Ballroom Boxing Announces Main Event!

Ballroom Boxing Promoter Scott Wagner has announced the main event for its first show of 2006. The show will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

The main event will be a battle for the vacant Maryland State Heavyweight title between Tony "The Tiger" Thompson of Silver Spring and Brandon "The Beast" Cabell of Baltimore.

This is an interesting matchup that, on paper, looks like a mismatch. Thompson's record is 25-1 with 15 KO's while Cabell's is just 8-1-1 with two KO's.

But then you look at their records. While neither boxer has fought any major competition, Thompson's resume contains the likes of Marion Wilson, Vaughn Bean and Joe Lenhart, all trialhorses. In fact, Thompson's claim to fame is that he finished second in promoter Cedric Kushner's "Fistful of Dollars" Thunderbox heavyweight tournament in 2002. Thompson did beat Jeremy Williams and Derrick Jefferson in the tournament and lost to Maurice Harris in the finals. None of the bouts counted for or against his won-loss record.

Cabell has not fought anyone of note going into this bout, but he did win the vacant WBE Intercontinental Heavyweight title in his last bout on August 13, 2005, scoring a third-round KO over Ronald Bellamy in Winston-Salem, NC.

Neither boxer has fought a lot along the Beltway lately. Thompson last fought in the area in December 2003 when he beat Onebo Maxime by second round TKO at the Pikesville Armory. Cabell hasn't fought here since June of 2004 when he won a four-round split decision over Dominic Jenkins at Michael's. This will be the good aspect about this bout, that we will get to see homegrown talent back in the area.

I hope, though, that this will be a better bout than it looks. There is an interesting variable. This will be a 10-round bout. Cabell has never gone 10 while Thompson has only gone 10 rounds once and that was against Vaughn Bean.

I also hope that whoever wins this bout will actually DEFEND the title. Most state titles are never defended in Maryland. But with guys like Jed Phipps, Adele Olakanye, Adam Bloom and hopefully, down the road, Mike Dietrich in the area, it would be interesting to see them battle for this title.