'Mayhem' Mitchell Signs with Golden Boy Promotions!

When Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell walks into the ring later tonight at the Pikesville Armory, he will do so as the latest signee of Golden Boy Promotions. Mitchell recently inked a deal to be promoted by Golden Boy and he will be co-managed by Sharif Salim and Shelly Finkel.

Based on what happens tonight, there is a possibility that Mitchell will be part of the May 3 card in California that will pit Oscar De La Hoya and Steve Forbes.

We'll talk more about this development on the BATB Post-Fight Wrap-Up Show from Pikesville later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Scale Watch for Pikesville and Montreal!

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

Jessie Nicklow 152 3/4 vs. Richard Hall 151 1/4

Mark Tucker 179 vs. Walter Edwards 178 1/2

Shelly Seivert 163 1/2 vs. Leslie Lubaczewski 160

Seth Mitchell 244 1/4 vs Maurice Winslow 210 1/4

Lenwood Dozier 149 3/4 vs Louechie Wiggins 145 1/4

Marcos Hernandez 148 3/4 vs. Richard Abril 144 1/2


In Montreal, Canada, former world champion William Joppy weighed in at 167.8 pounds for his IBF Super Middleweight title try against champion Lucian Bute, who tipped the scales at 167.4. The bout will be at the Bell Centre in Montreal, where they will be fighting in front of 14,000 fans.

'Beast' Nicklow Featured in Baltimore Sun!

The Baltimore Sun has a nice feature on undefeated Baltimore middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow by Roch Kubatko. Nicklow headlines tomorrow night's card at the Pikesville National Guard Armory.


The story "Rescued by the Ring" can be found here:

"http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/boxing/bal-sp.nicklow28feb28,0,6028373.story">

Updates Aplenty!

There is a lot of news involving upcoming cards and bouts in the area, so we've put them all together here.

I should have a scale watch for the Friday, February 29 Baltimore Pro Boxing card at the Pikesville National Guard Armory tomorrow evening Eastern Time. Undefeated Baltimore middleweight Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow (15-0-1, five KO's) is still slated to battle Rocky Mount, NC veteran Richard "Tiger" Lee Hall (10-20-2, six KO's) in the eight-round main event. Brandywine, MD heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell (1-0) is in the four-round co-feature, taking on Maurice Winslow of Wilson, NC (1-3-1, one KO).

By the way, watch this space on Friday evening around 5:45 pm ET for a big announcement concerning Seth Mitchell.

The After Shock Events card on Saturday, March 8 at the All-Star Legacy Gym in Dulles, VA is rounding into shape. As of today, here is how this card looks.

Undefeated Arlington, VA junior welterweight Bayan Jargal (5-0-1, three KO's) will take on Philadelphia's Albert Montague (0-2, hasn't fought since 2005) in a four-round contest.

A countryman of Jargal's, Mongolian native Davii Otgonbayar , will make his pro debut on this card. Otgonbayar, who like Jargal is trained by Willie "The Heat" Taylor and fights out of Arlington, will take on Steve Reid of Coventry, RI (0-3) in a four-round cruiserweight contest.

Also on this card, Dumfries, VA cruiserweight Derek "D-Mos" Amos
(15-25, nine KO's) will battle undefeated Worcester, MA prospect Adam Harris (10-0, seven KO's) in a six-round matchup.

Ashburn, VA bantamweight Andre "Clockwork" Nichols (3-2, two KO's) tries to continue his winning ways as he faces veteran Jhovany Collado of New York (2-6, one KO) in a four-round bout. This will be Collado's third try against a Beltway Boxer as he has lost to Clarence Vinson and Eric Aiken during his career.

Other bouts on the card find "Dangerous" Dana Dunston of Woodbridge, VA (4-1, two KO's) battling Kenneth Farr (0-2) of Rocky Mount, NC in a four-round bout and undefeated Arlington, VA middleweight Tracey Brewer (2-0, one KO) faces Patrick Bozeman of Boston, MA (0-3) in a four-round bout. Undefeated Capitol Heights, MD featherweight Thomas "KO" Snow (10-0, eight KO's) is also scheduled to be a part of this card in a six-round encounter. No word yet on his opponent.

Also slated to make an appearance at this card (in a meet-and-greet only) is former two-time heavyweight champion "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon.


Moving to Saturday, March 15, where we already know that undefeated Waynesboro, VA cruiserweight "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles will challenge "The All-American PrizeFighter" Rob Calloway for Calloway's WBC Continental Americas Cruiserweight title in Allentown, PA.

Now comes word that Charlottsville, VA junior middleweight George "War Time" Rivera has been added to that card. No word yet on his opponent.

Let's now look ahead to Saturday, April 12 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA. This is a card that will have a number of Beltway Boxers on it by the time the card is completed. One of the main event bouts on the card will be a matchup for the vacant USBA Lightweight title -- Alexandria, VA's Jaime "The Punisher" Palma will take on Philadelphia's Lenny "Hitman" DeVictoria. What's interesting about this matchup was that this bout was scheduled to take place on the May 12, 2007 card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA, but Palma suffered a leg injury in training.

Plus, this is a bout that features two men whose careers have taken very similar upward turns recently after suffering rough times early on. Palma (13-10-1, three KO's) once lost four in a row including a devastating first-round knockout defeat to Roshun Parker at the Lincoln Theatre in DC in May of 2004. But Palma has now won six straight and eight of his last 10. DeVictoria had lost five straight but has now won two in a row and three of his last five. Those good fortunes for DeVictoria started with the win over Jason Jordan on that May Patriot Center card.

Bayan Jargal is also slated for this show as is Dorin Spivey. Infinity Boxing Promotions of Richmond and matchmaker Juice Gatling are also bringing in Hector Camacho Jr. and Christy Martin for this show.

There is also big news on the Beltway amateur front. For the next five Saturdays, bouts in the DC Golden Gloves will be taking place at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center in Palmer Park, MD. Action got underway last weekend and I hope to have results and a bout sheet for this week's events between now and Friday. The Finals for the Golden Gloves will be on Friday, March 28 at the Waldorf Jaycees in Waldorf, MD.

Also on March 9-14, many Beltway amateurs will be participating in the 2008 US Future Stars National Championship in Colorado Springs, CO The US Future Stars is the new name for the US Championships. In an interesting move, USA Boxing will award the top two finishers in each weight class a financial bonus -- $1000 for a gold medal and $500 for a silver medal. This is both on the male and female side of the event.

According to USA Boxing, these are the local boxers who will be participating in this event:

Bantamweight (119 pounds): Kevin Lamont Rivers, Oxon Hill, MD

Featherweight (125 pounds): Glenn Dezum, Baltimore, MD

Light Welterweight (141 pounds): Emmanuel Taylor, Edgewood, MD

Light Heavyweight (178 pounds): Thomas Williams, Laurel, MD (Williams is the son of former Beltway heavyweight contender Thomas "Top Dog" Williams)

Super Heavyweight (201+ pounds): Tavon Sol, Baltimore, MD

Women's Flyweight (110 pounds): Gina D'Andrea, Baltimore, MD

Women's Light Middleweight (154 pounds) Franchon Crews, Baltimore, MD (This is actually a drop in weight for Crews, who won three national titles at middleweight [160 pounds])

Women's Heavyweight (189 pounds) Anne Gibbon, Annapolis, MD

Best wishes to all the amateurs and we'll try to keep you posted on their progress!

From the BATB 'Where Are They Now' File.. Lionel 'L-Train' Butler!

As many of you know, I do work as a public address announcer for college basketball games at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Tonight was our final home game and it provided a Beltway Boxing "where are they now" moment.

One of the officials working tonight's game was none other than the former Virginia State Lightweight champion Lionel "L-Train" Butler! It seems that after his boxing days ended in 1999, Butler began a 15-year career as a referee. Currently he works Division I college games in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (which includes Beltway schools Howard, Coppin, Morgan State and the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore as well as southern Virginia schools Hampton University and Norfolk State) and the America East Conference (where the University of Maryland - Baltimore County resides. UMBC won the regular season conference title over the weekend, by the way)

Butler was a solid pro from 1990-1999, compiling a record of 21-4-2 with 14 KO's and winning his last seven bouts, six of those by knockout. Two of his losses came to perennial lightweight contenders "Mighty" Ivan Robinson and "The Eastern Beast" John Brown.

I had the privilege of doing play-by-play for the bout where he won the VA State Lightweight title on May 13, 1995 at the Charles Houston Recreation Center in Alexandria, VA. Butler scored a fourth-round TKO over Allan Osbourne in that bout.

Despite the winning streak at the end of his career, Butler told me that he fell victim to a combination of boxing politics and bad timing. He had been ranked among the top in the division by one of the governing bodies and was scheduled to meet Louie Leija (cousin of former world champ Jesse James Leija) for a vacant title. However, Leija lost a tune-up bout and Butler lost his opportunity.

By the way, Butler also earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Central Michigan University and is working on his doctorate.

'Arsenal' Arvin Scheduled for USBO Title Shot!

It looks like Baltimore junior middleweight Ishmail "The Arsenal" Arvin will battle for the vacant USBO (United States Boxing Organization) junior middleweight title on Saturday, April 12 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS.

The opponent for Arvin (14-1-4, six KO's) will be Gulfport, MS resident Willie "Slik" Lee (15-5, 11 KO's). The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. This will be a rematch of a March 11, 2004 bout at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD in which Arvin stopped Lee in the third round.

Arvin is winless in his last three bouts, registering tough six-round draws in his last two outings against Jose Angel Rodriguez and Jesse Orta. Since the loss to Arvin, Lee has won five of his last seven bouts, including a sixth-round stoppage of former contender Jason Papillion on December 7 in Biloxi. One of Lee's two losses during that stretch was a tenth-round TKO defeat against Sechew Powell.

The USBO is the North American arm of the International Boxing Organization (IBO).

Results from Winchester!

Here are the results from last night's Left Hook Boxing card at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA:

In the main event, Front Royal, VA junior welterweight Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer stopped Edward "Nuckie" Anderson of Richmond, VA in the third round. Farmer has won six in a row and raises his record to 10-1, seven KO's. Anderson is now 4-11.

The co-feature saw middleweight "The Berlin Bomber" Josh Snyder of Berlin, MD score a fourth-round TKO over Charles "Murdock" Norwood of Roanoke, VA. Snyder is now 6-3, three KO's while Norwood sees his record evened at 3-3, one KO.

Arlington, VA junior welterweight Todd "White Lightning" Wilson remains undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over debuting David Novia of Roanoke, VA. Wilson is now 4-0, one KO.

Charlottsville, VA junior middleweight George "War Time" Rivera won a four-round unanimous decision over late sub Larry "The Gladiator" Brothers of DC. Rivera now has a six-fight winning streak and his record is now 7-1, three KO's. Brothers drops to 7-29-3, five KO's.

In the opening contest, Dumfries, VA cruiserweight "Cold Blood" Patrick Budd stopped Salisbury, MD's Ozgur Yarmdici in the second round. Budd is now 2-0, one KO while Yarmdici remains winless at 0-3.

My thanks to Joe Hensley for this Post-Fight Wrap-Up:

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #100 - Full Report from Winchester!

Joe Hensley gives us the full report from the Left Hook Boxing card at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA!

Smith, Faggins Travel to Cayman Islands March 8!

Two Beltway veterans will try to continue their careers on Saturday, March 8 in the Cayman Islands.

DC junior middleweight Luther "Sugarman" Smith will take on veteran Charles Whittaker in a 10-round bout. Smith (22-6-2, 12 KO's) will try to bounce back from his last outing, a fifth-round TKO loss to Jesse Williams on October 6 in McLean, VA.

But Smith faces a tough veteran in Whittaker (29-12-2, 17 KO's), who has won a number of regional belts, including the NABO Junior Middleweight title that he captured in April of 2007. Whittaker defended that title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Berrio on August 31 in the Cayman Islands, where Whittaker is from.

Also on the card, Virginia featherweight Calvin "Pico" Faggins will make his first appearance on a card in almost 11 years as he takes on Mario Galan of Hollywood, FL in a six-round contest. Faggins (3-3-1, one KO) has not fought since being stopped in the second round by future world champion Paul Spadafora in June of 1996. Galan (3-3, two KO's) is coming off a six-round majority decision over Alex Brenes on November 21 in Miami.

Wilson Returns to the Ballroom April 3!

I have been told that former USBA Cruiserweight champion Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson of Takoma Park, MD will be returning to Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD on the next Ballroom Boxing card Thursday, April 3.

Promoter Scott Wagner says this is a done deal, but no opponent has been selected as of yet. This will be Wilson's 15th appearance in the Ballroom but his first since his fourth-round stoppage of Daniel Judah on September 28, 2006.

Undefeated Baltimore light heavyweight Mike "The Persecutor" Paschall (15-0-1, three KO's) is scheduled to be in the co-feature bout, marking his third straight appearance in the Ballroom.

Petersons Win Putnam Award From Boxing Writers Association!

The Undefeated Peterson Brothers have won the 2007 Pat Putnam Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America.

The Putnam Award, named after the late Sports Illustrated boxing writer who once spent 17 months in a Chinese prison camp during the Korean War, is given to a boxer who has shown perserverance in overcoming adversity. The story of the Petersons is well known with the brothers overcoming homelessness early in their lives to become top-flight contenders.

Congratulations to the Peterson Brothers!

'FightLady' Bruce Shares Her Story in 'Water Cooler Diaries!'

Interesting press release came to my inbox today. Many of you are familiar with one of the truly wonderful and lovely personalities in the Beltway Boxing scene -- the "Fightlady" Wanda Bruce. Throughout her career, Bruce has served as an inspector, a manager of fighters, a promoter of all-female cards and as one of the few female matchmakers in the world. She is truly a very busy woman.

Now, Bruce gives an idea of a typical day in her life as part of a book project called Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work. This is the third in the book series called "This Day." Water Cooler Diaries evolved from a national project in which more than five hundred women across the country and from all walks of life chronicled a single day in their lives—March 27, 2007. Bruce became part of the project after answering a call for submissions early last year from women in the world of boxing. Bruce's diary was one of only 35 that were selected for the book.

In a press release, the series's creator and editor, Joni B. Cole had this to say after selecting Bruce's diary to appear in the book:

"Wanda’s day diary includes everything from dealing with signing a new heavyweight to having hot flashes—all on the same day. Her contribution is wonderful, real, and funny. She’s an inspiration for all women, not just those in sports."

Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work will be available in bookstores on March 1.

Wade Participates in Dual Meets in Russia!

Largo, MD middleweight Dominic Wade will be part of a United States contingent that will participate in two amateur dual meets in Russia on February 23 -March 1.

Wade will be on a 14-member squad that will combine representatives of the 2008 Olympic team and other members of the current US National team. The squad will compete in two duals while in Russia, beginning with a February 24 match-up in Magnitogrosk, Russia. The two nations will face off a second time on February 29 in Novosibirsk, Russia. The United States team will depart for Russia from Colorado Springs on Tuesday, February 19.

The dual meet will be the first trip to Russia for a United States senior men’s team since the 2005 AIBA World Cup. The event will feature a match-up between the top two amateur boxing nations from the 2007 AIBA World Championships in Chicago, IL.

Updates to Upcoming Cards!

A couple of updates to pass along about upcoming cards:

Undefeated Oxon Hill, MD light heavyweight Alexander "The Great" Johnson has been added to the Baltimore Pro Boxing card on Friday, February 29 at the Pikesville National Guard Armory in Pikesville, MD. Johnson (4-0, three KO's) is slated to fight John Terry of Bayboro, NC (1-0, one KO) in a four-round contest. This will be Johnson's first outing of 2008. In his last outing, Johnson won a four-round unanimous decision over Zeferino Albino on November 29 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD. Terry won his pro debut by first-round knockout over Herman Marshall in June of 2004 and hasn't fought since.

Riverdale, MD heavyweight Horace "The Reason" Grant was originally scheduled to be on the Pikesville card but Grant will now appear on the After Shock Events card on Saturday, March 8 at the All Star Legacy Gym in Ashburn, VA. Grant (11-1, seven KO's) is scheduled to take on veteran Maurice Wheeler (10-11-1, one KO) of Philadelphia, PA in a six-round contest. Grant has won 10 in a row, including a six-round split decision over Cornelius Ellis on January 18 in Pikesville. Wheeler will be looking to break a seven-bout losing streak that includes defeats at the hands of Tony Thompson, David Tua and Davarryl Williamson.


UPDATE: I've just been informed that the Grant-Wheeler bout is now off this card.

University of Maryland Hosts Second Collegiate Boxing Invitational!

The University of Maryland Boxing Club will host its second annual Collegiate Boxing Invitational on Saturday, March 8 at 7 PM at Ritchie Coliseum.

A number of Maryland alumni are expected to attend the event including a number of past NCAA Champions. For more information, email the Maryland Boxing Club at terpsboxing@gmail.com.

Winchester Update!

More bouts have been added to the Left Hook Boxing card on Saturday, February 23 at the Winchester Sportsplex in Winchester, VA.

Charlottesville, VA junior middleweight George "Wartime" Rivera will take on Delaney Howard of Cleveland, OH in a scheduled four-round contest. Rivera (6-1, three KO's) is coming off a thirty-second first-round knockout over Nathan Ward on November 17 in Harrisonburg, VA. Howard (5-1, three KO's) won a four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Hicks on March 30 in Detroit, MI.

Undefeated Arlington, VA junior middleweight Todd "White Lightning" Wilson (3-0, one KO) will battle the debuting David Novia of Roanoke, VA. in a four-round contest.

The main event remains the same as Front Royal, VA lightweight Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer (9-1, six KO's) battles Edward "Nuckie" Anderson of Richmond, VA (4-10, three KO's) in a six-round battle. Also on the card will be "The Berlin Bomber" Josh Snyder of Salisbury, MD (5-3, two KO's) battling Charles "Murdock" Norwood of Roanoke (3-2, one KO) in another six-round contest in the middleweight division. In a four-round cruiser contest, Dumfries, VA's "Cold Blood" Patrick Budd (1-0) will take on Salisbury, MD's Ozgar Yarmidici of Salisbury, MD (0-2).

Robles Fights for WBC Continental Title; Late Notes from Dover!

In an interesting update, the March 15 bout between undefeated Juan Carlos Robles and Rob Calloway in Allentown, PA will now be a 10-round contest for Calloway's WBC Continental Americas Cruiserweight title.

A couple of Beltway Boxers were also on last Friday's card in Dover, DE. Baltimore lightweight Derrell Martin won a four-round unanimous decision over Milo Miles. Martin is now 2-1.

Hagerstown, MD super lightweight Henry Goss was stopped in the third round by the debuting Bryne Green. Goss falls to 1-3-2, one KO.

Also John Mackey of Montgomery, AL (by way of DC) remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Alex Mancera. Mackey is now 9-0, three KO's.

Wilson Explains Loss to Flores!

In an exclusive BATB audio interview, Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson explains last Friday night's USBA Cruiserweight title loss to BJ Flores in Dover, DE.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #99 - Wilson Explains Loss to Flores!

Former USBA Cruiserweight champion Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson gives a reason for his loss to BJ Flores in Dover, DE this past Friday night.

Wilson Loses USBA Championship by Unanimous Decision!

Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson loses a 12-round unanimous decision and the USBA Cruiserweight championship to undefeated BJ Flores tonight at Dover Downs in Dover, DE. 115-113, 116-112, 118-110. Flores used solid boxing movement and skills to overcome the punching power of Wilson, who had a four-bout winning streak broken by Flores.

Wilson's record is now 22-6-3, 19 KO's. Flores is now 21-0-1, 13 KO's.

Beltway Boxing History Lesson: ESPN.com Remembers Baltimore's Joe Gans!

In a special Black History article on ESPN.com, Ring Magazine Senior Writer William Dettloff remembers one of the great lightweights of all time, Baltimore's own Joe Gans. This is a great read that can be found here:

"http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blackhistory2008/news/story?id=3224408">

Wilson Weighs 200 For Cruiserweight Defense!

Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson weighed in at 200 pounds for his USBA Cruiserweight title defense against undefeated BJ "El Peligroso" Flores tonight in Dover, DE on ESPN2. Flores also weighed in at 200.

Some out-of-town boxers who have fought along the Beltway numerous times are slated to be on tonight's card. Undefeated Montgomery, AL middleweight John "No Mercy" Mackey is scheduled to be in the first swing bout that will be televised if one of the two TV bouts is a quick one. Also, Philadelphia's Dhafir "No Fear" Smith is going to be in the co-feature TV bout against Rayco Saunders.

The ESPN2 telecast begins at 9 PM ET.