Grayton Survives Knockdown To Stop Santos In Florida!

DC welterweight David "Day Day" Grayton bounced back from a first-round knockdown to stop Daniel Souza Santos of Sao Paulo, Brazil in the third round tonight at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee, FL.

According to Ross Molovinsky, who was onsite, Grayton's knee touched the canvas in the first round but he was not seriously hurt.  Grayton came back strong in the second round using a solid body attack to drop Santos.  The Brazilian could not answer the bell for the third round.

Grayton remains undefeated at 14-0, 10 KO's while Santos is 14-10, 11 KO's.

Speed-Rawls Scores First-Round Knockout In North Carolina!

Glenarden, MD lightweight Drayvontay Speed-Rawls scored a first-round knockout Saturday on a card at the Durham Armory in Durham, NC.

Speed-Rawls knocked out the debuting Charles Whitted of North Carolina.  Speed-Rawls remains undefeated with the win at 5-0-1, three KO's.

Grayton Weighs 146 For Eight-Rounder In Florida!

(Photo by Ross Molovinsky)

David Grayton (left) tipped the scales at 146 pounds for his eight-round contest against late sub Daniel Souza Santos of Sao Paolo, Brazil tonight at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee, FL.  Santos weighed in at 147 pounds.

Santos (14-9, 11 KO's) is coming off a seventh-round knockout loss to Fernando Guerrero on November 13 in Biloxi, MS.

Harrison Scores Third-Round TKO In Illinois!

Dusty Hernandez Harrison remained undefeated with a third-round stoppage of Angel Hernandez Friday night at the Belvedere in Elk Grove, IL.

The bout was stopped when Hernandez could not come out for the third round.  Harrison is now 29-0, 16 KO's while Hernandez is 17-17-1, 13 KO's.

Wade In Negotiations To Battle Golovkin In April!

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that undefeated Largo, MD middleweight Dominic "Lights Out" Wade could be next in line to face one of the top boxers in the sport -- "Triple G" Gennady Golovkin.

Rafael points out that Golovkin, who holds the IBF and WBA middleweight titles and another of the best in the business -- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the WBC champion -- have decided they will not face each other in the bout most boxing fans want to see until September at the earliest.  So each boxer will take interim contests.

Golovkin, who has a bout slated for April 23 on HBO, did make an offer to face the WBO champion, Billy Joe Saunders.  However, Saunders is reportedly asking too much to make the bout happen.

So, Golovkin, whose goal is to unify all the middleweight titles, must make his mandatory IBF title defense, which was originally slated to be against the number one challenger -- Tureano Johnson of Georgia.  However, Johnson has a shoulder injury and will not be ready by April.   The IBF has decided to go down its rankings and -- since there is no number two contender (don't ask why) -- Wade is next in line as he is ranked third.

The IBF has told Rafael that Wade has accepted the mandatory position and negotiations are underway.  Wade (18-0, 12 KO's) is coming off the biggest win of his career, a 10-round split decision over former world champion Sam Soliman on June 26 in Shelton, WA.

Rafael mentions another interesting aspect of this story -- Wade is one of the many Beltway Boxers either advised or managed by Al Haymon.  HBO Sports's former president Ken Hershman banned all Haymon boxers from the network two years ago.  Hershman's second-in-command, Peter Nelson, now runs HBO Sports and all indications point to a Golovkin-Wade bout taking place on the network.

Golden Boy Slated To Bring Nationally-Televised Card To DC Armory March 5!

There has been no official announcement on this, however, BATB has learned from a number of sources that there will be a Golden Boy Promotions card coming to the DC Armory on Saturday, March 5.

The sources are boxers who are slated to appear on the card, including undefeated lightweight Lamont Roach, Jr., who along with fellow Golden Boy boxers D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard and Kevin "K-Smoove" Rivers, Jr., are making up part of the local portion of the card.

Also talking about this card on social media is Las Vegas, NV welterweight Jessie Vargas, who is scheduled to be in one of the featured bouts on the card battling Sadam "World Kid" Ali of Brooklyn, NY for the vacant WBO Welterweight title.  Vargas posted on his Instagram page that the bout is a done deal.

BATB has learned that Vargas was offered the Ali bout a year ago but turned it down because the bout was slated to take place in New York.  DC ended up being a compromise of sort.

The other featured contest is scheduled to be a bout for the interim WBA Heavyweight title that will include the champion, Luis Ortiz of Miami, FL by way of Cuba against an opponent to be determined.  The two feature bouts are slated to make up an  HBO Boxing After Dark telecast.

More on this card as information comes in.

Beltway Boxers Prepare For February Travel!

February will see a number of Beltway Boxers hitting the road for some key bouts.  Here is the schedule of what we have so far:

On Tuesday, February 9, DC rookie featherweight Jordan "Shortdog" White will be in a four-round contest against veteran Manuel "El Terco" Rubalcava of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, PA.  White (1-0, one KO) needed just 20 seconds to win his pro debut on December 8 over Jose Roman in Trenton, NJ.  Rubalcava (2-15) faces a Beltway Boxer for the second straight time, losing by second round knockout to Antonio Russell on September 12 in Mashantucket, CT.

Saturday, February 13 sees Frederick, MD light heavyweight Larry "Hitman" Pryor competing in an eight-round contest against undefeated Aaron Quattrocchi of Follansbee, WVA at the Mountaineer Casino and Racetrack in Chester, WVA.  Pryor (9-12, five KO's) lost a six-round unanimous decision to Stivens Bujaj on January 16 at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.  Quattrocchi, the West Virginia State Light Heavyweight champion (8-0-1, four KO's) defended that title in his last outing in a rematch against Mike Snider on December 11 and won a 10-round unanimous decision.

On Friday, February 19, Bowie, MD super middleweight "The King's Son" Jerry Odom will be in a nationally-televised eight-round contest against undefeated Ronald Ellis of Lynn, MA at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The bout will be shown on Showtime's ShoBox telecast.  Odom (13-2, 12 KO's) looks to bounce back from his last contest -- a third-round TKO loss to Samuel Clarkson on July 17 in Bethlehem, PA.  This will be Odom's fifth straight appearance on Showtime.  Ellis (12-0, 10 KO's) is coming off a second-round TKO over Jas Phipps on August 29 in Inglewood, CA. Ellis has knocked out his last four opponents but Odom will be the most successful foe Ellis has faced in his career.

Two Beltway Boxers will be involved in a card at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, February 27.  Undefeated Waldorf, MD super lightweight Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed makes his second trip to the Big Apple as he takes on Marco Antonio "El Kua Kua" Lopez of San Luis Potosi, Mexico in an eight-round contest.  Reed (17-0, 10 KO's) scored a seventh-round TKO over Rondale Hubbert on November 7 in Las Vegas, NV.  The last time Reed was in New York, he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Luis Joel Gonzalez on June 13.  Lopez (24-8, 15 KO's) will be looking to break a three-bout losing streak.  In his last bout, Lopez lost a six-round unanimous decision to Clarence Booth on August 1 in Frisco, TX.

Also on the card, Emmanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor of Edgewood Arsenal, MD will be in an eight-round super lightweight contest against veteran Wilfredo "El Zurdo" Acuna of Managua, Nicaragua.  Taylor (18-4, 12 KO's)  has lost two straight and three of his last four, all to quality opposition.  Taylor will try to regroup after a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Antonio Orozco on May 15 in Phoenix, AZ.  Acuna (16-18, 12 KO's) broke a five-bout losing streak by winning a four-round unanimous decision to previously undefeated Wilkens Santiago on November 25 in Erie, PA.  One of the five losses in that streak came against Dusty Hernandez Harrison.  Acuna lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Harrison at Madison Square Garden in July of 2014.

Both the Reed and Taylor bouts will be on the undercard of Terence Crawford's WBO title defense against Hank Lundy.

Russell Drops Decision In World Series Of Boxing Debut!

Capitol Heights, MD light welterweight and 2016 United States Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell received his first taste of elite international competition Thursday night as he made his World Series of Boxing debut at the Miccosukee Sports and Entertainment Dome in Miccosukee, FL.

Unfortunately, Russell lost a 3-0 decision to Pat McCormack of Great Britain and his USA Knockouts team fell to the British Lionhearts three bouts to two.  Russell fought very well in going five rounds.  However, McCormack was a solid counter puncher and that ability may have been the difference in the judge's scoring.  McCormack won by scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-45.

Russell now heads to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for the first day of training camp on Sunday.

Grayton Travels To Florida For Eight-Round Contest January 31!

Undefeated Washington, DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton returns to action on Sunday, January 31 for an eight-round bout against Jeremiah Wiggins of Newport News, VA at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee, FL.

Grayton (13-0, nine KO's) last fought on October 17 and won an eight-round unanimous decision over Martin Wright at the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, VA.  Wiggins (10-5-1, three KO's) has had difficulties since stepping up in competition. After winning 10 of his first 11 bouts (10-0-1) Wiggins is in the midst of a five-bout losing streak to boxers with a combined won-loss record of 54-1-1.

The bout will be part of a card that will be televised on Bounce TV.  No word yet on whether the bout will make the telecast.

Barnett Returns In Eight-Round Contest Against Attah February 27 In DC!

DC lightweight Ty Barnett returns to action in an eight-round main event bout against former world title challenger Daniel "The Prophet" Attah of DC on Saturday, February 27 at the Washington Convention Center.

Barnett (22-4-1, 14 KO's) has not fought since suffering a ninth-round TKO loss to Cosme Rivera on May 31, 2014 at the Washington Convention Center.  Attah (28-21-1, 11 KO's) will be looking to break an eight-bout losing streak including a fourth-round stoppage loss to Ayaz Hussain on December 4 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

This King's Promotions card will feature a number of Beltway Boxers including Demond "D Best At It" Nicholson (15-1, 15 KO's), Mykal "The Professor" Fox (8-0, two KO's), "The Golden Goat" Albi Sadikaj (4-0, four KO's), "The Vanilla Gorilla" Sam Crossed (1-0, one KO), Luther "Lights Out" Smith (3-0, three KO's) and the returning Antonio "Teflon" Magruder (3-0, two KO's).

Also appearing on the card will be Hudsonville, MI cruiserweight Jordan Shimmell (19-1, 16 KO's) in a scheduled 10-round encounter.  More on this card as it develops.

Harrison Returns With Eight-Round Contest January 29 In Illinois!

Undefeated DC welterweight Dusty Hernandez Harrison returns to action with an eight-round encounter against Angel Hernandez of Gary, Indiana on Friday, January 29 at The Belvedere in Elk Grove, IL.

Harrison (28-0, 15 KO's) is coming off a first-round knockout of James Wayka on September 26 in Norfolk, VA.  Hernandez (17-16-1, 13 KO's) broke a five-bout winless streak with a four-round unanimous decision over Sam Gibson on October 17 in Hammond, IN.

Beltway Boxers Receive Exceptional Press!

Two Beltway Boxers have received notable mainstream media press in the past few weeks.

Undefeated Baltimore, MD super featherweight Gervonta "Tank" Davis is the cover story of the latest issue of Press Box magazine.  The story is written by Bill Ordine and it is a great one that talks about Davis's road to his current status as one of the rising prospects in the sport.

The story is also available online by going to this link: http://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/01/13/baltimore-boxer-gervonta-davis-journey-to-glory

In the current issue (March 2016) of The Ring, the Women's Boxing section profiles DC flyweight Tyrieshia "Lady Tyga" Douglas.  Thomas Gerbasi focuses on the bright future for the multi-time titleholder in the article.  Unfortunately, the article is not available online.

Kelly Drops Unanimous Decision To Kownacki In Brooklyn!

DC heavyweight Danny "Smooth" Kelly lost an eight-round unanimous decision to undefeated Adam Kownacki of Brooklyn, NY by way of Poland on the Deontay Wilder-Artur Szipilka card at the Barclays Center on January 16 in Brooklyn.

According to Fightnews.com reporters Matt Richardson and Arvin Nundloll, Kelly was not knocked down but his right eye was swollen almost completely shut by the end of the contest.  Kownacki won the bout by scores of 80-72 (twice) and 79-73.

Kelly is now 9-2-1, eight KO's.  Kownacki is 13-0, 10 KO's.

Results From Springfield, VA Card!

Here are the results from the Jeter Promotions card held January 16 at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA -- a card that featured boxers that represented 12 states and the District of Columbia and six countries.

Gaithersburg, MD welterweight Gerome "GQ" Quigley successfully defended his Virginia State Welterweight title with a second-round TKO of Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton of Bumpass, VA.

Quigley broke down Shelton early in the contest leading to two right hands in the second that dropped Shelton twice.  The bout ended at 1:58.  Quigley remains undefeated at 12-0, 11 KO's while Shelton falls to 2-2-1.

Springfield junior middleweight Edgar "The Tiger" Torres captured a four-round unanimous decision over Henry Mercer of Tarboro, NC.  Torres, originally from Mexico, was in control throughout the contest and won by shutout (40-36) on all three judge's cards.  Torres is now 8-0-1, four KO's while Mercer is 1-4, one KO.

Dodie Boy Penalosa, Jr. a native of the Philippines who is now competing out of Rockville, MD, used a number of solid body shots to stop Szilveszter Ajtai of Hungary in the first round of a Bantamweight contest.  The time of the stoppage was 2:22.  Penalosa is 18-0, 14 KO's while Ajtai falls to 4-2-1, two KO's.

Undefeated Silver Spring, MD bantamweight Alexandru "Spartan" Marin stopped Robert Kanalas of Hungary in the second round.  After a slow first round, Marin set up a crushing straight right hand that dropped Kanalas early in the second.  Kanalas was able to get up from the knockdown but was soon met with a crushing right uppercut that forced the stoppage of the bout.  Marin is now 10-0, seven KO's while Kanalas's record drops to 11-7, eight KO's.

Rockville, MD middleweight Francisco Bustos dropped Aloric Carson of Indianapolis, IN twice en route to a first-round TKO at 2:59.  Bustos sent Carson to the canvas in the first minute with a left hand.  Later in the round, a Bustos right hand knocked Carson to the canvas, stopping the contest. Bustos is now 3-0, two KO's while Carson is 0-10.

Glenarden, MD junior welterweight Drayvontay Speed-Rawls had to settle for a third-round technical draw with Jonathan "2 Gunz" Hernandez of Columbia, SC.  During the third, the two boxers clashed heads causing a gash over Hernandez's left eye.  The ringside doctor took a look at the cut and could not stop the bleeding and the bout was called off.  Rawls is now 4-0-1, two KO's while Hernandez is 2-3-2, two KO's.

Junior welterweight Cobia "The Soldier" Breedy of Clinton, MD needed just 35 seconds to stop Jonathon Gears of Wilson, NC.  Breedy caught Gears with a right hand to the body and dropped him.  Gears decided that was enough.  Breedy, a native of Barbados, is now 5-0, four KO's.  Gears is 0-2.

In other bouts on the card, undefeated Albuquerque, NM super welterweight Brian "La Bala" Mendoza scored a second-round TKO over debuting Francisco Isata of Silver Spring, MD.  Isata injured himself trying to throw a counter right hand Isata hurt his leg and could not continue.  The bout was stopped at 2:49.  Mendoza is now 12-0, eight KO's.

Cruiserweight Stivens "Superman" Bujaj of New York City won a six-round unanimous decision over Larry "Hitman" Pryor of Frederick, MD.  Bujai, a native of Albania, kept Pryor off balance throughout the contest.  Pryor landed some shots but not enough to be truly competitive.  Bujai won by scores of 59-55 (twice) and 60-54.  Bujai remains undefeated at 14-0-1, nine KO's while Pryor is 9-12, five KO's.

Chinese light heavyweight Meng "Cold Blood" Fenlong registered a first-round TKO over debuting Kenneth "Good To Go" Gaudreau of Sterling, VA.  Meng, now fighting out of New Jersey, landed solid head and body shots with both hands dropping Gaudreau late in the round.  Gaudreau could not beat the count and the stoppage came at 2:59.  Meng is now 6-0, four KO's.

Heavyweight "Brutal" Brendan Barrett of Little Egg Harbor, NJ scored a crushing second-round TKO over Marquis Benson of Indianapolis, IN.  Brendan continually found a home for his right hand, dropping Benson twice in the first round before completing the job at 1:16 of the second.  Barrett is now 3-0-1, three KO's.  Benson is 0-3.

Houston, TX super lightweight O'Shaquie "Ice Water" Foster bounced back from suffering his first pro loss with a fourth-round TKO of veteran Rynell Griffin of New Orleans, LA.  Foster showed masterful use of the body shot dropping Griffin twice in the first round and once in the fourth, forcing the stoppage at 2:13.  Foster, who was coming off an eight-round unanimous decision loss to Samuel Teah in November, is now 9-1, six KO's.  Griffin falls to 7-24, two KO's.

"The White Tiger" Dustin Fleischer of Monmouth Beach, NJ won a six-round unanimous decision over Lionel Jimenez of East Moline, IL. Fleischer was in control of the bout using solid shots to the head and body.  Fleischer, did have some issues with Jimenez's awkward style at times.  Fleischer won the bout by scores of 40-36 (twice) and 39-37.  Fleischer goes the distance for the first time in his young career as he raises his record to 6-0, five KO's.  Jimenez, who has never been knocked out in his career, is now 2-9, two KO's.

Debuting welterweight Carlos Sanchez of San Felipe, Mexico made a successful pro debut with a first-round stoppage of Joshua Hinnant of Wilson, NC.  Hinnant resembled Fred Sanford's battles with Aunt Esther in the old "Sanford and Son" series as he confronted Sanchez, who promptly hit Hinnant with left hands that caused the stoppage at 1:18.  Hinnant is now 0-6 and is yet to get out of the first round.

Jeter Promotions promoted the card with Tony Jeter also serving as matchmaker.  The ring announcer was "The Auctioneer" Brad Dudley.

Here is the complete podcast of the card including the Post-Fight Wrap-Up Show:

Jeter Promotions Card Is Complete!

Here is the complete Jeter Promotions card scheduled for tonight at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA:

Main Event -- six rounds for the Virginia State Welterweight title -- Gerome Quigley (11-0, 10 KO's -- Champion, Gaithersburg, MD) vs. Dwayne Shelton (2-1-1 -- Bumpass, VA)

Eight rounds -- Super Bantamweights -- Dodie Boy Penalosa, Jr. (17-0, 13 KO's, Rockville, MD) vs. Robert Kanalas (11-6, eight KO's, Királyegyháza, Hungary)

Eight rounds -- Super Featherweights -- Alexandru Marin (9-0, six KO's, Silver Spring, MD) vs. Szilveszter Ajtai (4-1-1, two KO's, Kiskunfelegyhaza, Hungary)

Six rounds -- Cruiserweights -- Stivens Bujai (13-0-1, nine KO's, New York, New York) vs. Larry Pryor (9-11, five KO's, Frederick, MD)

Six rounds -- Lightweights -- O'Shaquie Foster (8-1, five KO's, Houston, TX) vs. Rynell Griffin (7-23-2, two KO's, New Orleans, LA)

Four rounds -- Welterweights -- Edgar Torres (7-0-1, four KO's, Springfield, VA) vs. Henry Mercer (1-3, one KO, Tarboro, NC)

Four rounds -- Heavyweights -- Brendan Barrett (2-0-1, two KO's, Little Egg Harbor, NJ) vs. Marquis Benson (0-2, Indianapolis, IN)

Four rounds -- Middleweights -- Francisco Bustos (2-0, one KO, Rockville, MD) vs. Aloric Carson (0-9, Indianapolis, IN)

Four rounds -- Super Featherweights --  Cobia Breedy (4-0, three KO's, Clinton, MD) vs. Jonathan Gears (0-1, Wilson, NC)

Four rounds -- Super Lightweights -- Drayvontay Speed-Rawls (4-0, two KO's, Glenarden, MD) vs. Jonathan Hernandez (2-3-1, two KO's, Columbia, SC)

Four rounds -- Super Lightweights -- Carlos Sanchez (Pro Debut, California) vs. Joshua Hinnant (0-5, Wilson, NC)

Four rounds -- Super Welterweights -- Brian Mendoza (11-0, seven KO's, Albuquerque, NM) vs. Francisco Isata (Pro Debut, Maryland)

Four Rounds -- Super Featherweights -- Jairo Vargas Fernandez (4-0, three KO's, Mechanicsville, VA) vs. Brandon Ruffin (Pro Debut, North Carolina)

Four Rounds -- Light Heavyweights -- Fanlong Meng (5-0, three KO's, Chifeng, China) vs. Kenny Gaudreau (Pro Debut, Virginia)

Four Rounds -- Super Lightweights -- Dustin Fleischer (5-0, five KO's, Monmouth Beach, NJ) vs. Lionel Jimenez (2-8, two KO's, East Moline, IL)

If you can't make the card in person, join us live on The Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android at 7:30 PM ET.  Juan Marshall and I will open the broadcast by discussing our year-end awards.  You can also listen to the broadcast over our Spreaker.com channel https://www.spreaker.com/show/boxing_along_the_beltway and our IHeartRadio channel http://www.iheart.com/show/Boxing-Along-The-Beltway/

Kelly Weighs 232 For Eight-Round Bout In Brooklyn!

Danny Kelly tipped the scales at 232 pounds for his eight-round contest against Adam Kownacki on Saturday, January 16 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.  Kownacki weighed in at 252 pounds.

We have been told that the bout will be shown on the Showtime Extreme channel.  That telecast will begin at 7 PM ET.

More Bouts Announced For Springfield!

More bouts have been signed for the Saturday, January 16 Jeter Promotions card at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA.

Undefeated super bantamweight Dodie Boy Penalosa, Jr., fighting out of Rockville, MD, will take on Robert "The Boss" Kanalas of Királyegyháza, Hungary.  Penalosa (17-0, 13 KO's) is coming off a second-round knockout of Johnny Frazier on December 12 in Fishers, IN.  Penalosa's father was a world champion as was his uncle, Gerry.  Kanalas (11-6, eight KO's) competes for the first time in the United States. . Kanalas looks to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss to Artem Dalakian on December 5 in Kiev, Ukraine for the WBA Continental Flyweight title.

Springfield, VA super welterweight Edgar "The Tiger" Torres looks to remain undefeated as he faces Henry Mercer of Tarboro, NC.  Torres (7-0-1, four KO's) fought on the last card at the ABC Sports Complex on November 14 and scored a second-round TKO over Aloric Carson.  Mercer (1-3, one KO) is coming off a fourth-round TKO loss to Armando Alvarez on July 25 in Fayetteville, NC.

Update On January 16 Card In Springfield!

The first Beltway Boxing card of 2016 is coming together.  The Jeter Promotions card that will take place on Saturday, January 16 at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA has some interesting matchups.

Undefeated Glenarden, MD lightweight Drayvontay Speed-Rawls will take on Jonathan "2 Gunz" Hernandez of Columbia, SC in a four-round bout.  Speed-Rawls (4-0, two KO's) has scored back-to-back first-round TKO's in his last two outings.  Hernandez (2-3-1, two KO's) is also coming off a knockout win in the first round in his last bout.

Rockville, MD middleweight Francisco Bustos will battle with Bobby Gaither of Hickory, NC in another four-rounder.  Bustos (2-0, one KO) won a four-round unanimous decision over Jovica Jovanovic on November 6 in Hessen, Germany.  Gaither (0-1) made his pro debut on the last card at the ABC Sports Complex, losing a four-round unanimous decision to Jerome Featherstone.

Silver Spring, MD super featherweight Alexandru Marin returns to action in a contest against Szilveszter Ajtai of Kiskunfelegyhaza, Hungary.  Marin (9-0, six KO's) scored a third-round TKO over Gabriel Braxton on December 11 in Wellsburg, WVA. Ajtai (4-1-1, two KO's) makes his United States debut in this contest and will try to bounce back from a second-round TKO loss to Mohammad Obbadi on November 27 in Toscana, Italy.

More bouts to be announced.

Malik Hawkins Signs With Greg Cohen Promotions!

Undefeated Baltimore, MD welterweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins has signed a promotional agreement with Greg Cohen Promotions of New York.

Hawkins (5-0, four KO's) is coming off a four-round unanimous decision victory over Jose Valderrama on December 12th at Coppermine Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

The former amateur standout says he is excited to join the GCP family which includes such names as former world champions Zab Judah and Austin Trout.

"I would like to thank GCP and Snappers Boxing Management for coming to terms for my boxing career," said Hawkins. "I look forward to becoming WORLD champion under the banner of GCP. This is a great day for boxing and to be a part of a great promotional company. GCP is phenomenal. This is my time. I know I'm young in the game, but I refuse to be derailed from my goals of being world champion. I also would like to thank Sarah Fina for acknowledging my talent, as well as my mentor, Mr. Roy Jones Jr. Thanks everyone and I will see you at the top!"

"Malik is one of the most highly coveted prospects in all of boxing and I'm ecstatic he's decided to work with GCP," said Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions. "I need to thank my Head of Operations, Sarah Fina, for all her hard work in making this happen. We intend to keep Malik busy and get him the right fights to help him become the world champion he is destined to be."

There is talk that Hawkins will make an appearance on a ShoBox card in February.

Beltway Sends Eighteen Boxers To National Silver Gloves!

Best wishes to the 18 boxers who will represent the Beltway region at the 2016 National Silver Gloves February 4-6 in Independence, MO.  All advanced by winning the recent Regional Silver Gloves held at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD last weekend.  Here is the list:

8-9 Years Old:

55 Pounds:  Cardius Johnson

70 Pounds:  Marcell Steele

90 Pounds: Jelani Hill

10-11 Years Old:

60 Pounds:  Kardan Chatman 

70 Pounds:  Richard Dodson

75 Pounds:  Lonzo Malcolm

80 Pounds:  Benjamin Johnson

12-13 Years Old:

65 Pounds: Jordan Roach

75 Pounds: Mekhi Phillips

80 Pounds: Raghaleak Bartee

90 Pounds: Tyreek Williams

100 Pounds:  Samuel Edmonds

119 Pounds:  Stacey Selby

14-15 Years Old:

112 Pounds: Chamar Flowers

125 Pounds:  Malik Warren

147 Pounds: Nasheed Smith

156 Pounds: Siete Shuler

165 Pounds: Lorenzo Simpson