Beltway Boxing 2018 --The Year Of The Status Quo!

Welcome to our look back at Beltway Boxing 2018!  Before we start, on behalf of my writing and podcasting partner, Juan Marshall, I want to thank everyone for their support of what we have done throughout the year. 

As usual, we will hand out year-end awards in six categories:

Rookie of the Year

Prospect of the Year

Knockout of the Year

Bout of the Year

Card of the Year

Boxer of the Year

As usual, we start with an overview of the year, which we call “The Year Of The Status Quo.”  For the most part, things stayed the same in 2018 as they did in 2017.  The champions remained champions and the contenders remained contenders, although there was some serious improvement in the contender category by the end of the year.

Accokeek, MD’s “Swift” Jarrett Hurd would make the first big impact in the Beltway Boxing scene for 2018 on April 7th, winning a split decision over Erislandy Lara in Las Vegas, NV to become a multi-belt world super welterweight champion and one of the best boxers in the world.  The bout was one of the best in the boxing world in 2018.  Hurd would defend the titles on December 1st, scoring a fourth-round knockout over Jason Welborn in Los Angeles, CA.

On April 21st, Gervonta “Tank” Davis of Baltimore, MD would win his second world title, capturing the WBA Super Featherweight championship with a third-round decimation of Jesus Cuellar in Brooklyn, NY.

Capitol Heights, MD featherweight “Mr.” Gary Russell, Jr. made his annual appearance and won a unanimous decision over Joseph Diaz, Jr. on May 19th in Oxon Hill, MD to successfully defend his WBC Featherweight title.

The Beltway added a world champion this year as Baltimore’s “Heavy Hitting Diva” Franchon Crews Dezurn won a 10-round majority decision over Maricela Cornejo on September 13th in Las Vegas to capture the WBC Female Super Middleweight championship.

Also, after two tough losses earlier in the year, Tori “Sho Nuff” Nelson would successfully defend her UBF Middleweight championship with a 10-round unanimous decision over Sanna Turunen on December 1st in Washington, DC.

Local boxers would also win a number of regional titles in 2018.  Two of the belts would go to Bethesda, MD super flyweight Alexandru “Spartan” Marin.  The Romanian native would capture the IBO Inter-Continental title with a second-round knockout of Michael Ruiz, Jr. on April 14th in Norfolk, VA followed by the IBF Inter-Continental title with a 10-round split decision over Bruno Escalante on September 8th in Inglewood, CA.

Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. would battle Orlando Cruz to a 10-round draw in his first attempt at the WBO International title on April 19th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, three months later on July 20th, Roach would travel to Cancun, Mexico to win that same title with a sixth-round stoppage of Deivi Julio Bassa.  Roach would defend that title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto Mercado on December 15th in New York City.

The year started roughly for Laurel, MD super middleweight Demond “D’Best At It” Nicholson as he challenged for the NABF Super Middleweight title.  Nicholson was knocked out in the seventh round by Jesse Hart on April 28th in Philadelphia, PA.  Undeterred, Nicholson would bounce back to win the vacant WBC USNBC Super Middleweight crown with a sixth-round knockout of Isaac Rodrigues on August 18th in Hanover, MD.  Nicholson would defend the title with a second-round destruction of Fernando Castaneda on December 8th in Bowie, MD.

Also, Malik "Iceman" Hawkins won the NABA-USA Welterweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Raymond Serrano on March 30th in Philadelphia and "Slick" Nick Kisner won the NABA-USA Cruiserweight championship by unanimous decision over Brian Holstein on March 2nd in Columbus, OH.

Locally, Beltway Boxing took a slight tumble in the number of cards. There were 19 cards in 2018.  Maryland fell from 11 cards in 2017 to seven in 2018.  DC had four cards in 2018 compared to five the previous year.  Only Northern Virginia made a slight improvement, moving up one to four cards compared to three in 2017.

While the number of cards decreased, the amount of new venues in the Beltway increased.  Washington unveiled the Entertainment and Sports Arena in December.  Maryland had cards at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Live! Casino in Hanover and two shows at Bowie State University’s AC Jordan Arena.  Virginia went the fitness location route, having cards at the Michael and Son Sportsplex at Dulles in Sterling and Tysons Playground in Vienna.

Beltway Boxers were featured on national TV 16 times in 2018 with Tori Nelson, Jarrett Hurd, Lamont Roach, Jr. and Demond Nicholson each on twice.  Other locals on TV included Gervonta Davis, Mike Reed, Lamont Peterson, Glenn Dezurn, Jr., Franchon Crews Dezurn,
Gary Russell, Jr., Mykal Fox and DeMarcus Corley (against one another), Antonio Russell and Jessie Nicklow.

On the amateur side, much of the news centered around the Alexandria, VA trio of Keyshawn Davis, Troy Isley and Amelia Moore.  All three rose to elite status in 2018 and represented Team USA in many events around the world. 

 Davis, a lightweight, had an outstanding year, winning a gold medal at the Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, a silver at the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany and a gold medal at the USA Championships in Salt Lake City, UT.

Isley, a middleweight, would win a silver at the Strandja Tournament and, along with Davis compete in numerous dual meets for Team USA in Massachusetts, Tennessee and the Netherlands.

After a 2017 where she won four major championships, Moore joined the USA Women’s Elite team and made an impact in September by winning a gold medal in her first international tournament, the Boxam tournament in Castellon, Spain.  All three boxers have qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2019.

Another amateur who had an outstanding year was Jahmal Harvey of Oxon Hill, MD who won championships at the Junior Olympics and USA Nationals in 2018.

Unfortunately, we lost a number of Beltway Boxing legends and other personalities in 2018.  We remember:

David Crawford -- Beltway trainer

Frank Gilbert -- Head trainer, Loch Raven Gym

Eugene “Thunder” Hughes -- Owner, Midtown Youth Academy

Dave Jacobs -- Trainer of Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson

John McCain -- Arizona Senator, Presidential Candidate and friend of boxing

Aujee “Quick” Tyler -- Pro Boxer

Scott Wagner -- Promoter of Ballroom Boxing

“Magic” Michael Ward -- Former Beltway Boxer

That's a quick look back at 2018.  Tomorrow, our first award -- Rookie Of The Year!

Noted Promoter DiBella Working On All-Female Card; WBC Champion Crews Dezurn Verbally Agrees To Unification Bout!

Could be some interesting times in women's boxing in 2019, especially if one noted promoter gets his way.

Legendary boxing maven Lou DiBella has been in negotiations to put a very high-profile, all-female card on Showtime in the spring of 2019.  According to DiBella, the card would be held somewhere in the New York Tri-State area and will include at least two, and maybe as many as four world title bouts.

One of the championship bouts that has been verbally agreed to is a unification Super Middleweight champion contest between WBC champion "The Heavy-Hitting Diva" Franchon Crews Dezurn of Baltimore, MD and WBA titleholder Alicia "The Empress" Napoleon of Lindenhurst, NY.

Crews Dezurn (4-1, one KO) won her title in her last outing, a 10-round majority decision over Maricela Cornejo on September 13th in Las Vegas, NV.  Napoleon (10-1, five KO's) won three straight bouts after suffering her only loss, a 10-round unanimous decision to Beltway Boxer Tori Nelson, in December of 2016 in Springfield, VA.  Napoleon would win the WBA Super Middleweight title on March 3rd defeating Femke Hermans by unanimous decision in Brooklyn, NY.  Napoleon successfully defended her title by beating Hannah Rankin by unanimous decision on August 4th in Uniondale, NY.

The other unification title bout would be in the featherweight division as WBO champion Heather Hardy takes on WBA/WBC titleholder Jelena Mrdjenovich.

“I’ve said for a long time that I was going to do an all-women’s card and I feel more strongly than ever that it’s way beyond its time,” DiBella told BoxingScene.com. “There needs to be a card of women, top to bottom, that’s representative of the sport. Claressa Shields is a terrific fighter and her fight with Hanna Gabriels was a terrific fight because you had two world-class women together. There are other terrific fighters out there, no doubt about that. But you need a card that’s match made to bring the best in women’s boxing to the public.”

“Those two matchups can’t go wrong,” said DiBella. “And both sides of each fight have agreed to fight each other if it’s on a televised platform.”

Dibella has a number of female boxers under contract, including Napoleon and Hardy.  This proposed card could also be an opportunity for another DiBella prospect, undefeated Beltway Boxer "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown of Bladensburg, MD.  Brown (7-0, five KO's) has registered two stoppages since coming under the DiBella banner.

“There are other names like Raquel Miller, Mariana Juarez, Ava Knight, Tiara Brown, Jessica McCaskill, Melissa St. Vil,” DiBella said. “I’m not limiting this to people that I promote. I want to make a fight card that blows people’s minds."

ESPN Names Hurd-Lara Title Clash 'Bout Of The Year!'

(Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

ESPN.com's Senior Boxing Writer Dan Rafael has named the WBA/IBF/IBO Super Welterweight title bout between champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd and former WBA champion "The American Dream" Erislandy Lara the 2018 Bout Of The Year.

The bout, that took place on April 7th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, was an incredibly close contest that Hurd won by split decision.  Hurd secured the win by knocking down Lara with a left hook with 37 seconds left in the 12th and final round.  Hurd won the bout on two scorecards, 114-113 while Lara took one card by the same score.

The 10th round of the contest was also named among the best rounds of 2018.  We will start announcing The BATB Year-End Awards on Saturday, January 5th.

UPDATE:  The Sporting News has also named this bout as the Bout Of The Year.

Davis, Mares Meet Prior To February 9th Title Bout!

(photo courtesy Mayweather Promotions)

Two-time Super Featherweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and three-division world titleholder Abner Mares met each other for the first time during a press conference in Los Angeles, CA to promote their world title bout on Saturday, February 9th at StubHub Center (soon to be Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson, CA.  Both men were very confident of victory.  Here are some comments:

Gervonta Davis:

"In 2019, I want to make a big statement not only in the ring but by letting the boxing world know that I'm the next star. I'm aiming to headline a pay-per-view by 2020 if everything goes right. I have great fights lined up for next year, without looking past Abner.

I don't know what Abner sees, but he was sure he wanted to take this fight so obviously he sees something. I have power, speed, movement and really a blend of everything. I believe that I'm a better fighter than him."

Abner Mares:

"One day I just thought to myself that this fight against Gervonta Davis would be a great matchup and that I can win it. There are other big fights at featherweight that I could have gotten. I'm taking this fight because of the challenge that it brings. I'm all about that.

We're not just going into this fight blind. I'm not stupid. I'm taking this fight because I see something in this guy. It's a tough fight, no doubt. All fights are tough. He's in for a good fight. At the end of the day, you guys have to stop worrying about my weight and if I'm too small. You guys are going to get a great fight and that's all that matters. Sit back, look pretty and enjoy the fight."

Davis will defend his WBA Super Featherweight title on this Mayweather Promotions/TGB Promotions/Ringstar Sports card and the bout will be the main event.  The bout will be televised live on Showtime.

Quarles, Duncan Victorious In Brooklyn!

Two middleweight Beltway Boxers were successful in bouts on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Alexandria, VA's Brandon "Bulldog" Quarles won a 10-round unanimous decision over Todd Manuel of Rayne, LA.  According to reports, the uppercut seemed to be the key punch for Quarles as he landed them often to Manuel's body. Quarles worked Manuel up against the ropes and landed one of those body shots that looked to hurt Manuel. Manuel landed a left hook of his own that paused the action of Quarles for a moment, but the pressure continued. The activity of Quarles is what separated this bout and the judges at ringside scored it 97-93, 98-92 twice.

Quarles has won three straight contests and is now 21-4-1, 10 KO's,  Manuel's record evens at 17-17-1, five KO's.

Also on the card, Mark "Sayless" Duncan of Clarksburg, MD scored a first-round knockout over Ray "Sugar" Cervera of Bakersfield, CA.  Duncan controlled the action from the opening bell. Duncan landed some clean shots that were effective on Cervera. It was a left hook followed by a crushing right hand that dropped Cervera to the canvas. The referee saw that Cervera was too hurt to continue and stopped his count at seven, waving the bout off at 1:51 in round one.

Duncan is now 2-0, two KO's while Cervera remains winless at 0-4.

Quarles, Duncan Tip Scales In Brooklyn!

Brandon Quarles and Mark Duncan weighed in for their bouts tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Quarles tipped the scales at 157 pounds for his eight-round bout against Todd Manuel.  Manuel came in at 154 1/2 pounds. Duncan came in at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds while his opponent, Ray Cervera, weighed 161 3/4 pounds for their four-round encounter.

Hernandez Harrison Signs Promotional Contract With Canadian Company!

Undefeated DC boxer Dusty Hernandez Harrison has signed a promotional contract with Lee Baxter Promotions of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. No word on the terms of the deal.

Harrison (30-0-1, 16 KO's) has not competed since winning a unanimous decision over Thomas LaManna in 2016.  A former top 15 competitor, Harrison is hoping to get back to that level and beyond under the Lee Baxter banner.

"I'm excited to get back in the ring and to prove that I belong with the best welterweights in the world," said Hernandez. "Lee Baxter Promotions has a lot of momentum behind it right now, and I felt Lee was the best guy to help me get to the top of this sport."

Baxter, who has such boxers as former world title contender Dierry Jean and and regional champion Samuel Vargas under contract, sees the Harrison signing as a major coup.

“It’s not often that fighters of this caliber become available,” said Baxter. “There’s no doubt that every promoter in the world has taken a look at Dusty and has offered him something, but we feel that we can provide him with the best opportunity to succeed. Dusty is a star, and he deserves to be treated like one.”

An injury kept Harrison off the December 1st card at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in DC.  According to BoxingScene.com, Harrison is scheduled to be on a card at the Mountaineer Casino Ballroom in New Cumberland, WVA in a bout against Austin "Speedy" Marcum of Breeden, WVA (11-11-1, five KO's) on Saturday, February 16th.

Beltway Boxers Quarles, Duncan Travel To Brooklyn December 22nd!

Two local boxers will be on a card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, December 22nd.  In an eight-round encounter, Alexandria, VA middleweight Brandon "Bulldog" Quarles makes his second straight appearance in Barclays Center to take on veteran Todd Manuel of Rayne, LA.

In his last visit to Brooklyn, Quarles (20-4-1, 10 KO's) won an eight-round split decision over Marcus Willis on September 8th.  Manuel (17-16-1, five KO's) has scored back-to-back knockout victories in his last two bouts. On November 9th, Manuel stopped Blake Franklin in the third round in Bossier City, LA.

Also on the card, Clarksburg, MD middleweight Mark "Sayless" Duncan will be in a four-round contest against Ray "Sugar" Cervera on Bakersfield, CA.  Duncan (1-0, one KO) made a successful pro debut scoring a second-round TKO over Jonell Christmas on September 22nd in Bowie, MD.  Duncan was scheduled to be on the last Bowie card on December 8th but his bout was cancelled.  Cervera (0-3) has lost all three of his bouts by four-round unanimous decision.

These bouts will be on the undercard of the Charlo Brothers card at Barclays Center.  Jermell Charlo defends the WBC Super Welterweight title against perennial world title contender Tony Harrison while Jermall Charlo will compete for the interim WBC Middleweight title against late sub Matt Korobov.  The main events on the card will be televised by Fox.

Davis To Defend WBA Super Featherweight Title Against Former Three-Division Champ Mares February 9th In Carson, CA!

Undefeated WBA Super Featherweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis of Baltimore, MD will make the first defense of his title when he battles former three-division world champion Abner Mares of Montebello, CA on Saturday, February 9th at the StubHub Center (soon to be the Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson, CA.  The bout will be the main event on a Showtime telecast.

Davis (20-0, 19 KO's) won the WBA Super Featherweight title in his last outing on April 21st in Brooklyn, NY knocking out Jesus Cuellar in the third round.  The title is Davis's second of his career.

Mares (31-3-1, 15 KO's) has won world titles at bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight.  Mares comes off dropping the WBA Super World Featherweight title by 12-round unanimous decision to Leo Santa Cruz on June 9th in Los Angeles, CA.  Mares, a native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, looks to become the fourth boxer born in Mexico to win titles in four weight divisions joining Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Jorge Arce.

"I'm very excited to be showcased in my first main event in the United States on February 9," said Davis. "I want to make a statement in this fight by putting on a tremendous performance against an experienced world champion like Abner Mares. I plan on showing everyone why I belong in pound-for-pound discussions and why I'm the most exciting champion in boxing today. You don't want to miss it!"

"I wanted this fight and I want this challenge against Gervonta Davis," said Mares. "I'm preparing well and I will add my fifth world title in my fourth weight class on February 9 on SHOWTIME."

Roach, Jr. Successfully Defends Title In Madison Square Garden!

Undefeated Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. successfully defended his WBO International Super Featherweight championship with a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto Mercado of Puerto Rico Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Here is the recap from Miguel Maravilla of Fightnews.com:

Boxing smoothly throughout the fight, Roach controlled the action as the aggressor Mercado pressured. Past the halfway point, Roach continued to put in work in the seventh as he backed Mercado to the ropes with a left hook. Mercado pressured late in the fight looking to rally but the D.C. fighter, Roach’s slick style was too much for the Puerto Rican. Scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93.

Roach, Jr. is now 18-0-1, seven KO's while Mercado falls to 15-2-1, three KO's.

Rodriguez Falls To Anderson In Vienna Main Event!

Haymarket, VA welterweight Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez lost a six-round unanimous decision to Michael "Slick" Anderson of Newark, NJ Saturday night during the main event of the T.A.C. Promotions card at Tyson's Playground in Vienna, VA.

Anderson, fighting for the first time since June of 2015, established control of the bout early as he was able to land continuous punches on Rodriguez.  In the second round, Anderson landed a solid right uppercut that dropped Rodriguez to the canvas.  Rodriguez beat referee Billy Johnson's count but was boxing to survive the rest of the contest.  Judges Michelle Myers and Mark D'Antillo scored the bout 58-55 while Judge Brian Costello saw the bout 57-56 all for Anderson, who raises his record to 17-2-1, 12 KO's while Rodriguez falls to 8-13-1, six KO's and has now lost six in a row.

The co-feature saw cruiserweight Arman "Gazija" Mrkanovic of Queens, NY by way of Bosnia score a fifth-round TKO over Antwaun Taylor of Cincinnati, OH.  After a slow start, Mrkanovic was able to drop Taylor twice with looping right hands in the second round.  The two men clashed heads in the fourth round, giving Mrkanovic a gash under his right eye.  However, Mrkanovic did not falter and continued to land shots.  In the fifth round, Mrkanovic landed a combination that would send Taylor through the ropes and out of the ring.  Referee Brent Bovell issued a 20-count that Taylor beat back into the ring.  However, Bovell saw that Taylor was not fit to continue and stopped the contest at 2:59 of the round.   Mrkanovic's record rises to 9-3, four KO's while Taylor, a son of former WBA Heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs, falls to 4-8, one KO.

Arlington, VA super middleweight Filip Stankovic knocked out Keith Collins of Davenport, IA at 2:52 of the first round.  Stankovic, a native of Nis, Serbia, had a large Serbian contingent, including the Serbian Ambassador to the United States, Gerge Matkovic, cheering him on and Stankovic wasted no time as he jumped on Collins early, landing hard body shots that eventually would open up punches to the head.  Collins never went down but took enough punishment to force referee Bovell to stop the contest.  Stankovic remains undefeated at 4-0 and gets his first pro knockout while Collins drops to 4-40, two KO's.

In an all-Beltway welterweight rematch, Rashad "Code Blue" Kilpatrick won a four-round unanimous decision over Lamont White of Washington, DC.  This bout opened a little differently then the first bout that Kilpatrick won on June 16th in Laurel, MD.  White would land body shots in the first round but Kilpatrick would eventually return the shots and increase his work rate throughout the contest.  Much like the bout in June, Kilpatrick would win this contest by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 (twice).  Kilpatrick is now 4-0, one KO while White is now 1-16, one KO.

Heavyweight Nathaniel "The Juggernaut" Copeland, Jr. made a successful pro debut, needing just 44 seconds to knock out Kwasi "Hollywood" Horton of Waldorf, MD.  Copeland, who wished to be billed as being from "All of Prince George's County, MD," used a right-left combination to send Horton crashing to the canvas.  Horton's eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to get up.  Referee Johnson stopped the contest in mid-count.  Horton's record dropped to 0-2.

Jersey City, NJ's Jordan Rosario won a four-round split decision over the debuting Thomas Hartshauser of Las Vegas, NV by way of Helsinki, Finland in a catchweight-like contest.  Rosario, who weighed almost 10 pounds less than his opponent, was able to land some clean shots on Hartshauser in the bout.  Hartshauser was able to use his own punches to get back into the bout but judges Myers and D'Antillo scored the bout for Rosario, 40-36 and 39-37 respectively.  Hartshauser won judge Costello's card, 39-37.  This was the first win for Rosario, who is now 1-6.

The opening contest saw 30-year-old middleweight Zach "The Kid" Dubnoff make a successful pro debut over "The New Creation" Erik Plumeri of Lockport, NY.  This was not an easy win for Dubnoff as he tasted the canvas early courtesy of a hard Plumeri right hand.  Moments later, Dubnoff would use his own right hand to send Plumeri to the floor.  Plumeri would beat referee Bovell's count but would take more punishment before the bout was stopped at 2:35 of the first round.  Plumeri's record is now 0-9-1.

T.A.C. Promotions is led by Anthony Hamilton.  The matchmaker was Cedric Harden.  This reporter served as ring announcer.

Vienna, VA Card Is Now Set!

The T.A.C. Promotions card is now set for Saturday, December 15th at Tyson's Playground in Vienna, VA.

A number of Beltway Boxers will participate on the card.  Waldorf, MD welterweight Rashad "Code Blue" Kilpatrick will take on veteran Lamont White of Washington, DC in a four-round rematch.  Kilpatrick (3-0, one KO) comes off a four-round majority decision over Carlos Pena on the last T.A.C. Promotions card on September 22nd in Springfield, VA.  White (1-15, one KO) last fought on September 22nd in Bowie, MD and lost a four-round unanimous decision to Tyrek Irby.  White has never been knocked out in a pro contest.  The two fought each other on June 16th in Laurel, MD with Kilpatrick winning a four-round unanimous decision.

Bowie welterweight Marlon "The Machine" Bolen will battle the debuting George Gethers of Jersey City, NJ in another four-rounder.  Bolen (1-0, one KO) made his pro debut on June 16th and scored a third-round TKO over Christopher Thorne in Laurel, MD.  Gethers was a solid amateur in his home state of New Jersey.

Filip Stankovic, a light heavyweight from Arlington, VA by way of Nis, Serbia, competes for the second time in the Commonwealth when he takes on veteran Keith Collins of Davenport, IA in a four-round contest.  Stankovic (3-0) took on another veteran in Greg Hackett on September 22nd in Springfield and won a four-round unanimous decision.  Collins (4-39, two KO's) looks to bounce back from a four-round unanimous decision loss to Eddie Hamilton in Davenport on October 6th.

Also, DC heavyweight Nathaniel Copeland will make his pro debut against Kwasi "Hollywood" Horton of Waldorf, MD in a four-round bout.  Copeland competed numerous times in the Washington Golden Gloves as well as in the Mayor's Cup in 2017.  Horton (0-1) lost his pro debut on the last T.A.C. Promotions card on September 22nd in Springfield, dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Michael Davis.

The main event on the card will feature Newark, NJ welterweight Michael "Slick" Anderson facing Beltway Boxer Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez of Haymarket, VA in a six-round encounter.  Anderson (16-2-1, 12 KO's) is currently riding a four-bout winning streak but hasn't fought since June of 2015 when he scored a first-round TKO over Johnny Frazier in Weirton, WVA.  Rodriguez (8-12-1, six KO's) will look to break a five-bout losing streak which includes a six-round unanimous decision loss to Shynggyskhan Tazhibay on October 27th in Fort Washington, MD.

In another six-round bout, cruiserweight "The Bosnian Prince" Arman Mrkanovic of Queens, NY will battle Antwaun Taylor of Cincinnati, OH.  Mrkanovic, a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina (8-3, three KO's) last fought on May 18th and won a six-round unanimous decision over Nicholas Lavin in Queens.  Taylor (4-7, one KO) comes off a four-round majority decision loss to David Murray on December 1st in Hockessin, DE  Taylor is the son of former WBA Heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs.

Welterweight John Thomas Hartshauser of Henderson, NV will make his pro debut against Jordan Rosario of Jersey City, NJ.  Hartshauser is a native of Helsinki, Finland.  Rosario (0-6) has not fought since May of 2017 when he dropped a four-round unanimous decision to Travis Gambardella in Melrose, MA.

Also, super middleweight Zach Dubnoff of Little Falls, NJ will make his initial foray into the pros when he takes on "The New Creation" Erik Plumeri of Lockport, NY.  Dubnoff makes his pro debut at the age of 30 after winning three of his last four amateur contests.  Plumeri (0-8-1) has been knocked out in four of his last five contests including a first-round TKO at the hands of Justin Bell in July of 2017 in DC.

Here is the scale watch for the card:

Rashad Kilpatrick 145.8 vs. Lamont White 144.6

Marlon Bolen 146 vs. George Gethers 146.6

Filip Stankovic 167.8 vs. Keith Collins 165

Nathaniel Copeland 249 vs. Kwasi Horton 265

Michael Anderson 148 vs. Juan Rodriguez 148

Arman Mrkanovic 195.4 vs. Antwaun Taylor 199.8

John Thomas Hartshauser 164.8 vs. Jordan Rosario 155.4

Zach Dubnoff 163 vs. Erik Plumeri 169

Tyson's Playground is located at 8502 Tyco Road in Vienna, VA.  The card is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 PM ET.

Roach Hits Scales In New York City!

Lamont Roach, Jr. weighed in at 129 1/2 for his 10-round WBO International Super Featherweight title defense against Alberto Mercado on Saturday, December 15th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Mercado came in at 129 1/4 pounds.

The bout will be part of the Canelo Alvarez-Rocky Fielding card that will be streamed live on DAZN.  No word on what time the card will get underway or whether the Roach-Mercado card will make the live stream.

Results From Saturday's Card At Bowie State!

Here are the results from the Shabazz Brothers card that took place on Saturday, December 8th at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD:

In the main event, Laurel, MD super middleweight Demond "D'Best At It" Nicholson successfully defended his WBC USNBC Super Middleweight title with a second-round knockout of Fernando "El Huracan" Castaneda of Aquascalientes, Mexico.  Nicholson landed a brutal right uppercut to knock Castaneda to the canvas at 2:10 of the second round.  Nicholson is now 20-3-1, 19 KO's while Castaneda falls to 26-13, 17 KO's.

The co-feature saw Bowie super lightweight Greg "Sharpshooter" Outlaw win a six-round unanimous decision over Baltimore, MD's Mack "Papi"Allison IV.  According to Juan Marshall of ProAm Fight Talk, Outlaw out boxed Allison in every round.   The jab was the key component for Outlaw as he was able to get off his shots first to keep Allison from being aggressive. Allison wasn't throwing as many punches as he should have been to win rounds. Every time Allison stepped in he was met with a clean jab from Outlaw. Allison had his game face on, but he wasn't producing the work he should have been putting out. Outlaw's punch output was rising as the fight went into the later rounds. All three judges scored the bout at 60-54 for Outlaw, who is now 7-0, two KO's while Allison falls to 8-2-1, seven KO's.

The pro debut for Baltimore middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson lasted less than 90 seconds as he stopped Deandre West of Winston-Salem, NC.  There were no knockdowns in the contest but Simpson's power simply overwhelmed West, enough for referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the bout at 1:26.  West's record drops to 0-3.

Undefeated Forestville, MD super lightweight Mykal "The Professor" Fox rolled to a second-round TKO over previously undefeated Gonzalo Dallera of Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Fox stayed tall and rangy as he popped his jab into the face of Dallera. Dallera tried to land some looping shots, but Fox showed some good movement to avoid getting hit. As Dallera wanted to get close he had a habit of dropping his head, and that was a mistake Fox noticed. Dallera tried to come inside again that's when Fox landed a straight left to drop Dallera for the eight count. In the next round Dallera still tried to be aggressive, but the footwork Fox used changed the angles causing Dallera to look wild. Fox used his jab to set up combinations that landed continuously, and hurting Dallera forcing referee David Braslow to stop the bout at 2:21 of round two.

Fox is now 19-0, five KO's while Dallara, who faced a boxer who won a bout for the first time, is now 5-1, four KO's.

Featherweight "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown of Bladensburg, MD stopped former world champion Dahiana Santana of the Dominican Republic at the end of the fourth round.  Brown, a DiBella Entertainment signee, dominated the former champion from start to finish. Brown was relaxed as she slipped side to side dodging any shots Santana tried to land. Brown used a good jab to slide inside to land body shots on Santana. The defense of Brown worked great as she blocked shots and counted with her own.

Towards the closing of the second-round, Brown put together some good combinations. Santana was a little more defensive minded in the third-round, but Brown turned up the action by pumping her jab to set up more combinations that started to hurt Santana. In round four Santana showed that she was hurt and started to hold on throughout the round causing referee Kenny Chevalier to take a point away. Brown pressed forward to land more shots as the round ended. Santana had enough and did not answer the bell to start the fifth-round.

Brown remains undefeated at 7-0, five KO's while Santana falls to 36-11, 15 KO's.

In other bouts on the card, Bowie, MD cruiserweight Luther "Lights Out" Smith got a six-round split decision win against Joshua Temple of St. Louis, MO. Smith is now (11-4, 10 KO's) while Temple falls to (7-2, 6 KO's).

Baltimore, MD heavyweight Hasim "Gold Blooded" Rahman, Jr. won by four-round unanimous decision against veteran Damion Reed of Danville, VA. Rahman Jr. improves to (7-0, 4 KO's) and Reed is now (3-20-1, 1 KO).

Keith "The Bounty" Hunter, an undefeated welterweight from Las Vegas, NV scored a first-round knockout at 2:22 against Siddharth Ravindra Varma of Pune, India. Hunter record improves to (8-0, 7 KO's) while Varma is now (5-4-1, 1 KO).

Brooklyn, NY middleweight Omar Kabary Salem won by six-round majority decision against Jonathan Garcia of Aguada, Puerto Rico. Salem remains undefeated at (7-0, 3 KO's) while Garcia is now (4-19-1, 1 KO).

The matchmaker for the card was "The Boxing Diva" Renee Aiken.  The ring announcer was Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.

Harvey, Davis Win USA Titles In Salt Lake City!

Beltway amateurs won two more national titles at the 2018 Elite and Youth National Championships and Youth and Prep Open in Salt Lake City, UT on Saturday.

Congratulations to Jahmal Harvey of Oxon Hill, MD who won the Youth Male 114 Pound title with a unanimous decision win over Jesus Flores of Selma, CA.

Also, Keyshawn Davis of Alexandria, VA continued his winning ways with a unanimous decision over Dalis Kaleiopu of Waianae, HI.

Beltway Boxers Head To Final Day Of USA Championships!

A number of Beltway Boxers will be competing on the final day of the 2018 USA Elite and Youth National Championships and Junior and Prep Open in Salt Lake City, UT on Saturday.

Three locals battled for championships on the semifinal day on Friday.  Benjamin Johnson of Washington, DC won the title in the Intermediate Male 114 Pound division with a unanimous decision over Emiliano Gandara of Dallas, TX.

In the Bantam Male 65 Pound final Brandon Chestnut of Bowie, MD lost by split decision to Moises Rodriguez of El Paso, TX.  Also, Jeremiah Jimerson of Upper Marlboro, MD lost by split decision to Francisco Cruz, Jr. in the Intermediate Male 95 Pound title bout.

Amelia Moore of Alexandria, VA has advanced to the title bout of the Elite Female 132 pound championship.  In her semifinal, Moore scored a stoppage win over Meriem Boudjarane of Berkeley, CA.  Moore, who was seeded eighth in her bracket, will take on third-seeded Rashida Ellis of Lynn, MA in the final.

Alexandria's Keyshawn Davis advanced to the finals of the Elite Male 138 pound bracket.  Davis defeated Joseph Macedo of Las Vegas, NV by unanimous decision in the semis.  Davis, who was seeded second in this bracket, will take on fourth-seeded Dalis Kaleiopu of Waianae, HI in the championship match.

Alexandria's Troy Isley, who is the top seed in the Elite Male 165 Pound division, will be in the finals against second-seeded Javier Martinez of Milwaukee, WI.  Isley moved to the finals by defeating Joseph Hicks of Grand Rapids, MI by unanimous decision in the semifinals.

By winning their semifinal bouts, Moore, Davis and Isley have all punched their tickets to the 2020 Olympic Trials, which will take place in December of 2019.

Jahmal Harvey of Oxon Hill, MD will be in the finals of the Youth Male 114 pound bracket by virtue of her semifinal unanimous decision win over Chavez Barrientes of Las Vegas, NV.  Harvey will face Jesus Flores of Selma, CA in the title bout.

Weights From Bowie, MD!

Here is the scale watch for the Shabazz Brothers card that will take place on Saturday, December 8th at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD:

Demond Nicholson 167.4 vs.  Fernando Casteneda 167.4 (WBC USNBC Super Middleweight championship)

Greg Outlaw 136.2 vs.  Mack Allison, IV 134.4

Lorenzo Simpson 163.4  vs.  Deandre West 161.6

Mykal Fox  141.8 vs.  Gonzalo Carlos Dallera 143.6

Tiara Brown 129.4 vs. Dahiana Santana 132

Luther Smith 199.6 vs.  Joshua Temple 198.2

Hasim Rahman, Jr. 211.8 vs.  Damion Reed 228.2

Keith Hunter 143 vs. Siddharth Varma 143.2

Jonathan Garcia 164.6 vs  Omar Salem 165.2

Due to a previous commitment, I will not be able to attend Saturday's card.  Please follow all the action of the card on Juan Marshall's blog, ProAm Fight Talk located at www.proamfighttalk.blogspot.com.

Toledo Scores First-Round Knockout In Philadelphia!

(Photo by Daniel Cork)

Baltimore, MD light heavyweight Travis "Holy" Toledo has scored a first-round knockout over Ronnie Lawrence of Pottstown, PA tonight at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.  Toledo knocked down Lawrence twice during the contest to get the win at 2:30 of the first round. 

Toledo is now 4-0, three KO's while Lawrence falls to 0-3.

Beltway Amateurs Advance To Semifinals of USA National Championships!

A number of local amateurs advanced to the semifinals of the USA Elite and Youth National Championships And Prep Open in Salt Lake City, UT  Also, one Beltway Boxer has won a national title.

Tarvis Best of Washington, DC won the Bantam Male 125 Pound championship with a split decision over Christopher Rocha of North Las Vegas, NV.

In another big win, Alexandria, VA Elite 132-pounder Amelia Moore advanced to the semifinals with a split decision win over the top-seeded boxer in this division, Jajaira Gonzalez of Glendura, CA.

Moore's teammates from the Alexandria Boxing Club, Troy Isley and Keyshawn Davis, also won their quarterfinal bouts.  Isley, moved into the final four of the Elite 165-pound bracket with a victory over Joseph Hicks of Grand Rapids, MI.  Davis took a unanimous decision over Emmanuel Rojas of Las Vegas.

In other results, Brandon Chestnut of Bowie, MD advanced to the semis of Bantam Male 65 Pounds class with a unanimous decision over Christopher Fernandez of Phoenix, AZ.

Jahmal Harvey of Oxon Hill, MD will be in the final four of the Young Male 104 Pound division winning a unanimous decision over Samuel Cosco of Kansas City, MO.

In the Junior Male 101 Pound class, Jordan Roach of Upper Marlboro, MD advanced to the semis with a split decision over Steven Navarro of Los Angeles, CA.  Also in the Intermediate Male 95 Pound division, Jeremiah Jimason of Upper Marlboro, MD moved to the final four with a unanimous decision over Samuel Hale of Minot, ND.

December 8th Bowie State Card Complete!

The Shabazz Brothers card that is slated to take place on Saturday, December 8th at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD is now completely filled.

In the main event, Laurel, MD super middleweight Demond "D'Best At It" Nicholson looks to make the first successful defense of his WBC USNBC Super Middleweight title when he faces veteran Fernando "El Huracan" Castaneda of Aquascalientes, Mexico in a 10-round bout. 

Nicholson (19-3-1, 18 KO's) won his title in his last outing, scoring a six-round knockout over Isaac Rodriguez on August 18th at Live! Casino in Hanover, MD.  Castaneda (26-12, 17 KO's) is riding a two-bout winning streak with back-to-back TKOs.  Castaneda knocked out Alberto Perez in the first round on September 22nd in Petare, Venezuela.

The co-feature will be a matchup of promising Beltway super lightweight prospects. Undefeated Bowie resident and Bowie State graduate Greg "Sharpshooter" Outlaw will battle Baltimore, MD's Mack "Papi" Allison IV in a six-round encounter.  Outlaw (6-0, two KO's) won his bout on the last Shabazz Brothers card at Bowie State, winning a six-round unanimous decision over Rashad Bogar on September 22nd.  Allison (8-1-1, seven KO's) last fought on August 4th in Sterling, VA and won a six-round unanimous decision over Rynell Griffin.

The card also will mark the pro debut of one of the most celebrated Beltway amateurs in recent memory in Baltimore middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson.  A six-time National Silver Gloves champion in six different weight divisions, the 18-year-old Simpson also medaled in national and international competitions, winning a silver medal at the recent Youth Continental Championships and the Brandenburg Cup.

Simpson's opponent in this four-round contest will be Deandre West of Danville, VA (0-2).  West was knocked out by Justin Bell in the second round on October 27th at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD.

Undefeated Forestville, MD super lightweight Mykal "The Professor" Fox will be in a six-round contest against Gonzalo Carlos "El Malo" Dallera of Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Fox (18-0, four KO's) comes off a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley on the August 18th card in Hanover, MD.  Dallera (5-0, four KO's) has scored first-round knockouts in his last two bouts.  However, Dallera has yet to face a boxer who has won a pro contest and will fight in the United States for the very first time after fighting all of his bouts in his native Argentina.

Also on the card will be Bladensburg, MD featherweight "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown who will face veteran and former world champion Dahiana Santana of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in a six-round bout.  Brown stopped Jasmine Clarkson in the fourth round on the last Shabazz Brothers card on September 22nd at Bowie State.  Santana (36-10, 15 KO's) will be the most experienced boxer Brown has faced, having won the IBF and WBA World Featherweight titles.  Santana has lost two of her last three bouts, including a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Oshin Deriuew for the WBF Featherweight title on November 10th in Henin-Beaumont, France.

Bowie cruiserweight Luther "Lights Out" Smith will be in a six-round bout against Joshua Temple of St. Louis, MO.  Smith (10-4, nine KO's) needs a win badly as he has lost two straight and three of his last four.  Smith comes off a first-round knockout loss to Alexey Egerov on June 2nd in Atlantic City, NJ.  Temple (7-1, six KO's) will try to bounce back from his first pro loss, a six-round split decision defeat to Khetag Pliev on October 6th in Louisville, KY.

Baltimore heavyweight Hasim "Gold Blooded" Rahman, Jr. competes in a four-round bout against veteran Damion Reed of Danville, VA.  Rahman, Jr. (6-0, four KO's) won his first six-rounder defeating Raymond Ochieng by unanimous decision on August 17th in Hinckley, MN.  Reed (3-19-1, one KO) will look to break a five-bout losing streak and will be facing a Beltway Boxer for the second straight time.  Reed lost by second-round knockout to George Harris on October 27th in Fort Washington, MD.

In another all-Beltway bout, Clarksburg, MD middleweight Mark "Sayless" Duncan will battle Ashton "The Goon" Sykes of Hanover, MD.  The bout is scheduled for four rounds.  Duncan made a successful pro debut on September 22nd in Bowie, scoring a second-round TKO over Jonell Christmas.  Sykes (2-2) comes off a tough six-round TKO loss to Donald Wallace on August 18th in Hanover.

Keith "The Bounty" Hunter, an undefeated welterweight from Las Vegas, NV will be in a six-round bout against Siddharth Ravindra Varma of Pune, India.  Hunter (8-0, six KO's) comes off a four-round unanimous decision victory over Matt Murphy on September 8th in Lawrence, KS.  Varma (4-2-1, one KO) lost by fourth-round knockout to Damien Lopez on October 18th in Los Angeles, CA.

Also, Brooklyn, NY middleweight Omar Kabary Salem will be in a six-round bout against Jonathan Garcia of Aguada, Puerto Rico.  Salem (6-0, three KO's) last fought on November 16th in Atlantic City and scored a fourth-round TKO over Alberto Delgado.  Garcia (4-18-1) is winless in his last 11 bouts including a six-round unanimous decision to Kurtiss Colvin on September 29th in Houston, TX.

Beltway Amateurs Gain Victories On First Day Of USA Boxing National Championships!

A host of local amateurs were successful on the first day of the USA Boxing National Championships being held this week in Salt Lake City, UT.

Two boxers from Alexandria, VA won their first-round bouts during the evening session.  Amelia Moore won a split decision over Ariele Davis of Metairie, LA at the Elite Female 132 pounds division. Her gym mate, Troy Isley, advanced to the next round of the Elite Male 165 pound bracket with a unanimous decision over Kahshad Elliott of Plainfield, NJ.

During the morning session, Jalil Hackett of Washington, DC won his bout in the Junior Male 132 pound division with a split decision over Danilo Diez of Cape Coral, FL.

In the Bantam Male 65 Pound class, Brandon Chestnut of Bowie, MD won a unanimous decision over Edgar Castro of Phoenix, AZ while Jeremiah Jimason of Upper Marlboro, MD advanced with a split decision win over Javen Lopez of Waianae, HI.

The USA National Championships continued until Saturday, December 8th.

Hurd Successfully Defends Titles With Fourth-Round TKO In Los Angeles!

IBF/WBA/IBO 154-Pound Champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd successfully defended his titles with a fourth-round TKO over former British Middleweight champion Jason Welborn on Saturday evening at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

According to reports, Welborn, of the United Kingdom, came out firing in the first round trying to work Hurd against the ropes.  Hurd's game plan seemed to counter Welborn and wait to land key shots. 

Early in the fourth round, Welborn stepped up his attack landing punches through Hurd's guard and forcing the champion to hold on for a breather.  However, Welborn made one mistake and Hurd capitalized on it.  As Hurd moved back toward the center of the ring, Welborn missed on a punch and Hurd countered with a right uppercut to Welborn's sternum that dropped Welborn for the count.  The bout was stopped at 1:55 of the fourth.

Hurd remains undefeated at 23-0, 16 KO's while Welborn falls to 24-7, seven KO's.

Nelson Shuts Out Turunen To Regain UBF Middleweight Title in DC!

For her first time competing in Washington, DC, multi-time world champion Tori "Sho Nuff" Nelson seemed to have a very simple game plan -- to hit her opponent, Sanna Turunen, as hard as she could for as long as she needed to.

If that was her plan, then Nelson, a middleweight from Ashburn, VA, executed the plan to perfection as she went on to a relatively easy 10-round unanimous decision over Turunen of Tuusulam, Finland to regain her Universal Boxing Federation Middleweight title during the main event at the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC.

Nelson landed numerous shots on both sides of Turunen's head throughout the contest, causing Turunen to develop one welt over her right eye and another down the left side of her face.  Ringside physicians never checked on the lumps on Turunen's face.  Nelson won the bout by shutout (100-90) on all three judge's scorecards.

Nelson is now 19-2-3, three KO's while Turunen falls to 4-2-1, one KO.

In the co-feature, Greenbelt, MD cruiserweight "The Vanilla Gorilla" Sam Crossed won a disputed six-round split decision over a very game Twon "The Truth" Smith of Oklahoma City, OK.  Crossed seemed to have a tough time finding his distance in the first round.  With seconds remaining in the second round, Smith landed a big right hand that dropped Crossed to the canvas.

 Once Crossed recovered, he seemed to have difficulty landing shots and when he did, Smith was able to shake the punches off.  However, Crossed was able to land enough punches to get the win on judges Steve Rados and Wayne Smith's cards, 57-56.  Paul Wallace saw the bout for Smith by the same score.  Crossed remains undefeated at 8-0, five KO's while Smith falls to 3-2, two KO's.

DC welterweight Kareem "Reemo" Martin won a six-round unanimous decision over Andrew Rodgers of Elkhart, IN.  Both boxers had a tough time landing quality shots in this bout.  Rodgers spent the bulk of his time in the match holding Martin, who landed a good portion of body shots in the bout.  All three judges (Smith, Wallace and Eric Irizarry) scored the bout 59-55 for Martin, who is now 11-2, three KO's.  Rodgers falls to 4-5-1, two KO's.

DC featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White made short work of Ndira Spearman of Lavergne, TN by way of Hagerstown, MD. White was able to knock down Spearman with body shots twice in the contest.  After the second knock down, Spearman told referee Brent Bovell that he had had enough.  The bout was stopped at 2:02 of the first round.  White is now 7-1, five KO's while Spearman's record drops to 1-4.

Two boxers made returns to the ring after absences of more than two years.  DC junior welterweight Antonio "Teflon" Magruder battled Matt Murphy of St. Louis, MO to a four-round majority draw.  Magruder, competing for the first time since September of 2016, looked a little rusty early in the bout as he had a tough time keeping the charging Murphy off of him.  Murphy, who was competing for the 11th time in 2018, seemed to rock Magruder with a hard right hand in the second round.  Magruder, to his credit, was able to do enough in the contest to win judge Smith's card at 39-37.  Judges Wallace and Irizarry both saw the draw at 38-38.  Magruder is now 5-0-1, four KO's while Murphy is now 3-30-4, two KO's.

DC light heavyweight Alexander "The Great" Johnson returned to action for the first time since August of 2016 and won a six-round unanimous decision over "The Dynamic Warrior" Mengistu Zarzar of Palmer Park, MD by way of Liberia.   Like Magruder, Johnson took a round or two to get himself going before he started landing punches on Zarzar.  Johnson finally was able to wear Zarzar down to get the victory.  Smith and Wallace saw the bout 59-55 while Irizarry scored the contest 58-56.  Johnson is now 17-4-1, seven KO's while Zarzar falls to 6-6-1, five KO's.

Kiante Irving, a super middleweight from Beaver Falls, PA, scored a second-round TKO over George Sheppard of Virginia.  Irving, a 2018 National Golden Gloves champion, dominated this bout from start to finish, eventually knocking down Sheppard twice before the bout was stopped at 1:06 of the second.  Irving is now 3-0, three KO's while Sheppard falls to 1-5-1.

In the opening contest, Silver Spring, MD heavyweight George Harris won by third-round TKO over Lamar Lewis of Conway, AR.  Harris was very patient in the bout and worked his way to the eventual knockout.  Eventually, the punishment was too much for Lewis and referee Michelle Myers stopped the bout at 2:00 of the third round for Harris who is now 2-0, two KO's.  Lewis drops to 0-4.

Tricky Entertainment is led by Erwin Pendergrast while Sean Magruder, the father of boxer Antonio, heads DC Fight Night.  The matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.  The ring announcer was Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.

Here's The Rest Of The 'Dynamic December' Schedule!

We have been talking about the three local cards that are a huge part of the "Dynamic December Of Beltway Boxing," however, a number of Beltway Boxers are participating in cards around the country and some are in very important bouts.

Of course, that starts tonight when IBF/WBA/IBO 154-Pound champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd defends his titles against former British Middleweight champion Jason Welborn at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.  That bout will be shown live on Showtime PPV.

However, Hurd has company for big bouts this month.  Here is the rest of the schedule (bouts subject to be changed or added to the schedule without notice):

Friday, December 7th -- 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA: Baltimore, MD light heavyweight Travis "Holy" Toledo returns quickly to action in a four-round bout against Ronnie Lawrence of Pottstown, PA.  Toledo (3-0, two KO's) just fought on November 16th and won a four-round majority decision over Kendall Cannida in Bethlehem, PA.  Lawrence (0-2) fights for the first time since April of 2012 when he lost the second of two bouts against Todd Unthank-May by first-round knockout in Atlantic City, NJ.

Saturday, December 15th -- Madison Square Garden, New York City:  Undefeated Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. puts his WBO International title on the line against Alberto "Transformer" Mercado of Humacao, Puerto Rico by way of Hartford, CT.  Roach (17-0-1, seven KO's) won the WBO International title with a sixth-round stoppage of Deivi Julio Bassa on July 20th in Cancun, Mexico.  Mercado (15-1-1, three KO's) last fought on September 22 and won an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Miguel Marrero in Juncos, Puerto Rico.  This will be Marrero's first trip to the Continental United States.

Saturday, December 22 -- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY:  Alexandria, VA middleweight Brandon "Bulldog" Quarles will be in an eight-round bout against Todd Manuel of Rayne, LA.  Quarles (20-4-1, 10 KO's) makes his second straight trip to the Barclays Center where he won an eight-round split decision over Marcus Willis on September 8th.  Manuel (17-16-1, five KO's) is riding a two-bout winning streak with back-to-back knockouts.  On November 9th, Manuel scored a third-round TKO over Blake Franklin in Bossier City, LA.  Manuel faces a Beltway Boxer for the second time in his career.  Manuel lost by third-round stoppage to Alantez Fox in November of 2015 in Biloxi, MS.

Also scheduled to be on this card are Antonio and Antuanne Russell of Capitol Heights, MD, who are looking for opponents.  Antonio (12-0, 10 KO's) comes off a first-round knockout over Nick Otieno on August 24th in Minneapolis, MN. Antuanne (7-0, seven KO's) scored a first-round TKO over Jose Arturo Esquivel on August 4th in Uniondale, NY.

Hurd, Welborn Hit Scales In Los Angeles!

(Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

Jarrett Hurd and Jason Welborn hit the scales for their 12-round 154-pound title bout Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.  Both men weighed in at 152 1/2 pounds. 

The bout will be the co-feature on the Showtime PPV telecast that will get underway at 9 PM ET.

Weights From Entertainment & Sports Arena!

Here is the scale watch for the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card that will be held Saturday at the Entertainment And Sports Arena in Washington, DC:

(Photos by Daniel Cork)

Tori Nelson 155.8 vs. Sanaa Turunen 158.2 (For Nelson's UBF Middleweight title)

Kareem Martin 148 vs. Andrew Rodgers 149

Alexander Johnson 177.8 vs. Mengistu Zarzar 181.6

Sam Crossed 189.6 vs. Twon Smith 187.6

Antonio Magruder 147 vs. Matt Murphy 144.8

George Harris 218 vs. Lamar Lewis 235.2

Jordan White 128 vs. Ndira Spearman 128.2

Kiante Irving 163.4 vs. George Sheppard 163.8

Card Notes: Rodgers (4-4-1, two KO's) is a native of Elkhart, IN who will be trying to break a three-bout losing streak when he faces Martin.  One of his losses was a third-round TKO to Antuanne Russell on April 21st in Brooklyn, NY.

Zarzar now competes out of Palmer Park, MD.

The bouts for Dominic Wade and Tyrell Boyd have been taken off the card.

The time of the card has been changed.  The first bout will now be at 7 PM ET instead of 5 PM.

Friday Weigh-In Moved To Southeast DC!

Tomorrow's weigh-in for Saturday's Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card has a new venue.  The weigh-in will now be at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, located near the Entertainment and Sports Arena at 2730 Martin Luther King Avenue in Southeast DC. 

The time of 2 PM remains the same and it is still free and open to the public. The Metro is still the best way of getting there as the Center, as well as the Arena, are near the Congress Heights Metro station.

Weigh-in For December 1st DC Card On Friday And Open To Public!

The weigh-in for the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card will be held on Friday, November 30th at Yard House Restaurant, located at 812 7th Street in Northwest Washington, DC.  The event starts at 2 PM and it is free and open to the public.

To avoid trying to park, the best way to get to Yard House is by taking the Metro to the Gallery Place Station.  Be advised, there is no Yellow Line Metro service because of track maintenance.

'Dynamic December' Update: Wade Added To December 1st Card; Fox Gets Opponent For December 8th!

There are a number of updates and changes for two of the cards that will take place during the "Dynamic December of Beltway Boxing."

The 10-round middleweight UBF title bout between champion Tori "Sho Nuff" Nelson of Ashburn, VA (18-2-3, five KO's and challenger Sanna Turunen of Tuusulam, Finland (4-1-1, one KO) has officially upgraded to the main event position on the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card on Saturday, December 1st card at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC.  As BATB has already reported, Dusty Hernandez Harrison, the welterweight from DC, suffered a forearm injury and is unable to compete.

Largo, MD middleweight and former world title contender Dominic "Lights Out" Wade has been added to the card will take on Marcus Upshaw of Miami, FL in a six-round co-feature rematch.  Wade (18-1, 12 KO's) has not fought since suffering his only loss in a title opportunity against Gennady Golovkin in April of 2016.  Wade was knocked out in the second round.

Upshaw (18-17-4, nine KO's) has not fought since July of 2016 when he lost by fifth-round TKO to Brian Carlos Castano in Nice, CA.  The first time these two boxers met was in April of 2014 at the DC Armory.  Wade won the bout by second-round TKO.

DC super lightweight Antonio "Teflon" Magruder (5-0, four KO's) has a new opponent for his four-round contest in veteran Matt Murphy of East St. Louis, IL.  Murphy (3-30-3, two KO's) will look to break an 11-bout losing streak which includes a four-round unanimous decision loss to Desmond Lyons on November 3rd in Augusta, GA.  Murphy will compete for the 11th time in 2018 after boxing 17 times in 2017.  Magruder will be the fourth Beltway Boxer that Murphy has faced, losing to Seth Billups and Drayvontay Speed Rawls and drawing with Mack Allison IV.

Waldorf, MD featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White (6-1, five KO's) has an opponent for this card in Ndira Spearman of Lavergne, TN by way of Hagerstown, MD.  The bout is slated for four rounds.  White is coming off a first-round knockout of Cristian Renteria on November 8th in Indio, CA.  Spearman (1-3) won his pro debut in May of 2016 but is 0-3 in 2018 including a fourth-round TKO loss to Kenneth Taylor on July 28th in Dallas, TX.

Debuting Baltimore, MD middleweight Tyrell Boyd will face off with David "Rock Steady" Rohn of Villa Park, IL. Boyd won the Novice Golden Gloves championship in 2014 and has competed numerous times in local amateur events.

Rohn (0-8-1, two NC's) has lost his last six bouts by knockout and all six of those bouts were against Beltway Boxers.  Rohn's last loss was a first-round KO against Jason Bell in March of 2017 at the UDC Physical Activities Center.  Rohn has also lost to Phillip Hooker, Stephon Morris, Jeff McCalla, Devin Butcher and Shaborn Ryals.  Nine of Rohn's 11 career bouts have been against local talent as Rohn has also lost by knockout to Demond Nicholson, drew with Jeremy Trussell and had a no-contest against Jarelle Scott.

Also a reminder:  The first bout on this card is scheduled to begin at 5 PM ET.

Meanwhile, one boxer has an opponent for the Shabazz Brothers card on Saturday, December 8th at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD.

Undefeated Forestville, MD junior welterweight Mykal "The Professor" Fox is scheduled to be in an eight-round contest against Ibrahim "King Class Mawe" Class of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Fox (18-0, four KO's) comes off a 10-round unanimous decision win over former world champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley on August 18th in Hanover, MD. 

This will be the first trip to the United States for Class (22-4, 10 KO's), who is riding an eight-bout winning streak.  Class knocked out Baina Mazola in the fifth round in Dar-Es Salaam also on August 18th.

December 15th Card In Vienna, VA Mixes Local And Out-Of-Town Prospects!

The third card that will be held in the Beltway during December will take place on Saturday, December 15th at a brand new location called Tyson's Playground which is a fitness and performance center located at 8502 Tyco Road in Vienna, Virginia.

This will be a T.A.C. Promotions card which, as is their custom, combines local Beltway talent with impressive out-of-town prospects.  No matchups have been announced for this card.

Among the Beltway Boxers slated to be on the card are undefeated Hyattsville, MD super lightweight Patrick "YG Pat" Harris, who is slated to headline his third straight T.A.C. Promotions card.  Harris (14-0, eight KO's) comes off an eight-round unanimous decision win over Stephon McIntyre on September 22nd in Springfield, VA.  Harris won his first title on this card, the American Boxing Federation Colonial Atlantic Super Lightweight title.

District Heights, MD super featherweight Renaldo "Misunderstood" Gaines will also be on the card.  Gaines (9-2, three KO's) stopped Johnny Frazier in the first round on May 12th in Sterling, VA.  This will be the second straight visit to Virginia for Gaines, who fought all his previous bouts in DC.

Also on the card will be Landover, MD lightweight Tyrek "I.G.B. Irby (5-0, two KO's).  Irby will make his Virginia debut on this card after defeating Lamont White by four-round unanimous decision on September 22nd in Bowie, MD.

Waldorf, MD welterweight Rashad "Code Blue" Kilpatrick (3-0, one KO) is scheduled to be on this card.  Kilpatrick appeared on the September 22nd card in Springfield, VA and won a four-round majority decision over Carlos Pena.

Bowie welterweight Marlon "The Machine" Bolen will return to action on this card. Bolen (1-0, one KO) made a successful pro debut on June 16th in Laurel, MD when he knocked out Christopher Thorne in the third round.

Among the out-of-town boxers slated to appear on this card is welterweight Michael "Slick" Anderson of Newark, NJ.  Anderson (16-2-1, 12 KO's) returns to the ring after a three and a half year absence.  Anderson scored a first-round TKO of Johnny Frazier in June of 2015 in Weirton, WVA.

Port Chester, NY super welterweight Lee Rodriguez will compete for the second time as a pro.  Rodriguez took 72 seconds to win his pro debut as he knocked out Jason McClure in Greenville, SC on October 12th.

Middleweight Abner "Bam Bam" Guadalupe of the Bronx, NY will look to change his fortunes as he competes for the second time in Virginia.  Guadalupe (1-1-1) suffered his first pro loss on the September 22nd card in Springfield, dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Jason Kelly.

Making his pro debut on this card will be super middleweight Zach Dubnoff of Little Falls, NJ. Dubnoff will turn pro at the age of 30 after winning three of his last four contests as an amateur.

Injury Takes Harrison Off December 1st Card In DC!

Tough news for the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night Card that will take place on Saturday, December 1st at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC.  Undefeated DC welterweight Dusty Hernandez Harrison will have to withdraw from the card due to a forearm injury. 

According to Harrison's father and trainer, Buddy,  Harrison (30-0-1, 16 KO's) suffered the injury during trainer earlier this week.  Harrison was slated to take on James Winchester of North Carolina in a scheduled 10-round bout as the main event. No official word on what bout on the card will be the new main event.

More Bouts And Boxers Announced For December 8th Card In Bowie, MD!

There are two more bouts that have been announced for the Saturday, December 8th Shabazz Brotherz card at the AC Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD.

In a six-round heavyweight bout, undefeated Baltimore, MD heavyweight Hasim "Gold Blooded" Rahman, Jr. will take on Kendrick Houston of North Carolina.  Rahman, Jr. (6-0, four KO's) last fought on August 17th and won his first six-rounder by unanimous decision over Raymond Ochieng in Hinckley, MN.  Houston (1-3-1) battled to a four-round majority draw with Roberto Thomas White in his last outing on August 11th in Salisbury, NC.

In an all-Beltway four-round encounter, Clarksburg, MD middleweight Mark "Sayless" Duncan will battle with Hanover, MD's Ashton "The Goon" Sykes.  Duncan (1-0, one KO) made his pro debut on the last card at Bowie State on September 22nd and won by second-round TKO over Jonell Christmas.  Sykes (2-2) looks to bounce back from a tough six-round TKO loss to Donald Wallace on August 18th at Live! Casino in Hanover.

Also scheduled to appear on this card are WBC USNBC Super Middleweight champ Demond "D'Best At It" Nicholson of Laurel, MD (19-3-1, 18 KO's), undefeated UBF All-Americas Welterweight champ Mykal "The Professor" Fox of Forestville, MD (18-0, four KO's), Bladensburg, MD featherweight "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown (6-0, four KO's) and Baltimore super middleweight Sharif "C3" Rahman (3-0, two KO's).  All are looking for opponents.

As mentioned earlier, undefeated Bowie resident and Bowie State graduate Greg "Sharpshooter" Outlaw will battle Baltimore, MD's Mack "Papi" Allison IV.  This will be a six-round contest.

Outlaw (6-0, two KO's) headlined the last card at Bowie State on September 22nd and won a six-round unanimous decision over Rashad Bogar.  Allison (8-1-1, seven KO's) bounced back from his first pro loss and won a six-round unanimous decision over Rynell Griffin on August 4th in Sterling, VA.

Also scheduled for the card will be a six-round cruiserweight battle as Bowie's Luther "Lights Out" Smith takes on Joshua Temple of St. Louis, MO.  Both men are coming off losses.  Smith (10-4, nine KO's) has lost two straight and three of his last four.  In his last outing, Smith was knocked out in the first round by Alexey Egorov on June 2nd in Atlantic City, NJ.  Temple (7-1, six KO's) will try to bounce back from his first pro loss suffered on October 6th when he lost a six-round split decision to Khetag Pliev in Louisville, KY.

We also know that Baltimore amateur standout Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson will make his pro debut on this card.  Simpson is a six-time National Silver Gloves champion in six different weight divisions and has won medals on the world stage as well.

Davis Wins, Isley Falls At Dual Meet In The Netherlands!

Beltway Boxers split bouts during dual meets with The Netherlands in Rotterdam on Sunday, November 18th.

Alexandria, VA junior welterweight Keyshawn Davis continues to impress on an international level as he defeated Enrico Lacruz.  Meanwhile, fellow Alexandria boxer Troy Isley lost his contest in the middleweight division.

American boxers won six bouts during the two dual meets.

December 1st Boxers To Participate In Southeast DC Turkey Giveaway November 20th!

Many of the boxers who will be participating on the December 1st card in Southeast DC will be in the area giving away turkeys beginning at 4 PM at The Arc located at 1901 Mississippi Avenue in Southeast.  The boxers will be collaborating with the councilmember of Ward 8, Trayon White.

This event is sponsored by the promoters of the card -- Tricky Entertainment and DC Fight Night as they "Fight the Good Fight For Ward 8 Families."

Matches Listed For December 1st Card In DC!

There are matches listed for the Tricky Entertainment/DC Fight Night card on Saturday, December 1st at the new Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast Washington, DC.

The main event is a 10-round contest featuring popular and undefeated DC boxer Dusty Hernandez Harrison who will battle James "Shotgun" Winchester of Reidsville, NC in a junior middleweight contest.

Harrison (30-0-1, 16 KO's) competes for the first time since September of 2016 when he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Thomas LaManna in Philadelphia, PA.  Winchester (20-13, eight KO's) returns to action after losing a six-round unanimous decision to Jaron Ennis in March of 2017 also in Philadelphia.

In the co-feature, multi-time female world champion Tori "Sho Nuff" Nelson of Ashburn, VA will be in a 10-round contest against Sanna Turunen of Tuusula, Finland.  Promoters say this bout will be for Nelson's UBF Middleweight title.

Nelson (18-2-3, three KO's) bounced back from her two losses to Christina Hammer and Claressa Shields to score a sixth-round TKO over Tiffany Woodard on August 4th in Sterling, VA.  Nelson has won 11 world titles in her career.  Turunen (4-1-1, one KO) makes her first trip to the United States after competing in her native Finland and in Paisley, England where she lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Hannah Rankin on June 16th for the WBC Silver Middleweight championship.

DC welterweight Kareem "Reemo" Martin will be on the card in a scheduled six-round contest against veteran Jose Arturo Esquivel of Ciudad Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico.  Martin (10-2-1, three KO's) bounced back from a loss last November to win a four-round majority decision over Kevin Womack, Jr. on June 30th at the Sphinx Club in DC.

Esquivel (10-8, two KO's) faces a Beltway Boxer for the third time in his career.  In his last bout, Esquivel suffered a first-round TKO at the hands of Antuanne Russell on August 4th in Uniondale, NY.  Esquivel also lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Lamont Roach, Jr. in May of 2016 in Las Vegas, NV.

This card also marks the return of Oxon Hill, MD light heavyweight Alexander "The Great" Johnson who will take on "The Dynamic Warrior" Mengistu Zarzar of Brooklyn Park, MN by way of Liberia. in an eight-round bout.   Johnson (16-4-1, seven KO's) has not fought since August of 2016 when he battled Egor Mekhontsev to an eight-round majority draw in Tucson, AZ.

Zarzar (6-5-1, two KO's) makes his second trip to the Nation's Capitol.  On October 18th, Zarzar lost a six-round unanimous decision to Todd Unthank-May at the Mayflower Hotel.  Johnson also suffered a loss to Unthank-May by six-round decision in March of 2016 at the DC Armory.

In a six-round bout, Greenbelt, MD cruiserweight "The Vanilla Gorilla" Sam Crossed will battle Twon Smith of Oklahoma City, OK.  Crossed (7-0, five KO's) scored a brutal first-round knockout over Josh Jones in his last outing on June 16th in Laurel, MD.  Smith (3-1, two KO's) looks to bounce back from his first pro loss, a six-round unanimous decision defeat to Marcus Sanchez on March 16th in Oklahoma City.

DC super lightweight Antonio "Teflon" Magruder returns to action after a more than two-year absence when he faces Gabriel Gutierrez of El Paso, TX in a four-round contest.  Magruder last fought in September of 2016 and scored a first-round TKO over Ronnie Watson at the Sphinx Club.  Gutierrez (5-7, three KO's) lost by second-round knockout to Jonathan Navarro on March 22nd in Indio, CA.

Silver Spring, MD heavyweight George Harris will take on Lamar Lewis of Arkansas in a four-rounder.  Harris (1-0, one KO) made a successful pro debut on October 27th scoring a second-round TKO over Damion Reed in Fort Washington, MD.  Lewis (0-3) lost by third-round TKO to Maurice Jones in his last bout on June 23rd in Augusta, GA.

Beltway Boxers Jordan "Shortdog" White (5-1, four KO's, of Waldorf, MD) and Tyrell Boyd (pro debut, Baltimore, MD) are looking for opponents for this card.

Also on the card in a four-round bout will be light heavyweight Kiante Irving of Beaver Falls, PA who will take on George Sheppard of Virginia in a four-rounder.  Irving is a 2018 National Golden Gloves champion who has scored first-round knockouts in his first two bouts.  Sheppard (1-4-1) looks to bounce back from being knocked out in the first round by Joseph George on September 22nd in Fort Myers, FL.

Moore Loses Decision During World Championships In India!

Alexandria, VA light welterweight Amelia Moore lost by decision Saturday during the 2018 Women's Elite World Championships in New Delhi, India.

Moore had the tough duty of facing a boxer from the home country of India in Simranjit Kaur Baatth.  According to reports, the bout gained the loudest and most energetic crowd response of the day and both women fought very hard.  Moore would go on to lose a 4-1 decision.

As a postscript:  The USA Women's Elite team is having a tough time in this tournament so far.  Only one boxer, flyweight Virginia Fuchs of Houston, TX, has advanced to the quarterfinals.

Toledo, Fennell Earn Weekend Victories!

Two young Beltway Boxers won bouts over the weekend in East Coast boxing action.

 Baltimore, MD light heavyweight Travis "Holy" Toledo went the distance for the first time and won a four-round majority decision over Kendall Cannida of Pennsylvania Friday at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, PA.  No word on the scores for the bout.

Toledo is now 3-0, two KO's while Cannida loses for the first time and he is now 2-1.

Then on Saturday, welterweight Nigel Fennell of Salisbury, MD scored a second-round TKO over Steve Moore of Orange, NJ at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.  The knockout came at 2:37 of the round.  Fennell is now 2-0, two KO's while Moore falls to 1-6, one KO.

Roach, Jr. To Defend Regional Title December 15th At Madison Square Garden!

Undefeated Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. will defend his WBO International Super Featherweight championship against Alberto "Transformer" Mercado of Humacao, Puerto Rico on Saturday, December 15th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

The scheduled 10-round bout will be on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-Rocky Fielding bout and is slated to be shown on the DAZN streaming service.  If his bout is shown on the service, Roach, Jr. will be the first Beltway Boxer to appear on DAZN ("Da Zone"). 

Roach, Jr. (17-0-1, seven KO's) will be making the first defense of the title he won on July 20th in Cancun, Mexico when he stopped Deivi Julio Bassa in six rounds.  Mercado (15-1-1, three KO's) comes off back-to-back eight-round unanimous decision wins in his last two outings.  Mercado holds the WBC Latino Super Featherweight title.

Toledo Tips Scales In Bethlehem!

Travis Toledo weighed in at 174 pounds for his four-round contest against Kendall Cannida Friday night at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, PA.  Cannida came in at 175 1/2 pounds.

Toledo, from Baltimore, MD, is now the only local boxer on this card.  Originally, there were slated to be four but three others as well as an replacement for a Beltway Boxer, will not appear on the card.

Changes For Beltway Boxers On November 16th Card In Bethlehem, PA!

Originally, there were four Beltway Boxers slated to be on the King's Promotions card on Friday, November 16th at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, PA.  Two of those boxers are now completely off the card and one local will replace another.

Washington, DC boxers Joshua "Dynamite" Davis and Daron "Sweet Tay" Williams, who were slated to be in two of the feature bouts on the card, are both off the card entirely.  No reason was given why they were taken off the card.

"The Lion King" Jonathan Burrs of Frederick, MD was scheduled to take on Ricky Nuno of Bethlehem, PA in a four-round middleweight bout.  However, Burrs is out and he will be replaced by another Beltway Boxer, Ashton "The Goon" Sykes of Columbia, MD.  Sykes (2-2) is coming off a tough six-round TKO loss to Donald Wallace on August 18th at Live! Casino in Hanover, MD.

The four-round light heavyweight bout between Travis "Holy"Toledo of Baltimore, MD and Kendall Cannida of Philadelphia, PA is still on the card.

Virginia Elite Amateurs To Compete In International Events!

Three Virginia elite amateur boxers will be involved in international competition this coming week.

Amelia Moore will join the USA Elite Women's squad as they travel to New Delhi, India for the Elite Women's World championships which get underway on Thursday, November 15.

Meanwhile, Keyshawn Davis and Troy Isley will travel with the USA Men's Elite Squad as they head to Rotterdam in The Netherlands for a dual meet with team Netherlands beginning on Sunday, November 18th.

Flores Wins Unanimous Decision In Indiana!

Woodbridge, VA cruiserweight Mario Flores returned from a more than two-year absence to win an eight-round unanimous decision to beat previously undefeated Armando Pina of Chicago, IL Saturday night at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, IN.

Flores won by scores of 79-73 and 77-75 twice to win his first bout since June of 2016 when he won by six-round disqualification over Greg Hackett in Springfield, VA.  Flores raises his record to 8-1-2, four KO's.  Pina loses for the first time and he is now 16-1, 11 KO's.

Interesting Matchups Slated For December 8th In Bowie, MD!

There are a couple of interesting bouts that are scheduled for the Shabazz Brotherz card on Saturday, December 8th at the Bowie State University AC Jordan Arena in Bowie, MD.

One of the contests is a bout pitting two Beltway rising super lightweight prospects.  Undefeated Bowie resident and Bowie State graduate Greg "Sharpshooter" Outlaw will battle Baltimore, MD's Mack "Papi" Allison IV.  No word yet on how many rounds this bout is scheduled for.

Outlaw (6-0, two KO's) headlined the last card at Bowie State on September 22nd and won a six-round unanimous decision over Rashad Bogar.  Allison (8-1-1, seven KO's) bounced back from his first pro loss and won a six-round unanimous decision over Rynell Griffin on August 4th in Sterling, VA.

Also scheduled for the card will be a cruiserweight battle as Bowie's Luther "Lights Out" Smith takes on Joshua Temple of St. Louis, MO.  Both men are coming off losses.  Smith (10-4, nine KO's) has lost two straight and three of his last four.  In his last outing, Smith was knocked out in the first round by Alexey Egorov on June 2nd in Atlantic City, NJ.  Temple (7-1, six KO's) will try to bounce back from his first pro loss suffered on October 6th when he lost a six-round split decision to Khetag Pliev in Louisville, KY.

Ballard Wins Unanimous Decision In California!

Temple Hills, MD super middleweight D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard won an eight-round unanimous decision over Alan "Amenaza" Campa of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA.

According to David Robinett of Fightnews.com, the first round was evenly contested. Campa was the first to seize momentum, ripping several left hooks to the body in round two, visibly bothering Ballard. Campa continued to work the body in round three, but Ballard’s right to the head landed consistently, keeping him in the fight. Campa had his best round of the fight in the fourth, catching Ballard with a right hook to the head late in the round that stunned Ballard, allowing Campa to land a series of unanswered punches before Ballard fired back a combination at the bell.

The momentum began to turn in round five however, with Ballard coming back strong with several right hooks of his own, causing Campa to shake his head to the crowd that he wasn’t hurt after one particularly nasty hook caused his head to swivel. Ballard began to show his class through the middle rounds, repeatedly outlanding a tiring Campa with combinations to the head while Campa continued working the body, but with less frequency than before. By round eight, Ballard was in control despite Campa still forcing an honest pace, punctuating the round with a straight right that caused Campa to hold in order to buy some time to recover, though neither fighter ever appeared in danger of going down.

Ballard won the bout by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 to keep his undefeated string going at 19-0, 12 KO's.  This is Ballard's third straight unanimous decision victory.  Campa falls to 17-4, 11 KO's.

White Scores First Round KO In Indio!

Waldorf, MD featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White has registered a first round knockout over Cristian Renteria of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA.

According to David Robinett of Fightnews.com, White barely got warmed up before dropping Renteria onto all fours with a body shot during a brief exchange in the center of the ring. Renteria failed to beat the referee’s count at the end of the round.

White is now 6-1, five KO's while Renteria's record evens at 7-7, six KO's.

Ballard, White Hit Scales In Indio, CA!

D'Mitrius Ballard and Jordan White hit the scales for tonight's bouts at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA.

Ballard and his opponent, Alan Campa, both weighed in at 166.8 pounds for their eight-round contest.  White came in at 125.8 pounds and his foe, Cristian Renteria tipped the scales at 125.4 pounds for their four-round bout. 

White (5-1, four KO's) comes off a four-round TKO victory over Francisco Rodriguez on September 22nd in Bowie, MD.  Renteria (7-6, six KO's) faces a Beltway Boxer for the second straight time, losing by third-round KO to Antonio Russell in September of 2017 in Bethlehem, PA.

The card is being televised by ESPN, however, we do not know if either of these bouts will be televised.

Ballard Competes Thursday At Fantasy Springs Casino!

Undefeated Temple Hills, MD super middleweight D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard returns to action on Thursday, November 8th in an eight-round bout against Alan "Amenaza" Campa of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA.

Ballard (18-0, 12 KO's) comes back for his first bout since he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jaime Solorio in October of 2017 in Verona, NY.  Campa (17-3, 11 KO's) comes off a 10-round split decision win over Octavio Castro on March 16th in Empalme, Mexico.  Prior to that, Campa lost by fifth-round TKO to Jesse Hart at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD in April of 2017.

This bout will be part of a Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN card.  However, there is no official word on whether the bout will be televised.

Wade Signs With GH3 Promotions; 'Truck' Simpson To Make Pro Debut December 8th!

Two good-sized stories coming out of the Beltway.  Largo, MD middleweight Dominic Wade has signed a promotional contract with GH3 Promotions.

Wade (18-1, 12 KO's) has not fought since losing by second-round knockout to Gennady Golovkin for the Unified Middleweight title in April of 2016 in Inglewood, CA.

"I am excited to get back in the ring, and the show the world what I got.  I will get back to the top of the rankings, and do it better, and more proper this time." said Wade.

"It is time to show the world that I am back.  I want to take my time until the big fights come up.  I can see me in fights against Canelo Alvarez, Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade or any of the other top middleweights out there.  I feel that after a couple of fights, I will be up there with the top names in the division.  I am just excited to do my thing.  I got to the top of the rankings with just natural talent.  Now I have a good team behind me with GH3 Promotions, I have a great work ethic, and I am back with my original trainer Adrian Davis.  I feel the best is still ahead of me."

We are also hearing that one of the most decorated Beltway amateurs in recent memory will make his professional debut.  Baltimore, MD middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson will turn professional on the Shabazz Brothers card on Saturday, December 8th at the A.C. Jordan Arena at Bowie State University in Bowie, MD.

Simpson is one of only two amateur boxers in history to win six national Silver Gloves championships in six different weight divisions.  Simpson has also won numerous medals at the national and international level.

November Schedule Full of Amateur Boxing Action!

There are no pro cards locally on the November Beltway schedule.  However, there are a number of amateur cards and two pro shows in Philadelphia that have plenty of local interest.

Saturday, November 3rd -- Rita Bright Recreation Center, Washington, DC -- There will be an Amateur Boxing Expo beginning at noon at the center, located at 2500 14th Street in Northwest Washington.

Friday, November 16th -- 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA -- Actually, there are no Beltway Boxers participating on this nationally-televised (Showtime) Victory Promotions and Hard Hitting Promotions card.  However, the ring announcer for this card is the Beltway's own Henry "Discombobulating" Jones.  The show is scheduled to begin at 9:35 PM ET.

Friday, November 16th -- Sands Bethlehem Events Center, Bethlehem, PA -- Four Beltway Boxers are slated to be on this card.  The main event features Washington, DC super featherweight Joshua "Dynamite" Davis against undefeated Anvar Yunusov of Reading, PA by way of Tajikistan in an eight-round encounter.  Davis (11-3, five KO's) has lost two straight including a second-round TKO loss to Steven Ortiz on January 26th in Philadelphia, PA.  Yunusov (5-0, two KO's) competed in the last three Olympics and has scored knockouts in his last two pro bouts, including a first-round knockout over Angel Monrreal on September 14th in Philadelphia.

Washington, DC super bantamweight Daron "Sweet Tay" Williams will be in a six-round bout against Martino "Titan" Jules of Allentown, PA.  Williams (7-0, four KO's) comes off a fourth round TKO over Marco Antonio Mendoza Chico on June 30th in DC.  Jules (5-0) makes his fifth straight appearance at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center.  Jules won a four-round unanimous decision over Felix Sosa on September 25th.  Jules faces a Beltway Boxer for the second time.  Jules defeated Malik Loften by four-round unanimous decision on February 13th at the Sands Bethlehem.

Also on the card will be super welterweight "The Lion King" Jonathan Burrs of Frederick, MD who will take on Bethlehem, PA's Ricky Nuno in a four-rounder.  Burrs (1-1) won his first pro contest defeating Bryant Costello by four-round unanimous decision on October 27th in Fort Washington, MD.  Nuno (2-1, one KO) returns to action for the first time since September of 2015 when he lost a four-round unanimous decision to Nicholas Hernandez at the Sands Bethlehem.

Baltimore light heavyweight Travis "Holy" Toledo will be in a four-rounder against Kendall Cannida of Pennsylvania.  Toledo (2-0, two KO's) comes off two second-round TKO's in his first two contests.  This includes a win over Tahlik Taylor on September eighth in Atlantic City, NJ.  Cannida (2-0) last fought on April 6th, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Carlos Villanueva in Philadelphia.

Saturday, November 17th -- Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD -- An amateur boxing card promoted by Julius "Juice" Gatling and Keystone Boxing. 

Wednesday, November 21st -- Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD -- The "Turkey Day Eve" Bash beginning at 8:15 PM.  Former Baltimore multi-sport athlete Walter Sanders will battle Sam Acuff for the Maryland State Light Heavyweight title.  Also, "The Fighting Marine" Lisa Bodenburg will be on the card.

Wednesday, November 21st -- Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, RI -- DC heavyweight Maurice "Freight Train" Byarm will be in a eight-round contest against Joe Cusumano of Danville, VA.  Byarm (14-2-1, 10 KO's) returned to action after a more than six-year absence and scored a first-round TKO over Richard Carmack on February 10th in Park City, KS.  Cusumano (16-2, 14 KO's) scored a first-round knockout in his last bout against James Price on July 21st in Yanceyville, NC.

As always, bouts and cards are subject to change without notice.