Scale Watch for Glen Burnie!

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

Mike Paschall 174 1/4 vs. Gary Lavender 175 1/2

Ishmail Arvin 154 1/4 vs. Jesse Orta 154

Darrell Madison 247 vs. Michael Rhoades (will weigh-in tomorrow)

Jonathan Felton 230 1/2 vs. Askia Snyder 220 3/4

Spencer Harsley 151 1/2 vs. Stephon Bass 148

Ariel Espinal is also slated to be on the card.

There will be at least three amateur bouts on the card including a scheduled matchup for the 201+ pound South Atlantic Championship between Nick Kisner and Alex Guerrero.

Gary Lavender (4-10, four KO's) is the third opponent slated to face Paschall. Lavender was in the Ballroom on November 29 and was stopped by Carlos Jones in the fourth round.

"The Capitol Punisher" Spencer Harsley (1-4-2)has not fought since his four-round draw at Rosecroft Raceway with Kendrick Walker.


Be sure to listen to the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up tomorrow night (or early Friday morning). I'll have some news on some upcoming Virginia cards and I will make a formal declaration on the "Anonymous" posting. I decided not to wait until the end of February.

This Just In: Lockett Out of New York Bout!

I've just received word that Willis "The Prophet" Lockett has pulled out of tomorrow night's bout against Elvir Muriqi in New York. Lockett apparently hurt his hand in training. Details as they become available.

Lockett-Muriqi Bout Available Free on GoFightLive.TV!

There will be a free boxing card available on the internet on Thursday, January 31 over www.gofightlive.tv. The card is free, but you have to register for the site (registration is also free).

The card will originate from the Paradise Theater in the Bronx, NY and one of the bouts on the card will feature Beltway Boxer Willis "The Prophet" Lockett of Takoma Park, MD as he squares off against "The Kosovo Kid" Elvir Muriqi in a scheduled 10-round contest that will be the co-main event.

Those of you who, like me, will be at Michael's Eighth Avenue on Thursday night, will not have to worry because the card is archived on that site.

Boxing Returns to Winchester on February 23!

There will be a Left Hook Boxing Promotions card coming back to the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA on Saturday, February 23.

Front Royal, VA lightweight Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer (9-1, six KO's) is slated to headline the show, taking on tough Edward "Nuckie" Anderson (4-10, three KO's) of Richmond, VA in a six-round contest. Farmer had a perfect 2007 (5-0) with his last victory being a tough six-round split decision over Curtis Smith on November 17 in Springfield, VA. Anderson has lost three straight (to Beltway Boxers Jamie Palma, Todd Wilson and Bayan Jargal), all by unanimous decision.

Another matchup for this card includes the return of Dumfries, VA cruiserweight "Cold Blood" Patrick Budd as he faces Ozgur Yardimci of Salisbury, MD in a four-round contest. Budd (1-0) has not fought since making his pro debut on April 28 in Fisherville, VA. Budd has, however, been a noticable presence working in the corners of young pros. Yardimci (0-2) lost by fourth-round TKO to Joe Haggler on December 15 in Dulles, VA.

And in what should be an exciting matchup, "The Berlin Bomber" Josh Snyder of Salisbury will battle Richmond, VA's Charles "Murdock" Norwood in a six-round junior middleweight contest. Snyder (5-3, two KO's) will try to bounce back from a tough eight-round majority decision loss to Jessie Nicklow on January 18 in Pikesville, MD. Norwood (3-2, one KO) lost a four-round unanimous decision to John Mackey on November 17 in Springfield in his last outing.

Also slated to be a part of this card are Todd "White Lightning" Wilson, George "War Time" Rivera, Tommy "Sparkplug" Neal, Travis "O.T.T" Mallin and Tommy Smith.


There is also a card scheduled for the Lincoln Theatre in DC on February 23. All I know so far is that undefeated Capitol Heights, MD featherweight Thomas "KO" Snow will headline.

Results From Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic!

Here are the results from the first annual Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic held last night in front of a sellout crowd at the Westin Washington, DC City Center Hotel:

Brady Sensibaugh defeated Thomas James Waite -- 64 pound weight class -- by decision

Derek Potter over Mykal Fox - 85 pound -- by decision.

Dusty Harrison stopped Ross Irvine - 95 pound
(Fight stopped by trainer)

Alex Rosa over John Paul Taggart - 130 pound -- by decision

Trayon Bynum stopped Christopher McKenna - 130 PWC

Chris Warden over Neil Murphy - 145 pound

Mason Jordan over Matthew Orr - 151 pound

Nate Davis over David James McAllister 168 PWC

Marc Johns over Aaron Kelly - 176 PWC

Barry Trotter over Marc Fleming - 178 PWC

Robert Clark over Damien McLaughlin - 185 PWC

Due to a prior commitment, I was unable to attend this event personally, so I am thankful for two very nice photo galleries of this event. You can't go wrong with either of these.

CD Brown of DC Urban Sports has this gallery:

"http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4235692#247804494"


While Linda "Great Shot" Siadys shows her view of the event here:

"http://photodawg1.smugmug.com/gallery/4220628#247136370"

Barnette, Guerrero Win in Mississippi!

DC's Ty Barnette remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision win over veteran John "The Eastern Beast" Brown last night at the Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MS.

According to Memphisboxing.com, Barnette would spend his welterweight bout being constantly frustrated by his charging, but one-foot shorter opponent. The fight would go the distance in part due to Brown’s charging style that allowed him to shrink himself even further to get past Barnette’s defenses, but once he got in, he relied on wild overhand rights that only landed glanced his opponent’s head.

Barnette seemed unwilling or unable to use a jab to keep Brown away from him, despite the height and skill advantage. Barnette dropped Brown once in the fourth round, but Brown was able to get up and go the distance before losing a 59-54 unanimous decision.

Barnette's record rises to 13-0-1, nine KO's while Brown's record falls to 23-16-2, 11 KO's.

Also on the card, Beltway rookie Fernando Guerrero of Salisbury, MD made it two straight as he scored a first-round knockout over previously undefeated Anthony Reese. Guerrero landed a right to Reese’s jaw that sent him across the ring, into the ropes and out at 1:03 of the opening round. Guerrero is now 2-0, two KO's.

Barnette Opponent Changed in Mississippi!

The opponent for undefeated DC lightweight Ty Barnette has changed. Barnette (12-0-1, nine KO's) will now face rugged veteran "The Eastern Beast" John Brown of Atlantic City, NJ tonight at the Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MS.

Brown (23-15-2, 11 KO's) has challenged for world titles four times in his career against Diego Corrales, Shane Mosley and twice against Steve Forbes. However, Brown is truly on the downside of his career, going winless (0-7-2) in his last nine bouts, including an eighth-round TKO loss to Lamont Peterson in DC last May. Barnette will be the fourth straight undefeated fighter Brown has faced, joining the likes of Peterson, Herman Ngoudjo (who recently challenged Paul Malignaggi for the IBF Welterweight title) and Vernon Paris.

Here is the Scale Watch for this card for the Beltway Boxers involved:

Ty Barnette 142 1/2 vs. John Brown 145

Fernando Guerrero 163 vs. Anthony Reese 153

City Paper Profiles Cutman Chris Ray!

In his Cheap Seats column in the Washington City Paper, reporter Dave McKenna has a nice profile on ace Beltway cutman Chris Ray.

If you've been around the area long enough, chances are you know Ray. He was an integral part of the career of three-time world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and still continues working with local and national boxers.

The column can be found here:

"http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/columns/cheapseats/"

Belfast and the Beltway Come Together!

(Photo by Linda "Great Shot" Siadys)

The Beltway Boxers who will be participating in the Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic amateur boxing event had an opportunity to meet their Belfast, Ireland counterparts yesterday at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center. Tomorrow, the two teams will send representatives into the ring against one another at the Westin Washington, DC City Center Hotel where they will do battle in front of a sell-out audience.

Paschall Has New Opponent in the Ballroom!

Undefeated Baltimore light heavyweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall has a new opponent scheduled for the Ballroom Boxing card on Thursday, January 31 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Instead of Andre Hemphill, Paschall will now face Philadelphia, PA veteran Tyrone "Sugarfeet" Glover in an eight-round contest. Glover (11-9-3, two KO's) has been inactive since September of 2006 and is trying to break a four-bout losing streak. This will be the fourth straight boxer who was undefeated at the time Glover faced him. His last three losses (all by unanimous decision) have come to Beltway Boxers Corey Cummings and Henry Buchanan and Max Alexander from the third season of "The Contender."

Paschall comes into the bout with a record of 14-0-1, two KO's.

The co-feature bout remains the same: Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin (14-1-3, six KO's) will take on Jesse Orta (7-11-1, four KO's) in another eight-round bout.

Barnette, Guerrero Return to Mississippi January 26!

Two Beltway Boxers make return visits to Tunica, MS on Saturday, January 26 as part of the new season of "Fights At The Fitz" at the Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino.

Undefeated DC junior welterweight Ty Barnette will be involved in the co-feature bout of the evening, taking on veteran Billy "Superman" Gates of Mobile, AL in an eight-round contest. This will be Barnette's third straight appearance at The Fitz. In his last outing, Barnette (12-0-1, nine KO's) scored a first-round knockout over Anthony Cobb on December 8. Gates (9-8, eight KO's) has lost three in a row, including a 10-round unanimous decision to Favio Medina on August 9 in Worley, Idaho.

Also on the card, rookie middleweight Fernando Guerrero of Salisbury, MD will take on Anthony Reese of Mississippi. Both men are 1-0 with one KO's.

Matchups Announced for Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic!

We have the majority of the matchups for the Saturday, January 26 Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic Amateur event at the Westin Washington, DC City Center Hotel, 1400 M Street, NW in DC.

The Beltway Boxing team are made up of members of the "Sugar Ray Leonard Sharp Shooters" and representatives from Supreme Defence Gym.

Here are the matchups:

Shaborn Ryles (Supreme Defence) vs. Thomas James Waite (B) – 64 lbs

Mykal Fox (SugarRay Leonard) vs. Derek Potter (B) – 85 lbs.

Dusty Harrison (SRL) vs. Ross Irvine (B) – 95 lbs

Treyon Bynum (SD) vs. John Paul Taggart (B) – 130 lbs

Mark Johns (SRL) vs. Christopher McKenna (B) – 130 lbs

Emmanuel Johnson (SRL) vs. Neil Murphy (B) – 145 lbs

Chris Warden (SRL) vs. Matthew Orr (B) – 151 lbs

Reyes Marquez (SD) vs. David James McAllister (B) – 168 lbs

Barry Trotter (SRL) vs. Aaron Kelly (B) – 176 lbs

Dustin Narcisse (SD) vs. Marc Fleming (B) – 178 lbs

TBA vs. Damien McLaughlin (B) – 185 lbs


Tickets are still available for this event and can be purchased by calling 703 862-4337.

New Poll: Should 'Anonymous' Live on BATB?

As you've probably noticed, comments on BATB have been down since I stopped anonymous comments on the site. In Pikesville last Friday, I had a number of people tell me that I should allow anonymous comments on the site because it brings flavor to the site.

So I decided to leave it up to you: The new poll is up and simply asks "Should 'Anonymous' comments be allowed on Boxing Along The Beltway?

The poll will be available until Saturday, February 29.

Mitchell Draws Praise From Heavy Hitters!

Throughout the week, I've been saying that the debut of Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell was one of the most anticipated pro debuts along the Beltway in some time.

Apparently, there were some outside the Beltway who were looking forward to Mitchell's debut as well. One of those, long-time manager and legal counsel, Shelly Finkel was in attendance Friday night at the Pikesville Armory to watch Mitchell win a four-round unanimous decision over Mike Miller.

Finkel made no comment after the card, but did have a lengthy meeting with Mitchell prior to the bout. There is talk that Mitchell is very close to signing a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions.

While Mitchell was an amateur, another well-known boxing name -- hall of fame trainer Lou Duva -- saw the young heavyweight in action at Du Burns Arena last October and came away very impressed.

“This kid is already the complete package. When I found out that Seth has only been fighting competitively for eight months, I nearly hit the floor. No one develops that quickly unless he has God given talents. He’s extremely committed and extremely coachable," Duva said in a press release.

The 2008 Beltway rookie class is off to a good start with Mitchell, Ekim Orji, Stennis Floyd, Lenwood Dozier and Fernando Guerrero all making strong pro debuts.

Corley Loses 12-Round Decision in New York!

Former WBO Junior Welterweight champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley lost a 12-round decision to undefeated Devon Alexander in New York tonight.

Corley lost by score of 118-109 (twice) and 116-111. Corley's record is now 31-8-1, 17 KO's while Alexander rises to 14-0, eight KO's.

UPDATE: Corley told ESPN.com and other reporters that he now plans to retire.

Nwodo Scores Second-Round KO in New York!

Baltimore cruiserweight Emmanuel "Chukwu" Nwodo scored a vicious second-round knockout over Ezra Sellers in the opening bout on the Jones-Trinidad undercard at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In the last minute of the second, Nwodo hit Sellers with a solid right hand that dropped him to the canvas. As Sellers was on his knees, Nwodo's momentum caused him to hit Sellers in the back of the head.

With 10 seconds remaining in the round, Nwodo landed a blistering right hand that dropped Sellers for the second time to the canvas, this time to stay.

Nwodo's record rises to 22-4, 18 KO's. Sellers falls to 29-8, 26 KO's. All eight of Sellers's losses have come by knockout.

Nwodo-Sellers May Be Seen on Internet!

I am still double-checking this, but it looks like the bout between Emmanuel Nwodo and Ezra Sellers will be able to be seen on the internet via ESPN360.com. According to what I've been reading, ESPN360 is carrying tonight's bouts from Madison Square Garden live starting at 7 PM ET.

UPDATE: I can confirm that Nwodo-Sellers and the rest of the undercard from the Garden will be shown live on ESPN360.

Results from Pikesville!

Here are the results from last night's pro action from the Pikesville National Guard Armory in Pikesville, MD:

Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow of Baltimore, MD remains undefeated with an eight-round majority decision over "The Berlin Bomber" Josh Snyder of Salisbury, MD. Nicklow is now 15-0-1, five KO's while Snyder is 5-3, two KO's. Judge Kenny Chevalier scored the bout a draw, 76-76. Judge John Gradowski viewed the contest 77-74 and Judge Don Risher saw the bout 79-73. My unofficial scorecard: Nicklow, 78-73.

Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell made his pro debut a successful one with a four-round unanimous decision over Mike Miller of Akron, OH. Miller's record is 2-8-1, two KO's.

Heavyweight Horace "The Reason" Grant of Bowie, MD won a six-round split decision over Cornelius Ellis of Wilson, NC. Judges Gary Camponeshi and Malik Waleed scored the bout 58-55 for Grant, while Judge Risher saw the contest for Ellis, 58-55. Grant has now won 10 in a row and raised his record to 11-1, seven KO's. Ellis is now 10-15-1, six KO's. My scorecard: Grant, 58-55.

In a junior middleweight matchup, Lenwood Dozier of Glen Burnie, MD and Lawrence "Bad to the Bone" Jones of Reston, VA fought to a four-round majority draw. Dozier, who was making his pro debut, got the win on the Waleed card, 39-37 while judges Camponeshi and Risher saw the draw, 38-38. Jones's record is now 2-1-1, one KO. My scorecard: Dozier, 40-36.

Here is the complete BATB Post-Fight Wrap-up which details a lot more of the scoring situation:

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #96 - BATB Post-Fight Wrap from Pikesville, MD!

In the first Post-Fight Wrap-Up of 2008, "The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I review a strange night from the Pikesville National Guard Armory!

Weights from New York!

Here are the weights for the Beltway Boxers participating on the Roy Jones-Felix Trinidad card tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden in New York City:

DeMarcus Corley 138 1/4 vs. Devon Alexander 138

Emmanuel Nwodo 206 3/4 vs. Ezra Sellers 206 1/4

Nwodo-Sellers will be on the off-TV card. Corley-Alexander will be the opening bout on the pay-per-view telecast.

Weights from Pikesville!

Here are the weights for tonight's Baltimore Pro Boxing card at the Pikesville National Guard Armory in Pikesville, MD:

Jessie Nicklow 157 3/4 vs. Josh Snyder 157 1/2

Horace Grant 251 3/4 vs. Cornelius Ellis 228 1/2

Seth Mitchell 242 vs. Mike Miller 249 1/2

Lenwood Dozier 152 3/4 vs. Lawrence Jones 155 1/4

There are five amateur bouts slated for this card.