Friday, September 29, 2006

Breaking News: Nwodo Bout is Off, Says Promoter!

There have been reports on some boxing websites that USBA Cruiserweight champion Emmanuel Nwodo of Baltimore is scheduled to take on undefeated NABO Cruiserweight titleholder Johnathan Banks on October 28 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI.

I just got off the phone with Nwodo's promoter, Han Kim and he tells me that the bout is OFF! Kim was contacted for this bout just this week and felt the short notice was too short for his boxer to prepare for the bout. So the bout is off.

More on this as it becomes available.

Beltway Schedule Addition: December 9 at the Lincoln Theatre!

When I posted the fall Beltway Boxing schedule earlier this month, I said there are more cards being talked about.

I can now confirm one of those talked-about cards: Saturday, December 9 at the historic Lincoln Theatre in DC!

Babie Girl Promotions -- headed by Cassandra White -- will put on its second card at the Lincoln. You'll remember that White promoted the show in March headlined by Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan stopping Lloyd "Jabba" Bryan.

Not much is known at this time about the December 9 show, however, with her main event, White plans to answer one of the burning and most-asked questions along the Beltway: "Where is Clarence 'Untouchable' Vinson?" Yes, Vinson is slated to headline the December 9 show.

By the way, Vinson is now being trained by Beltway Boxing legend Darryl "Terrible T" Tyson. I plan to talk to both men between now and December 9.

Bizarre Night in the Ballroom!

Since the start of this blog in July 2005, we have had some landmark nights of Beltway Boxing.

Thursday, Sept. 28 would not be one of them.

During the premiere of Ballroom Boxing's 12th season at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD, one Beltway Boxer had a unintentionally short but successful night, another suffered a major setback while a third had the first learning experience of his pro career.

Let's start with the main event, the return of cruiserweight Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson, now living in Takoma Park, MD. Wilson was able to break his four-bout losing streak with a sudden fourth-round TKO over Daniel Judah of Brooklyn, NY.

This was not one of Wilson's typical knockouts. The knockout came when Wilson threw a punch that landed on Judah's left shoulder. The sickening crack of glove against bone could be heard all throughout Michael's, as could Judah's scream of pain. Judah could not move his arm and referee Malik Waleed stopped the bout at 33 seconds of the third.

According to Judah's father Yoel, Judah (who had brother Zab -- sporting a short mohawk haircut -- in attendance) had surgery on that shoulder two years ago. Yoel Judah also said that the shoulder was dislocated this time.

For Wilson, who raised his record to 19-5-3, 16 KO's, it was a good performance, but he told me afterwards he wanted to do more.

"I wanted to show how fluid I can be in the later rounds," Wilson said. "I was warming up."

Overall, Wilson looked good in the just over six minutes he was in there. His trainer, 1976 Olympic silver medalist SGT. Charles Mooney, told me he liked how Wilson followed directions in the corner. Wilson went to the body well while facing an opponent who stayed in front of him the entire time.

Judah's record is now 21-2-3, 10 KO's.

Now folks, the rest of this report goes pretty much downhill from here.

In the co-feature, Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin suffered the first loss of his pro career, dropping an eight-round majority decision to David Toribio of Miami, FL by way of the Dominican Republic.

Frankly, Arvin was very fortunate to get a draw from one of the scorecards. He was dropped by a left hook in the fourth round that sent him somersaulting backwards towards his own corner. Arvin told me afterwards that he never saw the punch.

Had Toribio not been deducted a point for holding in the fifth round, he would have won a unanimous decision. Judge Gary Camponeschi saw the draw, 75-75. Judge John Gradowski scored the bout 77-73 while Don Risher saw the contest 78-72. I had it close at 75-74 for Toribio.

But here's why this loss is an unsettling one for Arvin:

1. Arvin lost to a guy who had dropped his last five decisions, three by knockout.

2. Arvin looked EXTREMELY off balance; he was lunging and stumbling throughout the entire contest. In fact, I talked to a few people who know the technical aspect of this sport better than I do and there is fear for Arvin at this stage. I have seen most of Arvin's 16 previous bouts, and I can say without question that this was the worst I have seen him. Because of this, there are those who say that this was a LOT more than just a bad night.

This loss is a major blow for the Beltway Boxing community. Arvin was seen as one of our brightest prospects and he was just awful last night. In all honesty, he will have to do a lot to bounce back from this one. Arvin's record falls to 14-1-2, six KO's. Toribio is now 13-5, seven KO's.

Also on the card, Baltimore junior lightweight Tyrell Samuel remained undefeated with a six-round split decision over Carlos Vinan of Newark, NJ. This was a rematch of a bout Samuel won by majority decision earlier in his career.

Truthfully, this was a gift for Samuel, in my opinion. However, hopefully it will serve as a learning experience for him and there are some positives to be taken from it.

For the first time that I've seen in his nine-bout pro career, Samuel faced someone who can put on pressure and land good shots. One thing we didn't know was how good Samuel's chin was. I think we got an indication last night. Also, I think at times he was confused because Vinan took some of Samuel's best shots. However, I didn't see him overly frustrated during the bout. Vinan should be credited for having a good chin also as well as showing the ability to fight despite a bad cut along the left eye.

I scored the bout 58-56 for Vinan. That was the same score that Judge Don Risher had. Judges Kenny Chevalier and Malik Waleed saw the bout in favor of Samuel, 58-57 and 58-56 respectively.

I thought Samuel fought well. I just thought he didn't do enough to get the win.

In other bouts on the card, cruiserweight William "Thunder" Gill of Toms River, NJ broke a six-bout losing streak by scoring a second-round TKO over John "Jazz" Owens of Council Bluffs, IA. The win was Gill's first victory in the Beltway region in three tries. The other two bouts were losses to Mike Paschall. Gill's record is now 3-11, two KO's while Owens is 2-3, one KO. Also, New York City junior middleweight prospect Jose "Silver Boy" Rodriguez remained undefeated (8-0, one KO) with an easy six-round unanimous decision over Carlos Pena of Arroyo, Puerto Rico (2-7, two KO's.

A very solid and competitive card put on by promoter Scott Wagner and matchmaker Chris Middendorf. The locals were tested nicely tonight. Too bad they didn't all pass the test.

Among others in attendance last night were former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman,Beltway prospects Mike Ricasa and Jessie Nicklow as well as former Beltway heavyweight contender Thomas "Top Dog" Williams I thought I saw Dana Rucker as well, but I wasn't sure.

Also making the scene was one of the top welterweight contenders in the world, Paul "The Punisher" Williams of Augusta, GA. Williams has been training in the area periodically over the past few months.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Tyson to Battle Beltway Boxer in Exhibition!

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will begin his world exhibition tour on October 20th in Youngstown, Ohio.

The first opponent on "Mike Tyson's World Tour" (catchy name, isn't it?) will be his long-time sparring partner, DC's own Corey "T-Rex" Sanders. They will box in a four-round exhibition, according to Tyson's promoter, Sterling McPherson.

McPherson told ESPN.com that this will be the first of as many as 12 four-round exhibitions that Tyson has agreed to take place in.

Tyson, of course, finished his career right here in DC when he lost to Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005 at Verizon Center.

The 31-year-old, 6'6" Sanders finished his career (23-10, 15 KO's) in 2004 after repeated problems with an eye injury that originally took place in perhaps his most-remembered performance, a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Andrew Golota in Atlantic City on July 21, 1998.

Despite the injury, Sanders won seven straight bouts. That streak was capped by an eight-round technical knockout over current WBC Heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev on March 17, 2002.

Since he completed his career, Sanders has been a well-known sparring partner for many throughout the sport, including Tyson who worked with Sanders for the McBride fight.

Just thought I'd let you know: McPherson told ESPN.com that this is apparently going to be a PAY-PER-VIEW "event" that you can buy for $29.95. The card will also feature sanctioned boxing matches, including the return of former lightweight champion Paul Spadafora.

Weights for Ballroom Boxing Tomorrow Night!

Here are some of the weights for tomorrow night's Ballroom Boxing card at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD (Beltway Boxers in bold:)

Darnell Wilson 189 vs. Daniel Judah 187 1/2

Ishmail Arvin 155 3/4 vs. David Toribio 156

Tyrell Samuel 129 3/4 vs. Carlos Vinan 130

Jose Rodriguez 149 3/4 vs. Carlos Pena 149 1/4

John Owens vs. William Gill (both will weigh-in tomorrow)

Miguel Guzman vs. TBD

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Johnson Explains His Future Goals!

In the final part of our talk with Mark Johnson, he lays out his future goals and has a message for his supporters..and his detractors.

this is an audio post - click to play

Johnson Discusses The Importance of Venue!

In part three of my talk with Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, we discuss the importance of venue and whether he will step back into the ring again.

this is an audio post - click to play

Johnson Talks More About Promoting Plans!

In part two of our interview with Mark Johnson, he expresses his goals of bringing boxing to a new level in the Nation's Capital.

this is an audio post - click to play

'Too Sharp' Reveals Promoting Woes!

In a very revealing audio interview, former three-time world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson talks about the obstacles he has faced in beginning his promotional career.

this is an audio post - click to play

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Washington Post Profiles Dominic Wade!

Today's Washington Post has a solid article on a young man getting a lot of notoriety in the amateur ranks here in the area, including on this blog.

16-year-old Dominic Wade of Largo, MD is the subject of the article "AT 16, Career on the Ropes" by Eli Saslow.

This is the link to the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/25/AR2006092501100.html

Please give your comments. Let me commend the Post, for this is the third article this year that has profiled a Beltway amateur champion. There have been previous articles on the Russell Family as well as Franchon Crews (who was also profiled by the Baltimore Sun).

'The Arsenal' Talks About His Career!

Undefeated Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin talks about his career and his preparations for his co-feature bout against David Toribio on the Ballroom Boxing card on Thursday, September 28 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

this is an audio post - click to play

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Rahman Waits; Reid Released!

A couple of Beltway Boxing Notes courtesy of ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

It looks like former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman will have to wait until 2007 to get back to fighting again. There was talk that the Baltimore native would fight Sinan Samil Sam in Germany later this year. According to Rafael, the bout will probably still happen, but the German TV calendar is full and there is no room for the bout.

Rahman's manager Steve Nelson told Rafael that there is a possibility that this contest may be a WBC title elimination bout and it could happen in January or February.

Meanwhile, Rafael reports that Adelphi, MD's Teddy "Two-Gun" Reid is looking for a new promoter. Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions has released Reid from his promotional contract. The former multi-time regional champion (23-8-2, 17 KO's) has not fared well in recent bouts going 1-3-1 in his last five bouts, losing to such competition as Kermit Cintron, Rodney Jones, and in his last bout, Verno Phillips.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Unique Announcement Concerning Ring Announcers and Oct. 7!

Please listen to this post for a special announcement connecting the "Voices of the Ring" Series you just heard and "The Beltway vs. The World" card on October 7 at the George Mason University Patriot Center.

this is an audio post - click to play

Jones Talks About His First Night at MSG!

In this third segment, Henry "Discombobulating" Jones talks about his preparation and his Madison Square Garden debut.

this is an audio post - click to play

Jones Says Preparation is the Key!

In the second part of this interview, Henry "Discombobulating" Jones talks about the racism he has had to endure.

this is an audio post - click to play

Voices of the Ring: Henry "Discombobulating" Jones!

In the final installment of the series, I talk to the one and only Henry "Discombobulating" Jones. In this segment, Jones explained how he came up with his unique nickname.

this is an audio post - click to play

Breaking News: Ballroom Boxing Will NOT Air on MASN!

I am just receiving word that Ballroom Boxing will NOT be a part of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).

I had been told by numerous sources that the show would begin airing on the network starting with the Sept. 28 card. However, I received copy of an official MASN document that says that will not be the case.

I apologize to MASN for any misunderstanding.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Beltway Amateur Boxing Update!

Periodically, I will try to give you an update on the USA Boxing rankings as it pertains to our local amateurs. Again, let me say that although I can't be at every amateur show, I do want info from you on upcoming amateur boxing events.

I must also admit that I don't know where all the following boxers train, so I ask your assistance in telling me what gym these boxers train so the gyms can be recognized.

First, let's take a look at the Beltway Boxers that are ranked in USA Boxing's Second Quarter Rankings:

Bantamweight/119 pounds:

1. Gary Russell, Jr., Capitol Heights, MD

Welterweight/152 pounds:

6. Fernando Guerrero, Salisbury, MD

7. Jacey Thompson, Washington, DC

Middleweight/165 pounds:

5. Fernando Guerrero, Salisbury, MD

7. Jimson Adebusoye, Washington, DC

Light Heavyweight/178 pounds:

6. Marcus Henry, Cockeysville, MD

Heavyweight/201 pounds

3. Marcus Henry, Cockeysville, MD

6. Matt Steenhoek, Baltimore, MD

Super Heavyweight/+201 pounds

4. Lucas Runion, College Park, MD



Here are the Women's Third Quarter rankings:

Light Bantamweight/114 pounds

10. Gina D'Andrea, Maryland

Bantamweight/119 pounds

10. Tyrieshie Douglas, Washington, DC

Middleweight/165 pounds

1. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, MD



The most recent rankings available from USA Boxing's website for the Junior Olympics are for 2005. Here where the Beltway Boxers stand:

119 pounds:

9. Larry Recio, Lanham, MD

145 pounds:

Jermal Williams, Fort Washington, MD

165 pounds:

1. Dominic Wade, Largo, MD



Beltway Boxing Fans: These boxers and many others are the future of the sport in our area. Please give them your support!

'Digital' Mentioned in 'DC Sports Bog!'

I meant to put this up yesterday, but I was mentioned in a posting yesterday in the new Washington Post DC Sports Bog." Writer Dan Steinberg mentioned what I told you about Mike Sawyer donating his purse to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Steinberg then poked good fun with my name. It was very funny.

This is the link to the sports bog: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/

Look for the posting that says "Dance Team Roster Set."

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

NOMIS Boxing Club Hosts Amateur Show Sept. 23!

The busy fall season of Beltway Amateur and Pro Boxing has a new start date. This Saturday, Sept. 23, there will be an amateur boxing card put on by the NOMIS Boxing Gym to support their non-profit NOMIS Youth Network.

This card is the NOMIS Boxing Invitational and it will be held at the Richard Englland Community Center located at 4103 Benning Road in Northeast, DC.

Among the featured boxers slated to participate are Gary A. Russell(known to everyone as Allen), the younger brother of world-ranked amateur bantamweight Gary Russell Jr. and David Grayton IV, who was voted the most outstanding boxer at this year's Mayor's Cup.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, contact Robert Simon at (202) 543-2207.