First Annual Arnold McKnight Event Takes Place September 10!

(Photo by Linda "Great Shot" Siadys)

There is yet another amateur boxing event taking place on Saturday, September 10th. This will be the first annual Dr. Arnold W. McKnight Amateur Boxing Invitational which will be held at the Harry Thomas Recreational Center, 1743 Lincoln Road in Northeast Washington.

For those who don't know, Dr. McKnight (pictured above) was the longest tenured chair of the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission, serving as a commissioner in 1991 and as head of the commission from 1993 until his passing in July of 2007. Dr. McKnight presided over some big boxing cards in DC including the "Triple Jeopardy card at Verizon Center in 1999 and Mike Tyson's last bout -- his loss to Kevin McBride -- in 2005.

Dr. McKnight also was one of the people who was at the start of the campaign to bring mixed martial arts to DC, therefore, there will also be an MMA exhibition and some kickboxing incorporated into this event. The event is free and open to the public and will run from noon until 8 PM. This is in conjunction with a community day event being held at the center.

Nelson to Face 'Monster' Garland in Female Bout September 10!

It is official. Newly-crowned WBC Female Middleweight champion Tori Nelson of Ashburn, VA has been added to the Saturday, September 10 ICE Promotions card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.

Nelson (4-0-1) will take on former National Golden Gloves champion Michelle "The Monster" Garland of Philadelphia, PA (1-1-1) in a four-round non-title bout.

Nelson won the title with a split decision over Lorissa Rivas on July 29 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Nelson's story -- juggling three jobs plus a boxing career -- has inspired many people. One example is featured in this blog called "I Am Modern." The blog is listed as a lifestyle magazine for the modern woman. Writer Shelly McCullers posted this article about Nelson.

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Is Youth Boxing Unsafe? Local Papers Examine Debate!

There are two interesting stories that will appear in two of tomorrow's local papers. You may know by now that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society have come out with a joint statement saying that boxing is unsafe for children and teenagers. The two organizations cite the possibility of concussions, facial damage and other injuries among young people and are trying to get doctors and parents to steer youngsters towards supposedly safer sports like swimming and tennis.

Both the Washington Post and the Washington Times look at this situation and talk to local boxing people who are directly involved in this situation.

The Post's Shemar Woods features the controversy in his profile of 17-year-old DC welterweight Dusty Harrison. The link to that story is here:

"http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/boxing-mma/at-17-dc-fighter-dusty-harrison-may-have-to-wait-for-next-chance/2011/08/18/gIQAQn1KoJ_story.html">

Meanwhile, the Times's story, written by Ben Wolfgang, focuses on the statements themselves and talk to long-time local boxing coach and official Marshall Cunningham. Here is that article:

"http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/29/pediatricians-take-a-swing-at-youth-boxing-as-unsa/">

I would love to hear what the fans think. I may put up a poll question on this later this week.

September Is A Great Month For Amateur Boxing Action!

If you like Beltway amateur action, then September will be your month. A number of Amateur events are taking place early in the month.

The Cease Fire Don't Smoke The Brothers And Sisters event that was slated for August 27th has now been moved to Saturday, September 3. The event, which also features a cookout, will still be at the Upshur Recreation Center on 14th street and Arkansas Avenue in Northwest Washington.

There will be an all-female amateur boxing card at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center in Palmer Park, MD on Friday, September 9. The card begins at 7:30. Yours truly will serve as ring announcer.

(Just as a personal aside, the weekend of September 9 will be a busy one for me. I am honored to say that I have been chosen as the public address announcer for the AT&T Nation's Football Classic at RFK Stadium in DC on Saturday, September 10. The game matches the Howard University Bison and the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers. I will still try to make the Patriot Center card on that night as well.)

Also on September 10, Mike Paschall is promoting an amateur card at the Maryland Sportsplex in Millersville, MD.

Harrison Off Patriot Center Card; Nelson Possibly On!

BATB has learned that 17-year-old DC welterweight Dusty Harrison is now off the Saturday, September 10 ICE Promotions card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.

Sources tell BATB that the Virginia Department of Licensing and Regulations (the agency that oversees boxing in the state) nixed the bout because the age limit in the Commonwealth is 18. There was talk of an exhibition, but that offer was turned down by the Harrison camp.

Meanwhile, there is a possibility that newly-crowned WBC Female Middleweight champ Tori Nelson of Ashburn, VA may be added to the card. No official word on that nor has there been an opponent mentioned for the contest.

DC Star Card Postponed!

Due to Washington, DC Mayor Vincent Gray's declaration of a State of Emergency for the city because of Hurricane Irene, tonight's card at the DC Star has been postponed. No word on a new date.

Weights From DC!

Here is the scale watch for tonight's Diva-Rize-N card at The DC Star Nightclub in Washington:

Henry Buchanan 179 vs. Ariel Espinal 187

Tony Jeter 159 vs. Darrett Crockett 156

Dwayne McRae 246 vs. Kevin Howard 278

Brandon Quarles 154 vs. Andrew Jones 150

Alantez Fox 153 vs. Aaron Williams 157

Jacey Thompson 152 vs. Michael Taylor 143

Angel Concepcion 181 vs. Phillip Hannah 174

John Thompson 158 vs. Lee Snow 165

John Watson 168 vs. Bennie Meeks 175

No bouts featuring Thomas Snow or Cecil McCalla on this card.

We tell you this knowing that DC Mayor Vincent Gray has declared a state of emergency for the city, which could very well force a postponement of this card.

Your Boxing-Hurricane Update!

Here's what we know at this moment about the status of the cards in Winchester and in DC slated for this weekend.

Baltimore boxer Mischa Christensen said through his Facebook page that his bout scheduled for tonight at the Best Western in Winchester is off. His opponent is from Virginia Beach and he apparently was afraid of getting caught in the track of Hurricane Irene. As far as we know, the rest of the card is still on.

Tomorrow's Diva-Rize-N card at DC Star is also STILL ON. Promoter Renee Aiken has told BATB that the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission is still planning to have the show.

Beltway Boxers Compete on Multi-Combat Card in Winchester!

Four Beltway pro boxers will be participating in a combination boxing, muay thai and mixed martial arts card on Friday, August 26 at the Best Western - Lee Jackson Hotel in Winchester, VA.

Frederick, MD junior middleweight Mischa "The Assassin" Christensen will be on the card in a four-round bout against Jason "The Warrior" Wahr of Virginia Beach, VA. Christensen (3-1, one KO) is coming off a four-round unanimous decision win over Stephen Franklin on April 15 in Millersville, MD. Wahr (1-6-2) has not fought since December of 2010 and will be trying to break a six-bout losing streak.

Making his return to action will be Ashburn, VA junior welterweight Edgar "The Tiger" Torres who hasn't fought since winning his only two bouts in 2007, scoring first-round knockouts in both bouts. Torres will face the debuting Richie Andrews of Staunton, VA.

Also continuing his return will be Falls Church, VA middleweight "Money" Mike Sawyer (4-2, two KO's) who will be trying to bounce back from a second- round knockout loss to Shakee Williamson on March 26 in Ransom, WVA. Sawyer will battle Tony Dewey of Lafayette, IN (0-3) in a four-round contest.

Dusty Harrison Added To September 10 Patriot Center Card!

DC welterweight Dusty Harrison has been added to the Saturday, September 10 ICE Promotions card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. The bout will be the 17-year-old Harrison's first pro bout in the Beltway area.

Harrison (2-0) was originally slated to appear on the Saturday, August 27 card in San Jose, CA but his opponent backed out of the bout and the card was eventually cancelled because of an injury to a boxer in the main event.

Harrison will take on debuting DC welter Josh Rupard in a four-round bout.

August 27th A Big Boxing Day Along The Beltway!

Lot of boxing-themed action will be taking place on Saturday, August 27th. We already know about the Diva-Rize-N Promotions card at the DC Star and that would make a nice night cap for the other events taking place during the day.

One man who is a HUGE supporter of the Beltway Boxing scene is a man by the name of Al-Malik Farrakhan. He has helped promote cards in the area in tandem with Madness Connection, but more importantly, he comes out to every card in DC and shows his support for the boxers. A few years ago, Mr. Farrakhan organized a community event and parade to honor a number of our pro world champions.

Also, Mr. Farrakhan is a community activist -- the founder of Cease Fire: Don't Smoke the Brothers and Sisters, an organization dedicated to increase the peace and stop the violence in our community. Every year, Mr. Farrakhan's organization has a community cookout that features a card of amateur boxing, both are free and open to the public. The event will be held at the Upshur Recreation Center, located on 14th Street and Arkansas Avenue in Northwest DC. The event also calls for a six-month moratorium on the violence in the city. The cookout starts at noon and the boxing begins at 2:30.

Also on the 27th, the Washington, DC Boxing Hall of Fame will be having their annual Crab Feast at the newly-reopened Rosecroft Raceway, 6336 Rosecroft Drive in Fort Washington, MD. Rosecroft will be open for new racing business later this week and live racing is slated to resume this fall. Boxing will be a big part of their events as well, according to my sources.

The crab feast is an all you can eat and drink affair that will begin at one PM and go until four PM. Admission is $40 for adults and kids 12 and under are just $10. For more info, call 301-760-8746 or 301-881-6596.

Recap of Du Burns Card!

Nice night for the locals at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, MD. In the main event, Baltimore welterweight James "Keep 'Em Sleepin'" Stevenson won a six-round unanimous decision over Jose Angel Roman, now fighting out of Valdosta, GA. Stevenson put some nice combinations together, dropping Roman in the third. When Roman got up, he made a face towards one of the nearby photographers. All three judges (John Gradowski, Don Risher and Paul Wallace) scored the bout 60-53 for Stevenson, who remains undefeated at 15-0, 10 KO's. Roman falls to 11-33-5, five KO's.

In the co-feature, Baltimore super middleweight Maxell "The General" Taylor won by fourth-round disqualification over Rockville, MD's Willis "The Prophet" Lockett Taylor used a series of punches to drop Lockett in the second round. From there, the bottom dropped out for Lockett, who lost two points for holding and eventually disqualified by referee Gary Camponeschi for excessive holding.

Taylor is now 17-3-1, eight KO's while Lockett falls to .500 at 12-12--5, five KO's.

Laurel, MD cruiserweight Venroy "Hard Work" July put together a solid performance winning a six-round unanimous decision over Willie "Blackout" Chisolm of St. Petersburg, FL. July did a nice job of putting his punches together throughout the contest as he pitched a shutout on the judges's scorecards (60-54). July is now 8-0-2, two KO's while Chisolm falls to 6-13, three KO's.

Emanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor was incredibly accurate en route to a third-round knockout over Laurel, MD's Lenwood "Mr. Composure" Dozier. After forcing Dozier into retreat mode for most of the contest, the younger of the Taylor Brothers finished the job in grand style with a devastating two-punch combination that toppled Dozier to the canvas. Dozier could not beat referee Kenny Chevalier's count and the bout was halted at 2:25 of the third.

Taylor remains undefeated at 14-0, 10 KO's. Dozier is 6-3-1, two KO's.

Baltimore cruiserweight "Slick" Nick Kisner kept his unblemished record intact with a four-round unanimous decision over Rayshawn Myers of Cleveland, OH. Kisner was in control for most of the bout and that control forced Myers to try to do a lot of taunting and holding which turned the bout into a messy one to watch. Kisner kept his poise throughout the contest and won the bout 40-36 on two of the scorecards -- the other had it 39-37.

Kisner is also in double figures at 10-0-1, five KO's. Myers falls to 4-10, three KO's.

In the curtain-raising contest, Super middleweight Sherman "Tank" Artis of Baltimore won a four-round majority decision over debuting Lee Snow of Baltimore. Snow managed to land some nice uppercuts in close, but overall, just wasn't active enough to eek the victory out. Artis landed some nice shots from the outside and was just busier than his opponent. Judge Chevalier saw the draw at 38-38 but judges Don Risher and John Gradowski scored the bout for Artis at 40-36 and 39-37 respectively for Artis, who is now 2-0.

United Boxers, in association with Keystone Boxing, promoted the card. The matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.

Here is the Post-Fight Wrap-Up:

James Stevenson wins easy six-round unanimous decision over Jose Roman. Scored one knockdown during the bout! Good night from Baltimore -- post fight coming!

Main event coming up -- James Stevenson rematches with Jose Roman!

Taylor is now 17-3-1, eight KO's. Lockett is now 12-12-5, five KO's.

Maxell Taylor wins by fourth-round disqualification over Willis Lockett. Lockett was penalized twice for holding before the bout was stopped at 1:24.

Co-feature -- Maxell Taylor vs. Willis Lockett in the ring!

July is now 8-0-2, two KO's. Chisolm is now 6-13, three KO's.

Venroy July wins six-round unanimous decision over Willie Chisolm. Shutout victory for July as he put his punches together very well!

By the way, crowd has picked up in numbers tonight! Not a great crowd but decent. Big crowd for July.