Frederick, MD cruiserweight Larry "Hitman" Pryor scored his second consecutive first-round knockout at the SportsZone in Derry, NH on Saturday, November 14th. Pryor knocked out debuting Scott Lampert of Dover Plains, NY in just 78 seconds. Lampert was making a transition from Mixed Martial Arts to boxing.
On August 29th, Pryor scored a first-round TKO over Francisco Ariri Neto in the same SportsZone location. Pryor's record is 13-22, with seven KO's.
The King's Promotions card that was scheduled to feature Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana taking on Khainell Wheeler at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, November 21st has been canceled due to new Covid-19 restrictions implemented by the city on Monday, November 16th. No new date has been given.
We have a group of Beltway Boxers that will be in bouts through the rest of November. Here is the schedule:
Saturday, November 14th, Hits 55, Covington, KY -- Baltimore, MD super bantamweight Glenn Dezurn will be in a six-round contest against veteran Dakota Laster of Hannibal, MO. Dezurn (11-2-1. seven KO's) looks for his third straight win at Hits 55. Last time out Dezurn won a four-round unanimous decision over Michael Gaxiola on December 14th. Laster (3-11-1, three KO's) has lost by knockout in his last three outings.
Saturday, November 14th, Sportszone, Derry, NH -- Frederick, MD cruiserweight Larry "Hitman" Pryor participates in a four-round bout against the debuting Scott Lampert of Dover Plains, NY by way of Poplar Bluff, MO. This will be the second straight appearance at the Sportszone for Pryor (12-22, six KO's). In his last outing, Pryor scored a first-round TKO over Francisco Ariri Neto on August 29th. Lampert will be trying to make a transition from Mixed Martial Arts where he is 1-0 as an amateur.
Saturday, November 21st, 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA -- Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana will headline in a six-round contest against undefeated Khainell Wheeler of Bethlehem, PA. Pllana (8-2-1, four KO's) looks to bounce back from an eight-round unanimous decision loss to Maidel Sando on September 23rd in Los Angeles, CA. Wheeler (4-0, four KO's) has yet to get out of the first round in any bout. Wheeler needed just 37 seconds to knock out Patrick Pierre on December 14th in Harrisburg, PA.
Saturday, November 21st, Fort Mill, SC -- Oxon Hill, MD welterweight Akeem "Action Action" Jackson will be a four-round bout against Brandon Cisneros of North Carolina. Jackson (1-2, one KO) comes off a first-round knockout loss to Kahshad Elliott on October 29th in Las Vegas, NV. Cisneros (0-1) lost his pro debut by first-round TKO in February of 2019 in Charlotte, NC. Also scheduled for this card is Dundalk, MD lightweight "The Educated Boxer" Dorian Bostic (3-0, three KO's) who has a four-round bout against an opponent to be determined. Bostic, a native of Cheraw, SC, last fought on September 26th and scored a second-round TKO over Juwan Jones.
Saturday, November 21st, Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium, Tampa, FL -- Baltimore heavyweight Cortez Dunston will make his long-awaited pro debut against Gary Kelly of Montgomery, AL. Dunston was a Regional Golden Gloves champion in 2016. Kelly (1-11, one KO) lost by four-round unanimous decision to debuting Arhan Castillo on October 17th in Lakeland, FL.
Friday, November 27th, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel And Casino, Hollywood, FL -- Columbia, MD super middleweight Ashton "The Goon" Sykes will be in a contest against undefeated Alexis Espino of Las Vegas, NV. The bout is scheduled for either four or six rounds. Sykes (5-3, one KO) will try to extend a three-bout winning streak including a four-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Isiah Hart on March 7th in Cheswick, PA. Espino (6-0, four KO's) comes off a six-round unanimous decision over Delvecchio Savage on February 29th in Frisco, TX.
Two locally-based boxers lost contests on a card at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, November 7th.
Silver Spring, MD super lightweight Dieumerci "Elephant" Nzau lost by four-round unanimous decision to undefeated Daiyaan Butt of Philadelphia. All three judges scored the bout 40-36. Nzau, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is now 11-13, eight KO's. Butt's record rises to 6-0 with three KO's.
Annapolis, MD super lightweight David "The Demolisher" Veras Pena was stopped in the first round by undefeated Nafear Charles of Philadelphia. The bout was over at 1:25. Pena, who is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, remains winless at 0-3-1 while Charles is 5-0 with all five wins by knockout.
Two Beltway Boxers battled on Saturday, November 7th at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, WVA. Frederick, MD super welterweight Jonathan Ryan "The Lion King" Burrs won a four-round split decision over Vitalii Gubkin of Alexandria, VA by way of Suzun, Russia.
Two judges scored the bout for Burrs 38-37 while one judge saw the bout for Gubkin by the same score. The win breaks a two-bout losing streak for Burrs and evens his record at 3-3. Gubkin falls to 1-2, one KO.
Baltimore, MD's Gervonta "Tank" Davis stopped a really close fight with Rosemead, CA's Leo Santa Cruz with a devastating left uppercut in the sixth round to knock out Santa Cruz and win two world titles on Saturday, October 31st at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. The bout headlined a Showtime Pay-Per-View.
Both champions fought in close quarters the entire contest -- battling valiantly and with loads of heart when suddenly, Davis landed a brutal left uppercut that sent Santa Cruz crashing to the canvas. Referee Rafael Ramos immediately stopped the contest at 2:40 of the sixth round. The knockout will be listed among the best of 2020.
The three judges scorecards all had Davis ahead 48-47 at the time of the knockout. Davis is now both the WBA Lightweight champion and the WBA Super Lightweight titleholder. He remains undefeated at 24-0, 23 KO's and now has to be considered among the top pound-for-pound boxers in the sport. If that becomes true, Davis will be the first Beltway Boxer to reach that plateau since International Boxing Hall Of Famer Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson.
Santa Cruz, who fought with a true champion's heart, suffers his second loss and is now 37-2-1, 19 KO's.
Upper Marlboro, MD super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. has scored a third-round knockout over Neil John Tabanao of Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA. The bout was streamed on DAZN.
Roach, Jr. was in complete control of the contest, dropping Tabanao with a body shot in the first round. In the third round, Roach dropped Tabanao again, forcing the bout to be stopped at 34 seconds.
Roach, Jr. successfully bounced back from his WBO Super Featherweight title challenge loss to Jamel Herring in November of 2019 and raised his record to 20-1-1, eight KO's. Tabanao loses for the fourth straight time and he is now 17-8, 11 KO's.
Gervonta Davis weighed in at 129.8 pounds for his two-title pay-per-view bout against Leo Santa Cruz Saturday, October 31st at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Santa Cruz came in at 129.6 pounds.
Davis's WBA Lightweight Championship and Santa Cruz's WBA Super Lightweight title will be on the line in this bout. This will be a Showtime Pay-Per-View.
Both Lamont Roach, Jr. and Neil John Tabanao weighed in at 129.8 pounds for their 10-round contest on Friday, October 30th at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA. The bout will be streamed on DAZN.
This will be the first bout for Roach, Jr. (19-1-1, seven KO's) of Upper Marlboro, MD since his unanimous decision loss to Jamel Herring for the WBO Super Featherweight Title on November 9th in Fresno, CA.
Tabanao, of Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines (17-7, 11 KO's) will be trying to break a three-bout losing streak including a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Irving Turrubiartes in August of 2019 in Hermosillo, Mexico.
A couple of upcoming matchups scheduled to feature Beltway Boxers have changed for various reasons.
Undefeated DC boxer Dusty Hernandez Harrison has pulled out of his Friday, November 27th bout against Demetrius Andrade at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, FL because of reported weight issues. Harrison (34-0-1, 20 KO's) fought his last bout on February 8th at 175 pounds and reportedly has blown up to about 200 pounds and the weight was too much to lose in a month's time.
Right now, there is no word on Andrade's new opponent but there is the word that one of the possibilities is another undefeated Beltway Boxer, D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard of Temple Hills, MD who has not fought since December 5th when he battled Yamaguchi Falcao to a 10-round draw in Costa Mesa, CA for the vacant NABF Middleweight title. Ballard is 20-0-1, 13 KO's.
By the way, Columbia, MD super middleweight Ashton "The Goon" Sykes (5-3, one KO) is still scheduled to be on the card to take on undefeated Alexis Espino of Las Vegas, NV (6-0, four KO's) in a contest scheduled for either four or six rounds.
There are also reports that Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana will have a new opponent for his Saturday, November 21st contest at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Khainell Wheeler of Bethlehem, PA will replace Brandon Robinson in the six-round contest. Wheeler is 4-0 with four first-round knockouts. Wheeler needed just 37 seconds to win his last bout against Patrick Pierre on December 14th in Harrisburg, PA. Pllana has a record of 8-2-1, four KO's.
Baltimore, MD super lightweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins has been stopped in the seventh round by Subriel "Browny" Matias of Fajardo, Puerto Rico Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. The bout was televised by Showtime.
Hawkins started the bout well in the first round by using his jab effectively. However, as the bout continued, he found it difficult to keep the forward-charging Matias off of him. Matias was very effective with punches to the head and the body. Hawkins had little defense against Matias's offense. Eventually, the ringside doctor said that Hawkins could not continue and the bout was stopped at the first second of the seventh round.
Hawkins loses for the very first time and he is now 18-1, 11 KO's. Matias bounces back from his first pro defeat and he is now 16-1, 16 KO's.
Malik Hawkins tipped the scales at 140 1/4 pounds for his 10-round nationally televised contest against Subriel Matias on Saturday, October 24th at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Matias came in at 139 1/2 pounds.
The bout will open the Showtime Boxing: Special Edition telecast beginning at 9 PM ET.
Randallstown, MD super welterweight Cecil McCalla scored a second-round technical knockout over veteran Fidel Monterrosa Munoz of Barranquilla, Colombia on Friday, October 16th at the White Sands Treatment Center in Plant City, FL.
No details on the bout but the contest ended at 2:31 on the second round. The win is the second straight for McCalla at the White Sands Treatment Center. McCalla raises his record to 23-4, 10 KO's. Munoz loses for the fifth straight time (all by knockout) and he is now 39-23-1, 31 KO's.
As we approach the final months of 2020, there are some interesting bouts that will be taking place for Beltway Boxers.
We already talked about the big contests involving Baltimore Boxers Malik Hawkins and Gervonta Davis coming in the next two weeks. We can now add a contest scheduled to feature undefeated Hyattsville, MD super lightweight Patrick "YG Pat" Harris who will be in a six-round bout in Columbia, SC on Saturday, October 31st. No word yet on his opponent. Harris (19-0, nine KO's) last fought on January 25th and won an eight-round unanimous decision over Clay Burns in Brooklyn, NY.
November will bring in two solid contests for locals. On Saturday, November 21st, Hagerstown, MD super middleweight "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana will be in an eight-round contest against Brandon "Brob" Robinson of Upper Darby, PA at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Pllana (8-2-1, four KO's) looks to bounce back from his eight-round unanimous decision loss to Maidel Sando on September 23rd in Los Angeles, CA. Robinson (15-2, 10 KO's) looks to build on his second-round TKO win over veteran Josue Obando on March 7th at the 2300 Arena. Robinson has a four-bout winning streak.
Then on Friday, November 27th, two Beltway Boxers will be on a card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Unbeaten DC boxer Dusty Hernandez Harrison will be in a 10-round non-title bout against undefeated WBO Middleweight champion Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade of Providence, RI. This bout will be fought at the Super Middleweight limit of 168 pounds.
Harrison (34-0-1, 20 KO's) last fought on February 8th when he scored a second-round knockout over Les Sherrington in Vienna, VA. Andrade (29-0, 18 KO's) made the third defense of his WBO title by knocking out Luke Keeler in the ninth round on January 30th in Miami, FL. This will be Andrade's second contest against a Beltway Boxer. Andrade defeated Alantez Fox by 12-round unanimous decision in October of 2017 in Verona, NY. Fox fought most of the bout with a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder and still managed to knock down Andrade in the seventh round.
Also on the card, Columbia, MD super middleweight Ashton "The Goon" Sykes will be in a contest against undefeated Alexis Espino of Las Vegas, NV. No word on how long this bout is scheduled for. Sykes (5-3, one KO) is currently riding a three-bout winning streak which includes a four-round unanimous decision win over previously undefeated Isiah Hart on March 7th in Cheswick, PA. Espino (6-0, four KO's) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over Delvecchio Savage on February 29th in Frisco, TX.
Randallstown, MD super welterweight Cecil McCalla returns to action in a six-round contest against veteran Fidel Monterrosa Munoz of Barranquilla, Colombia on Friday, October 16th at the White Sands Treatment Center in Plant City, FL.
McCalla (22-4, nine KO's) comes off a first-round knockout victory over Matias Garcia on June 27th at the White Sands Treatment Center. Munoz (39-22-1, 31 KO's) is looking to break a four-bout losing streak where he has been knocked out in all four contests. Munoz will face a Beltway Boxer for the second time in his career. Munoz lost by fifth-round TKO to Brandon Quarles in May of 2018 at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD.
Baltimore, MD super welterweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson has won an eight-round unanimous decision over Sanny "Sonny Prime Time" Duversonne of Avon Park, FL at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. The bout was streamed on ESPN+.
Simpson was in control for the majority of the contest. His only hiccup came in the fifth round when a Duversonne left hook forced Simpson off balance and made his right glove touch the canvas, making the referee call a knockdown. Simpson would go on to win the bout by scores of 78-73 (twice) and 79-73.
Simpson remains undefeated at 9-0, five KO's while Duversonne loses for the first time and he is now 11-1-2, eight KO's.
Oxon Hill, MD super welterweight Akeem "Action Action" Jackson has been stopped by the debuting Kahshad Elliott of Plainfield, NJ in the first round of a bout held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
Elliott, a multi-time national amateur champion, knocked Jackson down twice with solid body shots. An Elliott left hook sent Jackson to one knee 40 seconds into the contest. More body shots forced Jackson to take another knee later in the round. This time, Jackson did not get up, and referee Mike Ortega counted him out at 1:15 of the first round.
Jackson's record drops to 1-2, one KO.
Lorenzo Simpson and Akeem Jackson weighed in for their bouts Friday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
Simpson tipped the scales at 156.1 pounds for his eight-round contest against Sonny Duversonne, who weighed in at 154.8 pounds. Simpson's bout is scheduled to be a part of the ESPN telecast beginning at 10 PM ET.
Jackson came in at 151.5 pounds for his four-round bout versus Kahshad Elliott, who tipped the scales at 152.8 pounds. Jackson's contest will be shown on ESPN+ at 7:30 PM ET.
Oxon Hill, MD welterweight Akeem "Action, Action" Jackson will compete in a four-round contest against the debuting Kahshad Elliott of Plainfield, NJ on Friday, October 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
Jackson (1-1, one KO) last fought on February 8th and scored a fourth-round TKO over Anthony Dave at Tyson's Playground in Vienna, VA. Jackson was scheduled to compete on a card in Rock Hill, SC but his bout was a last-minute cancellation.
Jackson will be the second Beltway Boxer on this card, joining Baltimore, MD's Lorenzo Simpson.
October will be a big month for boxers from the Upton Boxing Gym in Baltimore, MD as three of their undefeated boxers will be in some interesting bouts.
On Friday, October 9th, super middleweight Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson will be in a scheduled eight-round bout against fellow undefeated boxer Sanny "Sonny Prime Time" Duversonne of Avon Park, FL. The bout will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
This will be Simpson's first eight-round encounter and his second straight time at the Mississippi Coast Center. Simpson (8-0, five KO's) knocked out Alex Sandro Duarte in the first round on July 11th. Duversonne (11-0-2, eight KO's) last fought on February 29th and scored a fifth-round TKO over Larry Smith in St. Petersburg, FL. Duversonne has knocked out his last four opponents.
The scheduled 10-round contest between super lightweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins and Subriel "Browny" Matias of Fajardo, Puerto Rico will now take place on Saturday, October 24th, and will remain at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. This card was rescheduled from October 10th because of visa issues with one of the main event boxers. Hawkins (18-0, 11 KO's) last fought on December 28th and scored a fifth-round TKO over Darwin Price in Atlanta, GA. Matias (15-1, 15 KO's) will try to bounce back from his first pro loss, a 10-round unanimous decision to Petros Ananyan on February 22nd in Las Vegas, NV. The card will be telecast on Showtime.
Then, as previously reported, all roads will lead to the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, October 31 with the Showtime Pay-Per-View showdown between Gervonta "Tank" Davis, and Leo "El Terremoto" Santa Cruz of Rosemead, CA by way of Mexico for Davis's WBA Lightweight championship and Santa Cruz's WBA Super Lightweight title.
