Could Taylor Face Broner In September? YES!!

This has been going back and forth for a week or so, but it does indeed look like Baltimore, MD junior welterweight Emanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor will indeed get an opportunity to face former three-time world champion Adrian "The Problem" Broner.  The bout will take place on a Golden Boy Promotions card on Saturday, September 6 at the US Bank Arena in Broner's hometown of Cincinnati, OH.

The scheduled 12-round bout will be part of a tripleheader that will include contests featuring Lucas Matthysse and Andre Berto.  Showtime will televise.

Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya said Taylor will be a test for Broner.

"Emanuel Taylor is no easy test for Broner," said De La Hoya. "He's fast and talented. This is a life-changing fight for him, which makes him particularly dangerous."

Petersons, Ballard Hold Open Workout!

The Peterson Brothers and D'Mitrius Ballard held an open workout in preparation for their bouts on Saturday, August 9 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

We have interviews with all three.  First, IBF Junior Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson:



Then, his brother Anthony:



Finally, D'Mitrius Ballard, who will be in an all-Beltway bout on August 9 against veteran Barry Trotter of Columbia, MD:

Beltway Boxers Successful On First Day of Ringside Championships!

A number of Beltway amateurs had successful first days at the Ringside World Championships in Independence, MO on Wednesday.

Tyreek Williams of Washington, DC won his opening bout in the Boys Bantam Open, 11 -12, 66-70 pound division defeating Gabe Sandoval of Las Cruces, NM.

Maximus Garland of Waldorf, MD started well by winning his first bout in the Boys Bantam Open 11-12, 81-85 division with a victory over Johann Zavala of Greeley, CO.

DC's Nasheed Smith started strong in the Boys Intermediate Novice, 13-14, 126-132 class with a win over Axel Alvarez of Oklahoma City, OK.

Another DC boxer, Damien White, Jr, advanced in the Boys Intermediate Novice 13-14, 139-145 division.

Chamar Flowers of Accokeek, MD moved into the next round in the Boys Intermediate Open 13-14, 102-106 class with a win over Darren Kinamore, Jr. of Chattanooga, TN.

Also advancing in that same division is Kavon Robertson of Staunton, VA who defeated Terrence Williams of New Port Richey, FL.

Ameer Brown of Upper Marlboro, MD moved into the second round of the Boys Junior Open, 15-16 Blue, 120-125 class by defeating Axel Alvarez of Rock Springs, WY.

Also winning on Wednesday were Mark Duncan of Clarksburg, MD (Men's Senior Novice, 19-40 Blue), Salisbury, MD's Nigel Fennell (Men's Senior Open, 19-40 Red, 142-152) and Phillip Hooker of DC (Men's Senior Open, 19-40 Red, 153-165).

The Ringside World Championships continue until Saturday, August 2.

Happy Ninth Anniversary to BATB!

Today is the ninth anniversary of Boxing Along The Beltway!  I decided to keep the celebration low key this year for a number of reasons that I talk about in this special brief podcast!  Thanks again for all your support as we head into our 10th year of this blog.

Trussell Stopped In Second In Philadelphia!

The struggles for Baltimore middleweight Jeremy "The Truth" Trussell continue as he was stopped in the second round Tuesday night against Fred Jenkins, Jr. of Philadelphia, PA at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

According to noted boxing writer Jack Obermayer, Jenkins nailed Trussell with a body shot in the first round then dropped him with a left hook.  In the second, Jenkins punished Trussell against the ropes where Trussell fell again. Trussell beat the count but he was in no condition to continue.  The bout was stopped at 2:52 of the second.

Trussell is now winless in his last three contests and his record is 8-2-1, six KO's.  Jenkins is now 8-1, three KO's.

Trussell Travels To Philadelphia Tuesday!

Baltimore, MD middleweight Jeremy "The Truth" Trussell returns to action on Tuesday, July 29 in a six-round contest at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.  Trussell (8-1-1, six KO's) will take on Fred Jenkins, Jr. of Philadelphia (7-1, two KO's).

Trussell will look to get back on the winning side of the ledger after a draw and a knockout loss in his last two contests.  Trussell looked tentative in a four-round majority draw against David Rohn on June 28 at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.  Jenkins has won his last two bouts.  However, Trussell is the most accomplished boxer Jenkins has faced to date.

Busy August On Tap In and Out of the Beltway!

August will be a very busy month as we have a couple of cards in the area and many locals will be competing on cards all around the country.

Let's start at home where there are two pro cards and one amateur card during the month.

On the pro side, Jeter Promotions and RBA Promotions are teaming up for a Pro-Am card that will be held on Saturday, August 9 in a brand new location -- North Hall at Eastern Market located at 225 7th Street in Southeast DC.  The pro side is loaded with big guys including local heavyweights "The Big Ticket" Dwayne McRae, Stan Williamson, Albi Sadikaj and the returning Maurice "Freight Train" Byarm. Also slated to be on the card is Eric "The Inferno" Govan.

Then on Saturday, August 23, boxing returns to the Patapsco Arena in Baltimore, MD with a Hardwork Promotions card scheduled to feature a number of locals including Demond Nicholson, Nuwan Jayakody, Travis Reeves, Edwin Reyes, Alexandru Marin, Shaborn Ryals and debuting boxers Malik Hawkins and Jeremy McCalla.

On the amateur side, we have a card held at the home of the Goodman Summer Basketball League -- The BF (Barry Farms) Coliseum located on 1230 Sumner Road in Southeast DC -- on Friday, August 8 at 6 PM.  This is a free outdoor event and there are 15 bouts scheduled for the card.

Now, let's talk about the out-of-town schedule for the month, which seems to get busier with every passing day.

We've already told you about Thomas "Top Dog' Williams, Jr. headlining an ESPN2 card on Friday, August 1 at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, WA.  Williams will face off against former world champion Gabriel Campillo in a 12-round IBF light heavyweight eliminator contest.

What we can now tell you that Williams may not be the only local that will make the televised portion of the card.  Three other Beltway Boxers are scheduled to be on the card and one may sneak onto the telecast.

Landover, MD super middleweight "The Real Deal" Phil Jackson Benson is the only one of the three that has an opponent for this card.  Benson (13-1, 12 KO's) will take on Junior Moar of Richmond, British Columbia (11-3, two KO's).  No word yet on how many rounds the bout is scheduled for.

The other two locals on this card are DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton and "The Chosen One' Immanuwel Aleem of Richmond, VA who does a good portion of his training in the area.  Both are undefeated and looking for opponents.

On Saturday, August 2, we've mentioned that the "Pride of Alexandria (VA)," Brandon Quarles will be in an eight-round junior middleweight contest.  However, the opponent for Quarles (13-2-1, five KO's) has changed -- Corey "Collateral Damage" Rodriguez of St. Anthony, MN replaces Cerresso Fort for the card at the Black Bear Casino in Carlton, MN.   Rodriguez (11-3-3, four KO's) is coming off a seventh-round stoppage of Stephen Watt on June 13 in Minneapolis, MN.

Also on August 2, Baltimore, MD veteran light heavyweight Cory "Black Ice" Cummings takes on Issac "Golden Boy" Chilemba of Johannesburg, South Africa by way of Malawi in a 10-round contest at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.  This bout is the co-feature on the Sergey Kovalev-Blake Caparello card.  However, the bout will not be shown on the HBO telecast because the network is also showing another bout in another location.

Cummings (17-6-1, 13 KO's) is coming off a eight-round unanimous decision loss to Azea Augustama on June 7 in Miami, FL.  Chilemba (22-2-2, nine KO's) has won his last two contests including a 10-round unanimous decision over Denis Grachev on March 15 in Bethlehem, PA.

Now, let's look at the weekend of Friday, August 8 where we could have as many as four Beltway Boxers make appearances on national TV.

Two locals are assured of being shown before a national television audience because they are either in main event or co-feature contests.

On Friday, August 8, undefeated Baltimore welterweight James "Keep 'Em Sleepin'" Stevenson (21-0, 14 KO's) will challenge for the vacant USBA Welterweight championship against fellow undefeated boxer Sammy "The Who Can" Mexican" Vasquez of Monessen, PA (15-0, 11 KO's) in a 12-round contest that will be the main event shown on Fox Sports 1.

Of course, you know by now that IBF Junior Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson will defend his title against veteran Edgar Santana on Saturday, August 9 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.  That bout will be shown on Showtime Championship Boxing.   Since Showtime is carrying this card, there is a good possibility that Anthony Peterson and D'Mitrius Ballard will have their bouts carried on the Showtime Extreme channel.  Neither one has an opponent yet for this card.

By the way, the deadline is coming up for purchasing tickets for the bus trip heading up to Brooklyn for the card.  Call 202-528-7694 for details.

We also hear word that undefeated Forestville, MD junior middleweight Alantez "SlyAza" Fox is slated to be on a card at BB King's Bar and Grill in New York City on Tuesday, August 12.  No word yet on the opponent.

There is also word (not official yet) that two locals -- Danny Kelly and Kareem Martin -- will appear on the Friday, August 22 ESPN2 card in Temecula, CA.  That's the Friday Night Fights season finale headlined by former world champion Austin Trout facing Daniel Dawson.

That's a very busy August -- which will be followed by an even BUSIER September!  There are events happening in September that I can't even talk about in full right now.  Some info has leaked out about one out-of-town bout in particular but I have been asked to hold off on talking about it officially until a later time.

However, the next two months will provide many opportunities to throw your support for these Beltway Boxers and the Beltway Boxing scene!

Harrison Wins Eight Round Unanimous Decision in New York City!

DC welterweight Dusty Hernandez Harrison remained undefeated tonight with an easy eight-round unanimous decision over Wilfredo 'El Zurdo" Acuna of Nicaragua at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

According to Matt Richardson of Fightnews.com, Harrison had no trouble with Acuna as he had him hurt in the fourth and fifth rounds.  Harrison, however, could not put the journeyman away before the eighth round ended.

Harrison is now 23-0, 12 KO's while Acuna falls to 15-15, 12 KO's.

Malcolm Brothers Win Titles At Ohio State Fair!

Congratulations to local amateurs Lawrence and Lonzo Malcolm who traveled to the prestigious Ohio State Fair Amateur Boxing tournament in Columbus, OH and earned championships.

Eleven-year old Lawrence won a decision to capture the 85 pound championship while 10-year old Lonzo won the title in the 65 pound division by first-round TKO.  The Malcolm Brothers train at Keystone Boxing.

Douglas Battles Soro To Majority Draw!

Burke, VA middleweight Antoine "Action" Douglas may have let a possible win slip away but managed to get a 10-round majority draw with Michel Soro of France in the ShoBox main event in Verona, NY.

Douglas was in control of the contest through the first half as he landed good left hands.

However, in the eighth round, Soro rocked Douglas with a combination that turned the bout completely.  Soro could not Rubio what he started, however.

One judge scored the bout 96-95 for Soro, however, two judges saw the draw at 95-95.

Douglas's record is now 14-0-1, nine KO's.  Soro is now 23-1-1, 13 KO's.

Dezurn Scores First-Round Knockout in Verona!

In a non-televised bout earlier tonight at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY, Baltimore's Glenn Dezurn, Jr. scored a first-round knockout over Andre Canada of New York.

According to Boxing Bob Newman of Fightnews.com, Dezurn wasted no time as he landed a series of head and body shots.  Eventually, Canada succumbed to Dezurn's power and dropped to his hands and knees, taking the entire 10-count.

Dezurn is now 4-0, three KO's.  Canada is 0-2.

Odom Scores Seventh-Round TKO To Win Interim Fecarbox Title!

Surviving a mid-bout cut, Bowie, MD super middleweight "The King's Son" Jerry Odom scored a gutsy seventh-round technical knockout over Vilier Quinonez in Verona, NY.

Odom dropped Quinonez in the fourth round with a right hand.  However, Quinonez, who suffered a cut along his right eye in the second round, bounced back to make the fight close.  Odom was cut along his left eye in the sixth round and that seemed to spur him on into the seventh when he rocked Quinonez and dropped him with two rights before referee Charlie Fitch stopped the bout at 2:25.

Odom captures the interim WBC Fecarbox Super Middleweight title and remains undefeated at 12-0, 11 KO's.  Quinonez loses for the first time and he is now 8-1, five KO's.

McCalla Wins Dominant Unanimous Decision!

In the first of three Beltway Boxers to appear on ShoBox in Verona, NY, Baltimore welterweight Cecil McCalla was very impressive in winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Victor Godoy of California.

McCalla's jab was exceptional as he continually backed Godoy up during the contest.  McCalla also used a solid right hand during the bout..

Two judges scored a shutout for McCalla, 80-72.  The other saw the contest 79-73.

McCalla is now 19-0, six KO's while Godoy is now 16-3, six KO's.

Harrison Weighs 148 For MSG Battle Saturday Night!

Dusty Hernandez Harrison and his opponent, Wilfredo Acuna both weighed in at 148 pounds for their eight-round contest Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The bout will be on the non-televised portion of the card which features the Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Geale contest.

Beltway Boxers Have ShoBox History!

As you may know, tonight's edition of Showtime's ShoBox: The New Generation is the 200th episode of the series.  Since the series began in 2001, Beltway Boxers have made an impact. With tonight's card, 16 locals have made 29 appearances on this series.

The first appearance for Beltway Boxers on ShoBox did not take place until five years after the series began.  On April 28, 2006, the Peterson Brothers fought on a card in New Town, ND. Lamont won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mario Ramos while Anthony stopped Jermaine White at the end of three rounds. Both Petersons would make one more successful appearance on ShoBox.

Three months later, on July 28, Henry Buchanan in the first of three high-profile appearances on the series, participated in the ShoBox Super Middleweight tournament in Las Vegas and won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Lucas Green Arias.  Later in the year, Buchanan would lose in the semifinals to Jean Paul Mendy.

In February of 2009, Buchanan would lose to future world champion Andre Ward by a 12-round unanimous decision in Lemoore, CA.

With three appearances, Buchanan is tied with Fernando Guerrero and Gary Russell, Jr. for the most times a Beltway Boxer has competed on ShoBox.  One of Guerrero's appearances was an all-Beltway showdown with Jessie Nicklow in December of 2009 in Hickley, MN. Guerrero stopped Nicklow in the fourth round.

Guerrero is the only local to bring a ShoBox card to the Beltway region.  On April 16, 2010, Guerrero brought a packed house to the Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury, MD to see him score a second-round TKO over Michael Walker.  Exactly three months later on July 16, Guerrero would win a tough 10-round unanimous decision over Ishe Smith in Southhaven, MS.

Russell, Jr. made his pro debut on a ShoBox card scoring a third round TKO over Antonio Reyes on January 16, 2009 in Tulsa, OK.  It would be three more years before Russell would reappear on the series.  Russell would score consecutive crushing third-round knockouts against Christopher Perez and Roberto Castaneda in June and November of 2012.

Joining the Petersons with two ShoBox appearances are Nicklow, Tim Coleman, Dominic Wade and with tonight's card, Antoine Douglas.  Nicklow's second appearance was a high-profile one in December of 2011 when he took on former world champion Jermain Taylor in Cabazon, CA.  Nicklow lost in a gutsy performance by eight-round TKO.

Locals who have made singular appearances on ShoBox are Tyrell Samuel, Seth Mitchell, Brandon Quarles, Alexander Johnson, Emmanuel Taylor, DeMarcus Corley and now, Jerry Odom and Cecil McCalla.

Beltway Boxers have a record of 16-9 going into tonight's action.

Douglas, Odom, McCalla, Dezurn Hit Scales in New York!

Here is the scale watch for the Beltway Boxers participating on the ShoBox card tonight at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

Antoine Douglas 155 1/2 vs. Michel Soro 157

Jerry Odom 167 vs. Vilier Quinonez 167

Cecil McCalla 147 vs. Oscar Godoy 146

Glenn Dezurn 130 1/2 vs. Andre Canada 132

The ShoBox card begins at 10 PM ET

Top Rank Signs 'Yes, Indeed' Reed!

   (Photo by Juan Marshall)

What has been rumored for a few weeks is now official -- undefeated Waldorf, MD junior welterweight and 2013 Beltway Boxing Rookie of the Year Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed has signed a promotional contract with Top Rank Promotions.

Reed (10-0, six KO's) had what amounted to an audition for Top Rank in his last outing when he won a six-round unanimous decision over Alberto Morales on June 14 in Atlantic City, NJ.

In a press release, the 21-year-old Reed said, “I am delighted to sign with Top Rank. They’ve been successful for a long time, and have promoted the biggest names in boxing, from Muhammad Ali to Manny Pacquiao. I am excited to have the same opportunities as the legends that came before me. Top Rank clearly has an understanding of how to market their fighters and they know how to build pay-per-view superstars. Team Reed is looking forward to having a long, successful relationship with one of the most prestigious promotional companies in boxing."

Reed continued, "This is a huge opportunity for me, and I will continue to work hard. I have the right people on my team and now add the security of a powerful, promotional company to help me reach my goal of winning multiple world titles. I’m grateful to everyone that has played a part in helping me reach this level, but I’m just getting started. I’m looking forward to representing the elite class of fighters from the DMV and the Beltway region.”

Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti speaks very highly of Reed and his abilities.

"He has a solid amateur background and his hand speed travels faster than bad news," Moretti told Rafael. "He's only 21 and has a terrific following from the D.C. area. We look forward to building him and eventually having him featured in TV fights in Washington, D.C., which is a great fight town."

Could Taylor Face Broner in September? Apparently Not!

Fighthype.com continues its reporting on who Adrian Broner's next opponent will be on September 6 and apparently it will not be Baltimore's Emmanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor.

Taylor seems to be out of the mix now and former world champion Paul Spadafora seems to be the leading candidate. "The Pittsburgh Kid" (49-1-1, 19 KO's) suffered his first loss in November but rebounded with an eight-round decision win earlier this month.

No reason was given why Taylor is out of the running at this point.

Douglas, McCalla, Receive Press!

Two of the boxers appearing on Friday's ShoBox card received some nice press in recent days.

Headliner Antoine Douglas was the subject of a nice WJLA interview that you can see here:

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/young-southeast-d-c-native-overcomes-struggles-to-become-boxing-star-105174.html

Also, Cecil McCalla was featured in Fightnews.com (an article not written by me) as he prepares for his first national television appearance.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/mccalla-looks-to-shine-on-shobox-this-friday-253549

Could Taylor Face Broner In September?

When Baltimore, MD junior welterweight Emmanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor lost to Chris Algeri in February, it turned out Taylor lost out on numerous future opportunities as Algeri was able to parlay that victory into winning the WBO Junior Welterweight title and a million-dollar date with Manny Pacquiao in November.

Now, after his big 10-round unanimous decision win over Karim Mayfield this past Friday in Huntington, NY, Taylor (18-2, 12 KO's) may have set himself up with a big date of his own.

FightHype.com is reporting that a bout is in the works for Taylor to face former three-time world champion Adrian Broner on September 6 in Broner's hometown of Cincinnati, OH.

Broner (28-1, 22 KO's) is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision win over Carlos Molina on May 3 in Las Vegas, NV.

If the bout comes to fruition, Showtime might carry.  However, that is the same night that Andre Berto and Lucas Matthysee return to action at another venue.

We will keep you posted if this bout becomes a reality.