Beltway Boxing 2018 -- Rookie Of The Year!

Our first award is for Beltway Boxing Rookie Of The Year.   This goes to the boxer who had the best first-year campaign from November of 2017 to November of 2018.  Our winner had a solid year during that time period and he did it all on the road against quality opposition.

The 2018 Beltway Boxing Rookie Of The Year Is...

“The Next Big Thing” Keeshawn Williams, welterweight, 4-0-1, one KO, Washington, DC

Williams started his career late in November of 2017 with a second-round knockout of Christian Salas in Flint, MI.  After a four-round draw against Dennis Okoth on January 20th in Brooklyn, NY, Williams would win a majority decision on May 20th in Cincinnati, OH followed by back-to-back unanimous decision victories in his last two bouts.  Williams would win by four-round shutout against Farhad Fatulla in Philadelphia PA on September 14th followed by another win on October 13th against Ramel Snegur in Omaha, NB.


Williams has taken an unusual route in his first full year, competing against boxers who were young in their career but their records were .500 or better.  Also, Williams has competed strictly on the road, a trend that will hopefully change some in 2019.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

 Muhsin Cason, cruiserweight, 3-0, one KO, Baltimore, MD

Cason, the younger brother of former undisputed world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, had a solid rookie year.  Cason made his pro debut in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada on May 5th with a four-round unanimous decision over Alexander Rosales Cruz.  Cason would make his Beltway debut on June 29th with a four-round unanimous decision over Charles Johnson at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, MD.  Then on September 22nd, Cason would score his first pro knockout with a second-round stoppage of Donnell Daniels at Bowie State University.  Cason is scheduled to return to Peterborough for another contest in February.

Ian “The Dancer” Cokley, middleweight, 1-0, Fort Washington, MD

Cokley came into boxing with a wonderful story.  At one time, Cokley weighed around 300 pounds.  In a relatively short time, Cokley was able to get down to close to the 160 pound middleweight limit to make his pro debut on August 4th and won a four-round unanimous decision over Carlos Cruz in Sterling, VA.  Cokley showed great boxing skill during the contest and it will be interesting to see his story continue in 2019.

George Harris, heavyweight, 2-0, two KO’s, Silver Spring, MD

Harris made two impressive showings during his rookie campaign. On October 27th, Harris scored a second-round TKO over veteran Damian Reed in Fort Washington, MD followed by a third-round TKO over Lamar Lewis on December 1st in Washington, DC.  Harris looks to show more promise in 2019.

Previous Beltway Boxing Rookies of the Year:

2006: Jessie Nicklow

2007: Bayan Jargal

2008: Fernando Guerrero

2009: Dominic Wade

2010: Nick Kisner

2011: Dusty Hernandez Harrison

2012: Duane Mobley

2013: Mike Reed

2014: Lamont Roach, Jr.

2015: Antonio Russell

2016: Mack Allison IV

2017: Antuanne Russell and Jahmal Dyer

Next: Beltway Boxing Prospect Of The Year!