Davis, Isley Victorious During Strandja Tournament in Bulgaria!

Keyshawn Davis and Troy Isley won their opening bouts during the Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria today.

Davis, participating in his first international tournament, won a 5-0 unanimous decision over Dmytro Cherniak of Ukraine in a lightweight contest.  Davis will take on Armenian Hrayr Shahverdyan in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Isley also won a unanimous decision in a middleweight bout, defeating Mariusz Gnas of Sweden.  Isley will be in a rematch against Hebert Sousa of Brazil in the quarterfinals on Thursday.  Isley defeated Sousa in the Continental Championships last year.  The victory qualified Isley for the world championships where he won a bronze medal.

Kay Koroma Promoted to National Assistant Coach For USA Boxing!

(Photos courtesy of AIBA)

Congratulations to Alexandria, VA trainer Kay Koroma who has been promoted to the National Assistant Coach position at USA Boxing!

Koroma has served as USA Boxing's Resident Coach at the Olympic Training Center and was a member of the 2016 US Olympic coaching staff in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

In his new role, Koroma will continue to work with USA Boxing's coaching and high performance staff in the development and implementation of individual athlete training and competition plans for all national team athletes and continue to manage USA Boxing's recently expanded resident athlete program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A former pro boxer (5-1, three KO's), Koroma hung up his gloves in 2008 after an illness forced him to retire.  Koroma has worked with numerous regional, national and international champion boxers at the Alexandria Boxing Club and started working with the Olympic program as its Developmental Coach in 2014.  He then became a full-time coach two years later.

Since Koroma joined USA Boxing's staff alongside Head Coach Billy Walsh, the U.S. team has enjoyed great success at the international level, including three Olympic medals (Claressa Shields - gold, Shakur Stevenson - silver, Nico Hernandez - bronze), the best U.S. finish at a Men's World Championships since 1999 and an undefeated 2017 international run by flyweight Virginia Fuchs.

“Coach Kay has been a key component to USA Boxing’s success since coming on board full time in 2016,” commented USA Boxing High Performance Director Matt Johnson.  “He has a unique skill set that makes a great impact on our boxers both inside and outside of the ring. We are fortunate to have him on our staff and look forward to his continued progression in the position of National Assistant Coach.”

"I'm excited to continue my USA Boxing journey and the success we've had over the past two years. Working with young people, making them believe in themselves and helping them to reach their full potential in boxing and life has always been my passion and I enjoy sharing that with the talented athletes of Team USA," Koroma said. "This is just the beginning. We will keep building champions at every level and show the world the talent that we have here in the United States."

While Coach Koroma has had a tremendous impact on USA Boxing's elite athletes, he continues to work with his homegrown athletes at the Alexandria Boxing Club. Three ALX members, lightweight Keyshawn Davis, female light welterweight Amelia Moore and reigning World Championships bronze medalist Troy Isley, (standing to Koroma's left along with Quentin Randall (far left) and Duke Ragan (far right) won the 2017 USA Boxing National Championships and get the opportunity to train regularly at the Olympic Training Center with Coach Koroma when he's not at his home gym in Alexandria. Isley and Koroma have worked together since a nine-year-old Troy first walked into the gym and he is now one of the favorites to make the 2020 Olympic Team.  Davis also won a National Golden Gloves championship in 2017 and Moore captured four championships last year.

By the way, Davis and Isley will compete for the first time at the Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria today.  Davis will compete at 132 pounds against Dymtro Cherniak of the Ukraine while Isley will take on Mariusz Gnas of Sweden in a 165 pound contest.

Scott Wagner Services Announced!

There has been an announcement for a memorial service for Ballroom Boxing promoter Scott Wagner.

The service will be held on Saturday, February 24th and appropriately, it will be held at Michael's Eighth Avenue located at 7220 Grayburn Drive in Glen Burnie, MD.  The service will be from 11 AM to 3 PM.

Scott Wagner, Legendary Ballroom Boxing Promoter, Passes!

It has been a very sad day in the Beltway Boxing Community because we learned that one of the premier promoters in the area -- Scott Wagner -- passed away late Friday, February 16th at the age of 49.  No official word has been given on the cause of death.

Mr. Wagner was the driving force behind one of the most successful promotions not only in the Beltway, but around the country -- Ballroom Boxing.  The promotion was located in the catering hall the family owned -- Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD -- and it became the home for some of the best club show bouts in one of the best atmospheres in the area from 1995-2010. 

Mr. Wagner, along with matchmakers Chris Middendorf and Josh Hall and event coordinator Dave Wilkerson, brought in a myriad of outstanding talent as they developed local boxers like Alfonso Daniels, Jimmy Lange and Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson.  They would also bring in former world champions like Hasim Rahman, Kermit Cintron, Orlin Norris and Al Cole and be an early proving ground for future world champions like Terence Crawford, who fought his second pro bout in the Ballroom and the Dirrell Brothers who made their pro debuts in Glen Burnie.  At the height of its fame, Ballroom Boxing had a television package shown around the world anchored by broadcasters Larry Michael, Jon Saraceno, and John Scheinman and a weekly radio show hosted by Wagner and Scotty Crouse.    The atmosphere at Ballroom Boxing shows was also second to none as the boxing was augmented by large portions food and drink as well as the beautiful women that was a part of each card.

Boxing luminaries such as Lou DiBella, Bert Sugar and Lou Duva, would make frequent appearances in Glen Burnie.  DiBella would call Ballroom Boxing "the best club show promotion in the country" and would use elements of the promotion when forming his own Broadway Boxing cards.

Mr. Wagner was preceded in death by his father, Sen. Michael J. Wagner, the original owner of Michael's Eighth Avenue, who passed away in February of 2014 at the age of 74.  Arrangements are pending

On a personal note, Scott Wagner's passing hits so hard.  I had numerous conversations with him about boxing and life.  He would bounce proposed bouts off of me and we would discuss them.  Ballroom Boxing was truly his baby and he was so proud of his baby.  Scott will go down in history as someone who was truly fair to the boxers who appeared on his cards and loved the fans who supported him.  He saluted the military on numerous shows long before it was fashionable to do so.

I thank Scott for all he has meant to me.  He gave me some outstanding moments in my Beltway Boxing career and more importantly, he was a great friend and I will miss him dearly.

Williams, Jr. Suffers Fourth-Round Knockout In El Paso!

Laurel, MD light heavyweight Thomas "Top Dog" Williams, Jr. suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Mexican prospect Humberto Velasco Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX.

According to Fightnews.com reporter David Finger, Williams got off to a great start, dropping Velasco with a picture-perfect counterpunch in the closing moments of the first round.  Velasco, however, would come back in the second round and knock Williams down with a right hand.  Williams would gamely fight back late in the round but any hard punch Velasco threw would rattle him.  Velasco would drop Williams in both the third and fourth rounds before the bout was stopped at 1:37 of the fourth.  Williams complained that he was hit in the back of the head during the last knockdown.

Williams has lost three straight by knockout and his record falls to 20-4, 14 KO's.  Velasco is now 19-1-1, 14 KO's.

Williams, Jr. Weighs 170.6 For 10-Rounder In Texas!

Thomas Williams, Jr. tipped the scales at 170.6 pounds for his 10-round bout against Humberto Velasco Saturday at the Don Haskins Event Center in El Paso, TX.  Velasco came in at 170.2 pounds.

The bout is part of the Victor Ortiz-Devin Alexander card that will be televised on Fox.  The Williams-Velasco bout is not scheduled to be shown on the telecast that begins at 8 PM ET.

Isley, Davis Travel To Bulgaria For International Tournament!

Recently, BATB mentioned that Alexandria, VA amateur boxer Troy Isley will be in three dual events against Ireland in March.  However, Isley has even more business to attend to this coming week.

Isley, a member of the USA Boxing Elite High Performance Squad, is now in Sofia, Bulgaria for the Strandja Tournament.  Isley has had international experience as he won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany in September.

Isley will have familiar company on this voyage.  Alexandria teammate Keyshawn Davis will make his international debut in this tournament.  Davis, who won a National Golden Gloves championship in May of 2017, makes his first trip as a member of the USA Elite team.

The Strandja Tournament takes place from February 18-26.  The team is made up of six male and six female boxers.

Beltway Boxers Added To March 3rd Brooklyn Card!

Two Beltway Boxers have been added to the undercard of the DiBella Entertainment/TGB Promotions card on Saturday, March 3rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Capitol Heights, MD super lightweight Antuanne Russell will make his first appearance of 2018 in a six-round bout against an opponent to be determined.  Russell, the 2017 Beltway Boxing Co-Rookie Of The Year, scored three first-round knockouts last year including a bout that was slated for six rounds.

Also on the card will be Washington, DC welterweight Shynggyskhan Tazhibay who will move up to the six-round plateau for the first time.  The native of Kazakhstan (5-0, two KO's) last fought on August 12th and won a four-round unanimous decision over Robert Hill at the Howard Theatre in DC.

The headline bouts on the card will be televised by Showtime.  Deontay Wilder defends the WBC Heavyweight championship in the main event.  Jermall Charlo battles Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC Middleweight title and Andre Dirrell defends the interim IBF Super Middleweight championship in a rematch against Jose Uzcategui.  The two met on May 20th at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD where Uzcategui was disqualified for hitting Dirrell after the bell in the eighth round.  After the bout was over, Uzcategui was punched by one of Dirrell's handlers, Leon Lawson.  Lawson was suspended indefinitely by the state of Maryland.

Fox, Madison Win Unanimous Decisions; Loften Loses By UD In Bethlehem, PA!

Three Beltway Boxers had bouts Tuesday evening at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, PA.

In a co-main event bout, Forestville, MD junior welterweight Mykal "The Professor" Fox remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Ricardo Garcia of the Dominican Republic.  Fox was able to knock Garcia down in the seventh round and won the bout by scores of 78-73 (twice) and 77-74.  Fox is now 16-0, four KO's while Garcia falls to 14-2, nine KO's.

Owings Mills, MD heavyweight Colby "Mad Dog" Madison won a six-round unanimous decision over Donte Selby of Philadelphia, PA.  No word on the official scores.  Madison is now 6-0-1, four KO's while Selby is 2-4-1.

Suitland, MD featherweight Malik "Li'l Leak" Loften lost a four-round unanimous decision to Martino Jules of Allentown, PA.  Loften lost by scores of 39-38 and 38-37 (twice).  Loften's record is even at 1-1, one KO while Jules is 3-0.

Fightnews Beltway Correspondent Burgower Pens Poetry Book!

As many of you know, I also am a feature writer for Fightnews.com.  I have been blessed to have a number of collaborators work with me in covering the Beltway scene for the website since I joined the site in 1999.  For more than a decade, I'm happy to say that my writing partner has been Julian Burgower of Frederick, MD.

What's amazing is learning about the other talents that people have.  What I did not know about Julian is that he is a poet and he has published his first book of poetry entitled Sleep Turns To Monster: A Poetic Journey Through Life, Love and Loneliness.

Amazon.com describes the book as "a look into the troubled mind as thoughts spiral and twist between the emotions of the conscious and the unknown depths in which souls are lost in the crags and crevices from within the twilight of restless slumber. All of life's unspoken feelings in a collection of poetry that all can understand, some may relate to, but none wish to endure."

The book is getting rave reviews on Amazon as well as other locations where the book can be bought.  Amazon is selling the book for $13.99.  If you feel inclined and you like poetry, I think you will be impressed by this book.  Thank you.

Bout Sheet For Opening Night Of 2018 Washington Golden Gloves!

The 2018 Washington Golden Gloves get underway on Saturday, February 17th.  All of the Golden Glove events will take place at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD with the first bell at 7:30 PM ET.

Here is the scheduled bout sheet for the first night of competition:

Junior Division:

8 Years, 60 Pounds (Championship):  Tameen Rafaie (Oxon Hill) vs. Laron Manning (Oxon Hill)

10 Years, 62 Pounds (Championship): Edward Lee, III (Mack Lewis) vs. Taj Browne (No Xcuse)

8-9 Years, 65 Pounds: Lenoxx Walker (Langdon) vs. Makye Fenwick (Oxon Hill)

10-11 Years, 65 Pounds: Brandon Chestnut (No Xcuse) vs. Keith Perry (Woodland)

10-11 Years, 75 Pounds: Cardarius Johnson (Headbangers) vs. Rashad Robinson (No Xcuse)

10-11 Years, 75 Pounds: Amir Lee (Oxon Hill) vs. Casanova Lamons (Langdon)

10 Years, 70 Pounds: Malachi Robinson (Headbangers) vs. Saleem Rafaie (Oxon Hill)

11-12 Years, 76 Pounds (Championship): Julian Cruz-Sanchez (First Class) vs. Reshad Johnson (Langdon)

14 Years, 101 Pounds (Championship): Jayden Wright (Hillcrest) vs. Gregory Parker (Headbangers)

13-14, 110 Pounds (Championship): Juanito Lopez (Woodland) vs. Angel Benavides (Tony's Gym)

13-14, 114 Pounds (Championship): John Shipley (Mack Lewis) vs. William Luther (Headbangers)


Novice Division:

123 Pounds:  Marcus Reed (Upton) vs. Kevin Holmes (NOMIS)

123 Pounds:  Davon White (Sugar Ray Leonard) vs. Elon'e Kemp (Limelite)

132 Pounds:  Isaiah Harris (Dog Pound) vs. Carlos Ramirez (Keystone)

132 Pounds:  Antoine Matthews (First Class) vs. Antonio Dunston-El, Jr. (Honeycomb)

141 Pounds:  Devante Alexander (Knowledge) vs. Corey Walton, Jr. (Floyd's Gym)

141 Pounds:  Pedro Verdejo (Simon Brown) vs. Joshua Zimmerman (Honeycomb)

152 Pounds:  Maurice Ecols (Deanwood) vs. Stephen Jordon (Champions)

152 Pounds:  Malik Myles (Benning Park) vs. Quinton Stevens (Headbangers)

152 Pounds:  Marcus Allen (Tony's Gym) vs. Victor Mercado (Unattached)

152 Pounds:  Anwar Wingate (Kenilworth) vs. Steven Jackson (Hillcrest)

152 Pounds:  Markesse Hines (Main Street) vs. Brilyen Kelly (Langdon)

152 Pounds:  Toure Lake (Unattached) vs. Seth Anderson (Champions)

165 Pounds: Step'an Simmons (Charm City) vs. Joshua Allen (Deanwood)

178 Pounds:  Jerry Shockley (Down Under) vs. Daniel Holmes (Old School)


Here is the schedule for this year's Washington Golden Gloves:

Preliminary Bouts: February 17th, February 24th and March 3rd

Semi-Finals:  March 10th and March 24th

The Washington Golden Gloves Championships will be on Saturday, April 7th.

The Regional Golden Gloves Championships will be on Friday, May 4th.

All events will begin at 7:30 PM ET.

Fox, Madison, Loften Tip Scales For Bethlehem Bouts!

Three Beltway Boxers weighed in for bouts Tuesday at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, PA.

Mykal Fox weighed in at 141.8 pounds for his eight-round co-main event contest against Ricardo Garcia, who came in at 142.1.

Colby Madison tipped the scales at 247 pounds for his six-round bout against Dante Selby.  Selby weighed 230.1 pounds.

Malik Loften weighed in at 125.8 pounds for his four-round encounter with Martino Jules, who tipped the scales at 127.1.

Corley Loses Unanimous Decision; Rahman Wins Majority Decision; Byarm Scores First-Round Knockout In Comeback Bout!

Three Beltway Boxers were in action Saturday night in two locations.  Here are the results.

In a main-event bout at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, former WBO Super Lightweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley of Washington, DC lost an eight-round unanimous decision to former world title contender "Hammerin'" Hank Lundy of Philadelphia.  The veterans split the first two rounds then Lundy started to take control of the contest, dropping Corley in the fourth round.  Lundy would go on to win the bout by scores of 78-73 and 79-72 (twice).  The 43-year-old Corley, participating in his 80th pro bout, is now 50-29-1, 28 KO's while Lundy, who is 34 years old, is now 29-6-1, 14 KO's.

On the same card, Baltimore, MD heavyweight Hasim "Gold Blooded" Rahman, Jr. won a four-round majority decision over late sub Ronny Hale of Austin, TX.  Rahman, who went the distance for the first time in his young pro career and was battling pneumonia, seemed to have some difficulty dealing with the pressure that Hale brought to the contest.  However, he did manage to win the fight with a little bit more output.  One judge scored the bout a draw at 38-38 while the other two judges saw the contest 39-37 and 40-36.  Rahman is now 4-0, three KO's while Hale drops to 3-11, three KO's.

Meanwhile, at the Hartman Arena in Park City, KS, DC heavyweight Maurice "Freight Train" Byarm made a successful return after an almost six-year absence and scored a first-round TKO over Richard "Silverback" Carmack of Kansas City, MO.  According to reports, Byarm teed off on the 364-pound Carmack at will, dropping him twice before the bout was stopped at 1:34 of the first.  Byarm is now 14-2-1, 10 KO's while Carmack falls to 15-13-1, 12 KO's.

Corley, Rahman, Jr., Byarm Hit Scales For Saturday Bouts!

DeMarcus Corley, Hasim Rahman, Jr. and Maurice Byarm weighed in today for their bouts on Saturday evening.

Corley tipped the scales at 134 pounds for his eight-round contest against Hank Lundy at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.  Lundy came in slightly over the lightweight limit at 135 1/2.

Also, Rahman, Jr. weighed 232 pounds for his four-round bout against late sub Ronny Hale who came in at 261.7 pounds.  Hale (3-10, three KO's) is from Austin, TX by way of Montgomery, AL.

The Hard Hitting Promotions card will be shown on the Fight Night Live channel on Facebook beginning at 7 PM ET.

Byarm came in at 230.4 pounds for his six-round comeback bout against Richard Carmack at the Hartman Arena in Park City, KS.  Carmack came in at a whopping 364 pounds.

Sigmon Loses By Unanimous Decision To Roy Jones, Jr. in Legend's Final Bout!

(Photo by Scott Foster)

Lynchburg, VA's Scott "Cujo" Sigmon could not spoil the swan song of future hall of famer Roy Jones, Jr. Thursday night at the Bay Center in Pensacola, FL.  Jones would win a one-sided ten-round unanimous decision.

Sigmon could not deal with the 49-year-old Jones's hand speed throughout the contest.  Jones would smile and mug for his hometown fans, according to reports.  Jones would win by scores of 98-92 across the board.  Jones told reporters after the bout that he entered the ring with a torn bicep.

Sigmon falls to 30-12-1, 16 KO's and Jones rises to 66-9, 47 KO's.  Jones said he would be willing to take on suspended MMA fighter Anderson Silva but otherwise it's "chapter closed."

Sigmon Weighs 193.4 For Bout Against Jones!

Scott Sigmon tipped the scales at 193.4 pounds for his 10-round bout against legendary Roy Jones, Jr. tonight at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, FL.  Jones, who says this is his last bout, came in at 199 pounds.

The bout will be shown on the UFC Fight Pass beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

Isley To Be Showcased During March US Vs. Ireland Boxing Tour!

Alexandria, VA amateur boxer Troy Isley will represent the United States during a three-city boxing tour as the US will take on a team from Ireland.

Isley, a 165-pounder who won a bronze medal at the 2017 Elite World Championships in Hamburg, Germany in September, is the most accomplished member of the team.  Isley has competed against an Irish team before, traveling to Belfast as part of the Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic in 2013.  Isley won his bout during that event.

The US vs. Ireland tour begins on Monday, March 12th at the Royale Entertainment Complex in Boston, MA.  The second night will be on Thursday, March 15th at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA.  The final night will be Wednesday, March 21st at the Manchester Downtown Hotel in Manchester, NH.  All of the cards will begin at 7 PM and the bouts will be live streamed for free on USABoxing.org.

By the way, the coach of the US team will be Billy Walsh, who was a member of the 1988 Irish Boxing team and coached the Irish team for 10 years.

Beltway Amateurs Bring Home Seven Titles From National Silver Gloves Championships!

Local boxers brought home seven national championships from the recent National Silver Gloves championships this past weekend in Independence, MO.

Along with BJ-Santana Brown of Baltimore, MD who was uncontested, congratulations to the following Beltway Boxers:

Benjamin Johnson, Washington, DC

Cardarius Johnson, District Heights, MD

Tyreek Williams,  Oxon Hill, MD

Khalil Robinson, Largo, MD

Marcus Luther, Washington, DC

Dontae White, Baltimore, MD

Beltway Finalists At National Silver Gloves!

Here are the Beltway finalists for the 2018 National Silver Gloves in Independence, MO:

Cardarius Johnson, District Heights, MD

Tyreek Williams, Oxon Hill, MD

Kardan Chatmon, Upper Marlboro, MD

Jeremiah Williams, Baltimore, MD

Khalil Robinson, Largo, MD

Sa'mari Everette, Baltimore, MD

Makye Fenwick, Washington, DC

Kairee Kelley, Washington, DC

Khaliq Harrison, Fort Washington, MD

Benjamin Johnson, Washington, DC

Muhammad Robinson, Nottingham, MD

Tarvis Best, Washington, DC

Marcus Luther, Washington, DC

The area has one uncontested national champion -- BJ-Santana Brown of Baltimore, MD, who is the winner in the Boys 9-10, 154 pound division.  The title bouts are today at 1 PM CT.

Beltway Amateurs Compete At National Silver Gloves!

The 2018 National Silver Gloves Tournament is underway at the Truman Grand Ballroom in Independence, MO and a number of Beltway amateurs are competing.  Unfortunately, Ringside, which is sponsoring this event, only lists the winners, without matchups or weight classes.

So, here is the list of first-round winners after the start of competition on Thursday:

Khaliq Harrison, Fort Washington, MD

Cardarius Johnson, District Heights, MD

Tommy Coe, Jr, Baltimore, MD

Muhammad Robinson, Nottingham, MD

Tyreek Williams, Oxon Hill, MD

Kardan Chatmon, Upper Marlboro, MD

Jordan Roach, Upper Marlboro, MD

Jeremiah Williams, Baltimore, MD

Sa'mari Everette, Baltimore, MD

Brandon Chestnut, Bowie, MD

Kairee Kelly, Washington, DC

Marcus Luther, Washington, DC

The tournament runs until Saturday, February 3.