super featherweight Ikem Orji are both of this card. Boxrec.com has taken both their names off the card at the Blue Horizon.

'Mechanic' Holly Slated to Compete in Brooklyn, NY Tonight!

DC junior welterweight Reggie "The Mechanic" Holly is a late addition to tonight's card at the Aviator Sports Arena in Brooklyn, NY. Holly (7-3, two KO's) will take on Cameroon native Stephane Malenou (4-5-1) in a four-round bout.

Holly has not fought since losing a six-round unanimous decision to Bayan Jargal at the Fight Night charity boxing card in DC on November 8. For Malenou, this will be the first bout in the United States, having fought all of his bouts in France. Malenou will be looking to break a three-bout losing streak.

The two co-feature bouts will be televised tonight on ESPN2. No word if Holly's bout makes the telecast.

Press Continues Coverage of Peterson Saga!

The monetary and contract situations involving the Undefeated Peterson Brothers continue to gain national and international press. Here are two articles that do a fine job of bringing out more details of the situation. Please read both carefully, before drawing opinions.

This one comes from one of the premier writers in boxing -- Thomas Hauser of Secondsout.com -- who wrote this article for ESPN.com:

"http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3414631">

Then comes this article from one of the better investigative boxing writers in the world -- Michael Swann of 15Rounds.com:

"http://www.15rounds.com/Columns/mswann/point-060308.php">

Paschall Added to June 13 Du Burns Arena Card!

(updated with new information)

Not wanting to rest on the laurels that came from the biggest victory of his young pro career, undefeated Pasadena, MD super middleweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall has been added to the Baltimore Pro Boxing card on Friday, June 13 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

Paschall is now slated to take on Joe Park of Florence, SC (7-3, five KO's) in a six-round contest. Paschall (17-0-1, four KO's) comes off an eight-round unanimous decision win over Larry Marks on May 29 in Glen Burnie. Park lost his last two bouts to undefeated prospects LaJuan Simon and Marcus Upshaw.

There is a possibility that Paschall will take on veteran Philadelphia super middleweight Jameel "Black Gold" Wilson on the July 25th card at Du Burns.

Also on this card, Eldersburg, MD light heavyweight Mark "TNT" Tucker will take on Khalil Farah of Philadelphia. Tucker (3-0, three first round knockouts) is coming off a knockout of Gary Lavender on April 18 in Pikesville. Farah (3-2, one KO, one NC) has won his last three bouts, including a four-round unanimous decision over Juergen Hartenstein on January 25 in Philadelphia.

Ellicott City, MD cruiserweight Robert McConnell (0-1) will look for his first win when he takes on North Carolina's Octavius Davis (0-0-1) and two middleweight Beltway Boxers will make pro debuts against one another -- Baltimore's Keith Gross takes on Orlando Paugh of Laurel, MD.

Also, Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell is still scheduled to appear on this card. We do know that Mitchell will not be facing Baltimore's Askia Schneider. Schneider is still suffering from his training injuries.

Kevin Johnson Profiled in Baltimore Examiner!

After his victorious pro debut last Thursday night at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD, Baltimore heavyweight Kevin Johnson was profiled by the Baltimore Examiner. The nice profile was written by Eric Detweiler.

Here's the link:

"http://www.examiner.com/a-1417359~Kevin_Johnson__a_36_year_old_Baltimore_native__defeats_Glen_Burnie_s_Danny_Kisner.html?cid=rss-Baltimore">

Beltway Boxing Update!

I have been bombarded with a lot of news items in the last 48 hours, so I decided to put them all in one post.

For those who could not hear the latest BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up, there is some news about the Friday, June 13 Baltimore Pro Boxing card at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore. The main event is slated to be a rematch between undefeated Baltimore middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow and Temple Hills, MD's Jason Champion. Nicklow defeated Champion by a six-round unanimous decision on December 7, 2006 in Pikesville.

Nicklow (17-0-1, seven KO's) is coming off a solid third-round TKO over Chad Greenleaf on April 18 in Pikesville. Champion (4-3, three KO's) lost to both Nicklow and Tim Coleman in consecutive outings before breaking his two-bout losing streak with a first-round KO over Kenneth Meeks on May 18, 2007 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

Also on the card, Middle River, MD's Tony "Cyclone" Cygan will battle Akron, OH's Anthony Little. Cygan (12-2, seven KO's) has not fought since participating in the 2007 Beltway Boxing Bout of the Year against John Mackey on December 7 in Pikesville. Cygan lost a six-round unanimous decision. This will be the third trip to Maryland for Little (7-10-1, one KO). Little lost twice to Nicklow by unanimous decision in Ocean City and Pikesville. Little will also be trying to break an eight-bout winless streak (0-7-1).

Clinton, MD super middleweight Demetrius Davis will also be on the card as he will battle undefeated Tommy Karpency of Adah, PA. Davis (18-14-4, seven KO's) is coming off a solid performance, winning an eight-round majority decision over Brian Norman on May 3 at the District Heights Municipal Center in District Heights, MD. Karpency (11-0, seven KO's) stopped veteran Etienne Whitaker in the third round on April 26 in Morgantown, WVA.

Also slated for this card are undefeated Eldersburg, MD cruiserweight Mark "TNT" Tucker and Ellicott City, MD cruiser Robert McConnell.

Also on June 13, "The Berlin Bomber" Joshua Snyder of Berlin, MD will battle the undefeated and aforementioned John "No Mercy" Mackey of Montgomery, AL, by way of DC at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, PA. The two co-feature bouts on this card are scheduled to be on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. The Snyder-Mackey bout is slated to be the main swing bout, meaning it stands at least a 50-50 chance of getting on TV.

Snyder (6-3, three KO's) has won four of his last five bouts, including a fourth-round TKO over Charles Norwood on February 23 in Winchester, VA. Mackey (9-0, three KO's) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over Alexander Mancera on February 8 in Dover, DE.

Let's go back a week to Friday, June 6, where the changes to the card at the Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia continue. DC super featherweight Ron "Teflon" Boyd will not participate on that card and he has been replaced by undefeated Laurel, MD super featherweight Ikem "The Warrior" Orji. Orji (3-0, one KO) will take on fellow undefeated fighter Gerald Smith of Philadelphia (2-0, one KO).

And if that wasn't enough, we should mention that cruiserweight Harvey Jolley of Detroit, MI, who knocked out Jonathan Felton this past Thursday night at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, has been inserted into the main event bout on this card. Jolley (8-8-1, five KO's) will face undefeated Adam Harris of Worcester, MA (10-0, seven KO's) in a scheduled eight-round contest. Jolley replaces Elieser Castillo who broke his hand in training.

The co-feature remains Tyrell Samuel of Baltimore (9-2, five KO's) against Jules Blackwell of Phoenixville, PA (7-0-2, two KO's) in an eight-round contest. Baltimore featherweight Darrell Martin will also be on the card.

Baltimore cruiserweight Corey "Black Ice" Cummings won a six-round unanimous decision over John Douglas last night in Monticello, NY. So that sets the stage for his Friday, June 20th 10-round bout against former world champion Montell "Ice" Griffin in Chicago, IL. Cummings comes into the Griffin bout with a record of 16-2, 12 KO's while Griffin is 48-7, 30 KO's. There are bouts on the card that will televised on Telefutura, but we're not sure that Cummings-Griffin will be one of them.

However, there will be a Beltway Boxer on TV on Friday, June 20th. That will be Riverdale, MD heavyweight Horace "The Reason" Grant. Grant (12-1, seven KO's) will make his national TV debut from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas as he takes on Augusta, GA's Kevin "Big Man" Burnett (12-1-1, eight KO's). According to the schedule, this bout will be the co-feature on an ESPN2 doubleheader of heavyweight bouts. The main event matches Alonzo Butler and Friday "The 13th" Ahunanya.

To reiterate an earlier post, that means at least three Beltway Boxers will be on national TV during the seven-day period between June 20 and June 27: Grant on the 20th, Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan on June 25th from the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA (also on ESPN2) and Anthony Peterson on June 26 from Las Vegas on Versus. If Cummings makes the Telefutura broadcast on June 20, that will, of course, make four.

And add this information: One of our very own ring announcers, the one and only Henry "Discombobulating" Jones will be traveling to Houston, TX and the Reliant Center Complex to announce a Friday, July 18 card that will feature Perry Ballard taking on former world champion Hector "Macho" Camacho, Sr. The card is slated to appear on DirecTV.

Rahman Agrees to Toney Rematch in July!

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman and former three-division world titlist James Toney have agreed to a rematch of their March 2006 draw.

The two will meet in a scheduled 12-around contest on Saturday, July 16 at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, CA. Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KO's) has not fought since stopping Zuri Lawrence in the 10th round on November 15 in Reading, PA. This will be the first bout for Toney (70-6-3, 43 KO's) since winning a 10-round split decision over Danny Batchelder on May 24, 2007. Toney spent much of that time on suspension for testing positive for steroids after that bout. Batchelder was also on suspension after the bout for the same infraction.

"I think they're both marquee names, but they are at a crossroads in their careers," Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, which promotes Rahman, told Rafael. "It's all or nothing in a division that has suffered terribly with lackluster performances lately. The winner of the fight should be given the opportunity to fight for one of the titles."

"Top Rank and I and the fighters have agreed to the fight," Toney promoter Dan Goossen said. "It's a very tough division to have a high-profile fight in without it being for a world championship, but the winner of this fight will have another opportunity to fight for another championship."

UPDATE: Goossen has announced that the Rahman-Toney Rematch will be shown on Fox Sports Net during the "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

Rivera Stopped in Fourth in Pennsylvania!

George "Wartime" Rivera was stopped in the fourth round by Latif Mundy tonight in Monroeville, PA. Rivera did have a welt under his left eye, but it looked like Rivera may have had rib issues. The doctor stopped the bout at the end of the fourth.

Rivera's record falls to 8-2, three KO's. Mundy remains undefeated at 8-0, three KO's.

'Wartime' Rivera Tips Scales in Monroeville!

Charlottsville, VA junior middleweight George "Wartime" Rivera and his opponent, Latif Mundy of Philadelphia weighed in at the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds today for their nationally televised eight-round matchup tonight at the Expo Mart in Monroeville, PA.

The bout will be the opening matchup on the Telefutura network at 8 PM ET.

Results From Glen Burnie!

Here are the results from the Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:

Pasadena, MD super middleweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall put on a strong performance in winning an eight-round unanimous decision over veteran Larry "The Laser" Marks of New Castle, DE. Paschall controlled the action in the ring throughout and showed solid ring generalship that frustrated Marks. Judges Don Risher and Malik Waleed scored a shutout for Paschall, 80-72 while judge John Gradowski had it 78-74. Paschall is now 17-0-1, four KO's while Marks is 29-10-1, 16KO's.

Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell scored a crushing second-round technical knockout over Alexis Cruz Medina of Science Hill, KY. Mitchell was all business from the opening bell and eventually landed a crushing right hand that had Medina bouncing off the ropes onto his knees and out. Referee Gary Camponeschi stopped the bout immediately at 1:23 of the second. Mitchell is now 3-0-1, two KO's while Medina is 0-4-1.

Debuting Baltimore heavyweight Kevin Johnson registered a fourth-round TKO over Glen Burnie's Danny Kisner. During the bout, Kisner suffered a injury to his right shoulder. The shoulder started to really hurt in the third round but Kisner was able to finish it. But Johnson put Kisner away with a right hand that dropped Kisner. Referee John Gradowski stopped the contest at 20 seconds of the fourth. Kisner was taken to a nearby hospital and was unable to be in the corner to coach Paschall. Kisner now has a record of 1-1, one KO.

Also on the card, Adrian, MI cruiserweight Harvey "Candy Man" Jolley scored a crushing first-round TKO over "The People's Champion" Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA. Jolley used great hand speed and two crushing right hands to drop Felton twice before the bout was stopped at 1:14 of the round. Jolley is now 8-8-1, five KO's while Felton is 5-10, five KO's.

Brooklyn, NY light heavyweight William Jeter knocked out debuting Calvin "Shotgun" Aughtry of DC in the third round. Jeter almost knocked out Aughtry with the first punch he threw in the bout, but Aughtry was game before being stopped by a Jeter right hand at 2:02 of the third. Jeter is now 2-0, one KO.

The co-feature of the card saw Carney "The Fireman" Bowman of York, PA remain undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Edward Valdez of Brooklyn, NY. Bowman looked sharp throughout the contest using solid rights against Valdez, who fought primarily to survive the contest. Bowman is now 10-0, four KO's while Valdez falls to 3-5-2, two KO's.

Here is the complete BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up which includes interviews and late-breaking news about upcoming Beltway Boxing events.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #109 - Post-Fight From the Ballroom!

"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I discuss the results of tonight's card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD. Included are interviews with Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall and Ballroom Boxing Promoter Scott Wagner.

Scale Watch from Glen Burnie!

Here are the weights for tomorrow night's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD:


Mike Paschall 166 vs. Larry Marks 171 1/4

Seth Mitchell 243 1/4 vs. Alexis Cruz Medina 241 1/4

Danny Kisner 231 1/4 vs. Kevin Johnson 201 1/4

Jonathan Felton 224 3/4 vs. Harvey Jolley 196

Carney Bowman 131 3/4 vs. Edward Valdez 131

William Jeter 173 1/4 vs. Calvin Aughtrey 171 1/4

The "rematch" between Felton and Baltimore's Askia Snyder will not take place because Snyder suffered injured ribs reportedly while sparring with Tony Thompson. Jolley of Adrian, MI (7-8-1, four KO's) is a fill-in who has fought twice before in the Ballroom, losing by first-round knockout to Horace Grant in November 2007 and stopping Richard Gingras in the third round on the April 3 Ballroom card. Eight days later, Jolley lost a four-round unanimous decision to Kasim Howard in Miami Florida.

Jeter, a native of Brooklyn, NY, is undefeated (1-0, one NC) and won his last bout --a four-round majority decision over Corey Washington on May 3 in District Heights, MD.

Catch my Youcastr.com show TONIGHT at 10 PM ET for my thoughts on the Paschall-Marks matchup and a lot more!

Martin Added to June 6 Blue Horizon Card in Philadelphia!

Baltimore featherweight Darrell Martin has been added to the Friday, June 6 card at the Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, PA. Martin (2-3) will be trying to break a two-bout losing streak when he faces Paul Fernandez of Philadelphia (2-1-1, two KO's) in a four-round bout.

If everything holds to plan, then there will be three Beltway Boxers on this card. Baltimore featherweight Tyrell "Da Show Shock 'A" Samuel is still scheduled to be in the eight-round co-feature when he takes on undefeated Jules Blackwell. Both Martin and Samuel are trained by former IBF Junior Middleweight champion Vincent "The Ambassador" Pettway. Also, DC super featherweight Ron "Teflon" Boyd will take on Gerald Smith in a four-round bout.

Guerrero Wins in First-Round; Barnett Opponent Pulls Out!

Another win, another knockout for Salisbury, MD middleweight Fernando Guerrero. The undefeated rookie scored a first-round TKO over Chuck Orso of McIntosh, AL on an outdoor card at Fitzgerald's Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MS on May 24. Guerrero stopped Orso at 2:41 of the opening stanza. This was the third straight time Orso has been stopped in the first round. Both James Moore and John Duddy stopped Orso in the first.

Speaking of first-round knockouts, this is the fourth time that Guerrero has registered a first-round knockout in his young pro career as he raises his record to 7-0, seven KO's.

Here's a description of the action from Michael Sheffield from Memphisboxing.com:

Emerging fan favorite Fernando Guerrero (7-0) made short work of Chuck Orso (4-7 3 KOs) in a scheduled 4 Round Middleweight bout. In typical Guerrero fashion, the fighter circled Orso like prey before unleashing a pair of lethal hooks that dropped him twice in 45 seconds. Guerrero dropped Orso twice more before referee Randy Phillips stopped the fight at 2:41 of the first round.

Undefeated DC junior welterweight Ty Barnett was slated to be on this card, but his opponent, Hector Baltran, pulled out of the bout at the last minute. Barnett (13-0-1, nine KO's) is reportedly scheduled to be on a card in the Cayman Islands on Friday, June 20. Barnett will reportedly take on Pavel Miranda of Tijuana, Mexico (15-1, eight KO's). This is the same card where former WBC Bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough is slated to make his return.

Barnett, Guerrero In Action Tonight in Mississippi!

Undefeated Beltway Boxers Ty Barnett and Fernando Guerrero will be involved in a card at Fitzgerald's Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MS tonight.

DC lightweight Barnett (13-0-1, nine KO's) will take on "Handsome" Hector Beltran (11-1-1, 10 KO's) of Dallas, TX in a six-round bout. Barnett is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over veteran and former world title contender John "The Eastern Beast" Brown on January 26 in Tunica. Beltran's lofty record is, frankly, somewhat deceiving. Beltran has only fought two boxers with winning records and he didn't beat either of them. One of Beltran's victories was against a fighter who had 99 losses going into the bout.

Salisbury, MD middleweight Guerrero (6-0, six KO's) will be in a four-round contest against Chuck Orso (4-7, three KO's) of McIntosh, AL. Guerrero is coming off a third-round TKO over Anthony Bowman on April 26 in Tunica. Guerrero will be the third straight undefeated boxer Orso has faced. Orso lost by first-round knockout to James Moore and John Duddy in his last two outings.

Mayes Loses By Split Decision!

Baltimore light heavyweight Henry "Hurricane" Mayes lost a six-round split decision in his rematch against Joe McCreedy of Lowell, MA on the undercard of the ESPN2 card in Lincoln, RI tonight.

No details on the bout yet but Fightnews.com reports that one judge saw the bout for Mayes at 58-57 while McCreedy won on the other two cards, 60-56 and 58-56.

Mayes's record falls to 7-6-1, four KO's while McCreedy's record is now 8-2, five KO's.

Mayes Tips the Scales in Rhode Island!

Baltimore light heavyweight Henry "Hurricane" Mayes tipped the scales at 174 1/2 for his rematch against Joe McCreedy tonight at the Twin Rivers Event Center in Lincoln, RI. McCreedy weighed in at 171 1/2.

This card is an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights event, but no word yet on whether this bout will make TV. Mayes (7-5-1, four KO's) will try to make it two straight against McCreedy (7-2, five KO's) tonight. The telecast begins at 9 PM ET.

Bouts Added to May 29 Ballroom Card!

The Ballroom Boxing card slated for Thursday, May 29 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD is starting to fill out. Here are some bouts that have been added to the card.

The "rematch" between heavyweights "The People's Champion" Jonathan Felton of Stafford, VA and Baltimore's Askia Snyder will be on this card in another four-round bout. Back on January 31 at Michael's, the two men made national press when they brawled before the bell even rang. Felton comes in with a record of 5-9, five KO's. Snyder was making his pro debut on the January 31 card and has one no contest on his record.

Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell (2-0-1, one KO) makes his Ballroom Boxing debut as he faces Alexis Cruz Medina (0-3-1) of Science Hill, KY in a four-round matchup.

Glen Burnie heavyweight Danny Kisner (1-0, one KO) returns to ring action as he takes on debuting Kevin Johnson of Baltimore.

Baltimore junior middleweight Cecil McCalla makes his pro debut against "The Capitol Punisher" Spencer Harsley of DC (1-6-2). Also middleweight Shelly Seivert of Severna Park, MD (2-1, one KO) will make her Ballroom debut against an opponent to be named.

In the six-round co-feature, undefeated super featherweight Carney "Beeper" Bowman of York, PA (9-0, four KO's) returns to the Ballroom to take on New York's Edward Valdez (3-5-2, two KO's). Also, undefeated Denver, CO's Terrence Crawford (2-0, two KO's) will return against an opponent to be announced.

The main event for this card remains the same: Undefeated Pasadena, MD super middleweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall (16-0-1, four KO's) steps up in competition against former world title contender Larry "The Laser" Marks of New Castle, DE (29-9-1, 16 KO's) in a bout that will be scheduled for either eight or 10 rounds.

I will have a detailed preview on this card this weekend.

Beltway Amateur Update!

This late congratulatory note from the recent National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

DC's Kevin Rivers was awarded the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award at the competition for his weight class (119 pounds). Rivers reached the semifinals of the event. Working with Rivers in his corner were Beltway legend Andrew Council and Robert Matney, the president of the Virginia Association of USA Boxing LBC #12.

The next major amateur event will be the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships in Marquette, MI on June 17-21.

Once again, the Beltway will be well represented at the nationals by virtue of performances at the East Central Regional Junior Olympics that were held on May 16 and 17 in Wilmington, DE. Courtesy of Coach Matney, here are the winners from the competition:

Junior:
65 pounds: Devonte Jefferson
75 pounds: Zimmie Dickinson
85 pounds: Mykal Fox
90 pounds: Raquil Hayes
95 pounds: Lamont Roach
119 pounds: Kareem Martin

Intermediate:

75 pounds: Lawrence Singh
85 pounds: Malik Jackson
90 pounds: Gervonta Davis
101 pounds: Daquan Love
106 pounds: Romelo Webster
110 pounds: Elijah Mack
119 pounds: Parris Chisholm
125 pounds: Kevin Harris
138 pounds: Justin Hurd
145 pounds: Karran Richardson

Senior: (These boxers will be going to the Nationals in Michigan)

106 pounds: Anthony Burgin
110 pounds: Miguel Cartegena
114 pounds: Tavon Frazier
119 pounds: Shadeed Floyd
125 pounds: Damon Allen
132 pounds: Sultahn Staton
138 pounds: Alantez Fox
145 pounds: Chris Warden
154 pounds: D'Mitrius Ballard
165 pounds: Jerry Odom
189 pounds: Lamar Richards

'Sugar Poo' Buchanan Heads to Playboy Mansion June 25!

For the second straight year, a Beltway Boxer will be part of the annual boxing card at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA.

Capitol Heights, MD super middleweight Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan (14-1, 11 KO's) will be in the co-feature bout at the annual invitation-only event on Wednesday, June 25. Buchanan will be in the 10-round co-feature that will be part of the ESPN2 telecast. His opponent is slated to be Derrick "Superman" Findley of Gary, IN (11-2, six KO's).

In February of 2007, Tony "The Tiger" Thompson was in the main event of this card and captured the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Timor Ibragimov.

By the way, this means we have confirmed that six Beltway Boxers will make TV appearances this summer. This includes three during the seven-day period from June 20-27 (Corey Cummings - June 20, Buchanan and Anthony Peterson - June 26)

Orji Wins Majority Decision in Delaware!

Laurel, MD junior welterweight Ikem "The Warrior" Orji won a four-round unanimous decision over Juan Oscar Vasquez of Newark, DE at the "Battle at the Beach" card at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes, DE.

Here's how my Fightnews.com colleague Rick Scharmberg saw the bout from ringside:

Orji, a southpaw, and Vasquez are both speedsters, and they engaged in a chessmatch for the first three rounds. Vasquez (1-1) narrowly took the opener with several right-left combinations, as Orji (3-0, one KO) studied him.

The second and third rounds were also very close, as Orji used his jab, and Vasquez worked his straight right. Action finally heated up in the final round with several heated exchanges. Orji sealed his victory by winning this round landing several straight left hands that Vasquez had no answer for.

The final scores were 40-36 and 39-37 for Orji, and 38-38. Fightnews also saw it even at 38-38.

What makes Orji's record interesting is that after he won his pro debut by second-round TKO on November 9 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD, he has won his last two bouts by close decision (one split and one majority) on the road, in other boxers's hometowns. Orji's last bout was a split-decision against the debuting Juan Gonzalez of Chicago, IL in nearby Villa Park, IL on April 11.

Beltway Pros Begin Active Summer!

A number of Beltway Pros are slated for action in the next three months. Some of the contests are scheduled for national television.

As of now (with bouts subject to change without notice), here is how the schedule looks (national tv dates in bold and italic)

Saturday, May 17 , Lewes, DE -- Laurel, MD junior welterweight Ikem "The Warrior" Orji (2-0, one KO) vs. Oscar Vasquez (1-0).

Friday, May 23, Lincoln, RI -- Baltimore super middleweight Henry "Hurricane" Mayes (7-5-1, four KO's) vs. Joe McCreedy (7-2, five KO's). This is a rematch from an April 4 bout that Mayes won by six-round unanimous decision.

Thursday, May 29, Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD -- I will get a full preview of this card for you next week but so far the card has "The Persecutor" Mike Paschall vs. Larry "The Laser" Marks as well as the "rematch" between "The People's Champion" Jonathan Felton and Askia Snyder. Also, Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell has reportedly been added to the card.

Friday, May 30, Monroeville, PA --Charlottsville, VA junior middleweight "Wartime" George Rivera (8-1, three KO's) vs. Latif Mundy (7-0, two KO's) in an eight-round co-feature on the Telefutura Network.

Friday, May 30, Monticello, NY -- Baltimore cruiserweight Corey "Black Ice" Cummings (15-2, 12 KO's) vs. John Douglas (6-12, three KO's). Scheduled for six rounds.

Friday, June 6, Philadelphia, PA -- Baltimore featherweight Tyrell "Da Show Shock'A" Samuel (9-2, five KO's) vs. Jules Blackwell (7-0-2, two KO"s) in a scheduled eight-round bout at the Legendary Blue Horizon. Also slated for this card is DC super featherweight Ron "Teflon" Boyd (5-3, two KO's) taking on undefeated Gerald Smith (2-0, one KO) of Philadelphia.

Friday, June 13, Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, MD -- No official word on matchups but Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow is slated to headline.

(JUST ADDED) Friday, June 20, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL -- Corey Cummings is slated to take on former WBC Light Heavyweight champion Montell Griffin in a nationally televised 10-round bout on Telefutura. Which "ICE" will melt in this one: "Black Ice" Cummings or "Ice" Griffin?

Thursday, June 26, Las Vegas, NV -- Anthony Peterson (26-0, 19 KO's) vs. TBA on the Versus Network.

Saturday, June 28, Henderson Hall, Arlington. VA -- No official word yet on who will be on this card, but reportedly "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles and Todd "White Lightning" Wilson are slated to appear.

Saturday, July 5, Las Vegas, NV -- Lamont Peterson (24-0, 11 KO's) vs. Henry Bruseles (27-3-1, 15 KO's). A victory for Peterson in this Showtime bout could mean a world title shot against the winner of the main event on this card, either Ricardo Torres or Kendall Holt.

Saturday, July 12, Hamburg, Germany -- Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (31-1, 19 KO's) vs. Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KO's). Thompson's challenge for Klitschko's IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles. HBO will televise.

Notes: Boxrec has the Petersons's scheduled listed with opposite dates (Lamont on June 26, Anthony on July 5) but I have talked to the Peterson camp and they assured me that it is the way I have it listed.

I am trying to confirm the Samuel bout. The press release on the bout has been filtering through many boxing sites.

There are also reported TV appearances scheduled for undefeated Beltway prospects Fernando Guerrero (two ESPN dates) and Ty Barnett (Showtime). No dates have been officially scheduled.

Beltway Pros Lose in Tri-State Bouts!

Two Beltway Boxers lost bouts in Philadelphia and New Jersey on Friday night.

Baltimore, MD junior lightweight Darrell Martin lost a four-round unanimous decision to Anthony Flores of Philadelphia at the New Alhambra in Philadelphia. According to written accounts, Martin was game but outgunned as he lost 40-36 on all three judges's scorecards. Martin's record is now 2-3 while Flores rises to 2-0, one KO.

At Bally's in Atlantic City, NJ, Woodbridge, VA super bantamweight Andre "Clockwork" Nichols was stopped in the sixth round by Jae-Sun Lee of Seoul, South Korea. According to reports, Nichols hung in the bout early but when he stayed in front of Lee, he was pressured until the referee stopped the contest. Nichols's record is now even at 3-3, two KO's while Lee now has a record of 9-1-1, six KO's.

Russell Jr. Returns with Victory in USA Boxing Invitational!

US Olympian Gary Russell, Jr. of Capitol Heights, MD returned to action with a victory at the first USA Boxing Invitational in Bridgeport, CT last night.

Normally a bantamweight, Russell fought as a featherweight and defeated Robson Conceicao of Brazil by a 27-8 final decision. The bout was Russell's first since the world championships last October in Chicago. Russell has been nursing a shoulder injury since that time.

UPDATE: In a recent article on Boxingtalk.com, writer Kirk Lang had this to say about Russell's performance during this event:


"Bantamweight Gary Russell, Jr. took the American squad to 2-0, in front of an announced crowd of 3,473, with a dominant 27-8 points win over Brazil’s Robson Conceicao. Russell’s win was even more impressive considering he had stepped up to the featherweight division to take on Conceicao and hadn’t fought since the 2007 AIBA World Championships back in October. Russell’s incredible hand speed often had Conceicao in retreat mode - and that was just in the opening round. His rapid-fire bursts of leather made it tough for Conceicao to find opportunities to land. Although Russell likes to mix up his punches, he blasted Conceicao with the straight left hand four times in a row early in the third frame. The fourth and final round started off a little slow but Russell picked it up by the end of the stanza. He registered seven landed punches while Conceicao only got credit for three connects. Russell is definitely "one to watch." There was no trophy for "boxer of the night," but if there had been, Russell would have deserved it."


The story of the Russell Family was the subject of a very nice article by Chris Elsberry that appeared in the Connecticut Post. Here is the link:

"http://www.connpost.com/ci_9199485?source=most_emailed">

Rivers Falls in Semis at Golden Gloves!

Kevin Rivers of DC lost his semi-final bout to Roman Morales of California by decision at the National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, MI.

Rivers was the last Beltway Boxer remaining at the event.

Results From Fredericksburg!

Caroline, VA cruiserweight Adam "The Real Deal" Seal stopped Derek "D-Mos" Amos of Dumfries, VA in the fourth round of the main event in front of a partisan crowd at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, VA. The card was the maiden promotion for Counter Punch Promotions.

Seal was on the offensive throughout the contest, almost dropping Amos early. Amos was able to survive but by the second round, Amos's balance betrayed him. Amos lost a point in the third round for spitting out his mouthpiece to stop a Seal onslaught. In the fourth, Seal put Amos away with a flurry of punches that forced referee Joe Cooper to stop the bout at 41 seconds of the round.

Seal's record is 5-1, four KO's. Amos's record falls to 11-26, nine KO's.

In a battle of veteran journeymen, the co-feature saw Marcus Brashers of Wichita, TX win a six-round unanimous decision over Edward "Nucky" Anderson of Richmond, VA. Brashers dropped Anderson in the first round with a left hand, but the always-tough, 47-year-old Anderson came back and took everything Brashers could dish out and even returned the favor at times. Brashers, was the busier boxer and captured the decision. Judge Gail Carpenter scored the bout 60-53. Judge Bill Osterman saw it 59-55 while Judge Jerry Payne scored it much closer at 57-56.

Brashers's record rises to 5-9-1, two KO's. Anderson drops to 4-12, three KO's.

In other bouts on the card, the six-bout winning streak of Alexandria, VA's Jaime "The Punisher" Palma was stopped by Canada's Sebastian Hamel as Hamel won a four-round unanimous decision. Hamel knocked down Palma with a right hand late in the first round. Hamel is now 7-13-1, one KO while Palma falls to 13-11-1, three KO's.

Oxon Hill, MD's Alexander "The Great" Johnson remained undefeated with a solid four-round unanimous decision over the debuting Francois Ambang of Richmond, by way of Cameroon. Johnson's solid jab was a major key in this victory. Johnson is now 5-0, three KO's.

Light heavyweight Scott "Cujo" Sigmon of Bedford, VA made his pro debut a successful one with a fourth-round TKO over Abdul Gilliard of Richmond, who loses for the first time as a pro and he is now 2-1, one KO.

Welterweight Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton of Richmond won his pro debut, capturing a four-round split decision over DC's Arick Washington.

The start of the card was delayed about an hour because the originally-contacted EMT service could not come to the card. Another service was used.

Here is the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up with myself and Joe Hensley:

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #108 - Post-Fight From Fredericksburg!

Not even a one-hour delay could stop the Counter Punch Promotions card from being a good one. Major League Boxing.com's Joe Hensley and I discuss it.

Rivers Remains In National Golden Gloves!

And then, there was one. Only one Beltway Boxer remains in the competition at the National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, MI.

Kevin Rivers of DC advanced to the semi-finals of the 119-pound division with a decision over Christian Faz of Texas.

The other two Beltway Boxers remaining -- DC's Jarrett Hurd and Ferndale's Nick Kisner -- were both eliminated in tonight's competition. Hurd lost a decision to Charles Howard of Cincinnati in the 165-pound division whle Kisner lost by decision to Jeremiah Graziano of Kansas City in the 201-pound class.

'Clockwork' Nichols on Atlantic City ESPN2 Card!

Woodbridge, VA super featherweight Andre "Clockwork" Nichols will be on the undercard of the ESPN2 card tomorrow night at Bally's in Atlantic City, NJ.

Nichols (3-2, two KO's) will battle Jae-Sung Lee of Seoul, South Korea (8-1-1, five KO's) in a six-round bout. No word on whether the bout will make the ESPN2 telecast. Nichols has not fought since stopping Yieta Johnson in the third round on December 15 in Dulles, VA. Lee fought to a six-round draw with Jules Blackwell on March 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Nichols weighed in at 123 3/4 while Lee tipped the scales at 123 1/2.

Amateur Card Comes to Du Burns Arena May 16!

Baltimore Boxing Promotions will have an all-amateur card on Friday, May 16 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

One of the key bouts on the card will be a heavyweight contest between Baltimore's Steve Wheeler and Salisbury, MD's Alex Guerrero, the brother of undefeated pro Fernando Guerrero. There are 12 bouts slated for the card.

Baltimore Boxing is also working on the next pro card, which is scheduled for Friday, June 13, also at DuBurns. Three bouts are already signed for the card. Undefeated Arlington,VA welterweight Bayan Jargal is slated to take on Carlos Cisneros of Riverdale, MD. Tony "Mo Better" Jeter of Baltimore is scheduled to take on Ohio veteran Don "The Wildman" Shrock while John Terry of Portsmouth, VA will take on Pennsylvania light heavy Jimmy Lubash. Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow and Mark "TNT" Tucker are also scheduled to be on the card.

Beltway Boxers Have Tough Time at National Golden Gloves!

As the competition gets stronger at the National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, MI, the Beltway representatives are having a tougher time of it. Only three Beltway Boxers remain in the competition.

Wednesday's action saw Kevin Rivers of DC advance in the 119-pound division with a decision over Shavez Peters of New York. Also, Jarrett Hurd of DC won his bout in the 165-pound class with a decision over Celso Campoverde of California. Ferndale, MD's Nick Kisner also advanced with a decision over Robert Jekabsons of Chicago.

Four Beltway Boxers lost bouts last night. Francis Taylor lost his 112-pound bout to Oscar Cantu of Texas by decision. Cordaro Simpkins of Virginia dropped a decision to Omar Pena of New England in the 132-pound division. Marquis Moore of Fort Washington fell to Daniel O'Connor of New England in the 141-pound class. Also, Jeremiah Wiggins of DC lost a decision to Noel Esqueda of the Kansas/Oklahoma team in the 152-pound division.

May 17 Winchester Card Postponed!

The Left Hook Promotions boxing card that was slated for Saturday, May 17 has been postponed. Injuries to key boxers on the card forced the postponment of the card. Front Royal lightweight Andrew "Doo Man" Farmer is nursing a shoulder injury while Front Royal cruiserweight Terry "T-Brick" Roy has an arm injury.

No new date has been announced for the card.

Beltway Has Even Day at National Golden Gloves!

Today's action at the National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, MI saw Beltway Boxers win two bouts and lose two.

In the 119-pound class, Kevin Rivers of DC stopped Fernando Parks of Knoxville, TN in the third round. Jeremiah Wiggins of DC also won his first bout in the 152-pound class, capturing a decision over Juan Gonzalez of Nevada.

Meanwhile, Thomas Williams of Laurel, MD lost his first bout in the 178-pound class, dropping a decision to J'Leon Love of Detroit, MI. Also, Andre Brickhouse of DC lost a decision to Chean Chess of Cincinnati, OH in the 201+ pound class.

Moore, Hurd, Kisner Victorious on First Day of Golden Gloves Competition!

Beltway Boxers won three bouts on the first day of the National Golden Gloves in Grand Rapids, MI yesterday.

In the 141-pound class, Marquis Moore of Fort Washington won his first bout by decision over Lance Williams of Iowa.

Jarrett Hurd of DC won his first contest in the 165-pound class as he decisioned Dane Henry of Omaha, NE.

And Ferndale, MD's Nick Kisner won his opening bout in the 201-pound division, defeating Michael Bissett of Knoxville, TN by decision.

One Beltway Boxer did not win his opening bout yesterday. Traon Bynum of DC lost his first bout in the 125-pound class to Salvador Ruiz of Toledo, OH by decision.

Photos From District Heights!

CD Brown from DC Urban Sports has some great photos from the Keystone Boxing card at the District Heights Municipal Center. Here is the link:

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