Amateur Standout Tavon Body Featured In Montgomery and Prince George's Gazette Newspapers!

Rockville boxer gets a chance at his dream
Amateur fights for his first Golden Gloves regional title this weekend

By Prince J. Grimes Staff Writer



Gennady Golovkin, also known as 'Triple G,' is a middleweight boxer from Kazakhstan.

He's undefeated, a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics and the reigning World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organization middleweight champion.

Unbeknownst to Golovkin, a young man from the same city of Karaganda, is trying to follow in his footsteps while living in Rockville.

Shynggyskhan Tazhibay is a 23-year-old boxer in the Golden Gloves circuit that moved to the United States to gain more exposure as a boxer.

Attracted by the tradition of a gym that produced boxers such as Lamont and Anthony Peterson, Tazhibay has been training at Headbangers Gym in Washington, D.C. for nearly two years.

When he's not boxing, he attends Tyson's Institute in Vienna, Virginia, but most of the time, Tazhibay is training to become the next great boxer to hail from Kazakhstan.

“I decided to come here because all famous professional boxers [are] here,” Tazhibay said. “I decided that if I want to turn pro, I have to go straight to United States.”

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Tazhibay is on the card to box in one of the eight regional Golden Gloves open division title fights at Rosecroft Raceway. The winners of the Washington, D.C. and Maryland Golden Gloves championships will box against the winners from North Carolina and Virginia. Winners advance to the national tournament.

Tazhibay defeated Jonathan Burr II to win the 152-pound Washington, D.C. Golden Gloves title. He said each success of competing in Golden Gloves brings him closer to his ultimate goal of turning professional.

“It's going to be a very big deal for me,” the 23-year-old about potentially winning. “... I came here to turn pro. Nobody can make me professional boxer without success. So this one is like the key to turn pro, so that's why it's very important for me to win all amateur fights before signing the contract and turning professional boxer.”

The national tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada is scheduled for May 10-17.

Also fighting on Saturday is one of Tazhibay's former gymmates at Headbangers, Demetrius Young.

Young recently switched to The Answer Gym in Capitol Heights because of its proximity to his home in Bowie.

Whereas Tazhibay started boxing with the intention to go pro, Young said he started boxing eight years ago to get tougher.

The 18-year-old attends Flowers High School and fights at 108 pounds, the lightest weight class. He said he also has goals of turning professional.

With no other 18-and-up boxers to fight at his weight, Young was unopposed as the Washington Golden Gloves champion. He'll fight on Saturday with a little more time in between his last match than most, but Young said he doesn't think he'll be at a disadvantage on Saturday.

“It might put me at a disadvantage if I didn't have the sparring partners that I have,” Young said. “But we train regularly. We spar regularly. We go fight other people. So, I don't think I'm at a disadvantage.”

In addition, this is Young's second time fighting in regionals, and his opponent is the same person he fought last year, albeit in a loss.

“I could've won,” Young said. “I was winning the first round ... I gassed out. It was my first open [division] fight.”

While Young may know what to expect on Saturday, Tazhibay and a few other Washington Golden Gloves champions will be fighting in regionals for the first time.

Burtonsville resident Tavon Body won his regional fight last year and said the most important thing is to be prepared mentally.

“Boxing is 90 to 100 percent mental,” Body said. “You could be physically strong and you could be in shape, but mentally if you're not ready, you're going to get in there and you're going to fold.”

Body will look to repeat as a regional champion at 165 pounds.

Other area boxers competing on Saturday include Marcus Wright of Temple Hills at 123 pounds, Keeshawn Williams of Capitol Heights at 132, Gary Antuanne Russell of Capitol Heights at 141 and Justin Bell of District Heights at 178.

pgrimes@gazette.net

James Stevenson Loses By Decision In Chicago!

Baltimore, MD welterweight James "Keep Em' Sleepin'" Stevenson took a bout with just a two weeks notice to face Roberto "La Amenaza" Garcia of Weslaco, TX in a 8-round contest at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL. Stevenson came out strong in round one by landing a stiff uppercut to send Garcia to the canvas for the eight count. Stevenson didn't show too much more after winning rounds one and four. Garcia started coming forward and pressuring Stevenson to take over the bout. One judge scored the bout 77-74 while the other two judges had a score of 78-73 giving Garcia the unanimous decision win. 

Stevenson falls to 22-2, (15 KO's) while Garcia improves to 37-3, (23 KO's).

Brent "Smoothref" Bovell Reaches A Huge Accomplishment!

(Flyer created by Keystone Boxing and Photo by Wallace Barron)

Congratulations to one of the top referees in the Beltway Boxing area: Brent "Smoothref" Bovell! 

In just two and a half years he has reached his 100th professional bout as a referee. This is a HUGE milestone and great accomplishment. 

(Photos by Juan Marshall)

(Flyer created by Keystone Boxing & Photo by Wallace Barron)

Results From Hardwork Promotions Card In Baltimore!

In the main event of the night cruiserweight Travis "Seveer" Reeves of Baltimore, MD won a six-round unanimous decision over Dan "Bada Bing" Biddle of Wilmington, DE. Reeves was the most aggressive fighter in the bout by using outstanding defense and landing the better punches with very good offense. Travis Reeves got the unanimous decision on all three judges scorecards 60-54. 

Reeves is now 9-2-2, (3 KO's) while Biddle falls to 9-3, (5 KO's).

In the co-featured bout junior middleweight Jeremy "The Truth" Trussell of Baltimore. MD scored a sixth-round TKO over Tyeson "H-Bomb" Harrison of Greensboro, NC. During this contest Trussell seemed to be very cautious as he was landing the most shots during the entire bout. The way the bout ended could be the turning point of Trussell's career. With 10 seconds remaining in the final round, Trussell landed a hard,solid right hand that dropped Harrison to the canvas. Referee Kenny Chevalier took a few steps back to give Harrison the opportunity to walk towards him. At that time Chevalier saw that Harrison was still off balance and had no choice but to put a stop to the bout at 2:59.

Trussell improves to 9-2-1, (7 KO's) while Harrison is 2-2, (1 KO).

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Two debuting local lightweights, Glenarden, MD's Dravontay Speed-Rawls and Beltsville, MD's "Mighty" Joel Young were in a four-round contest. Rawls gets the split decision over "Mighty" Joel Young.  Both fighters were exchanging very well but neither fighter could dominate the bout so it was left up to the judges. Judges Chevalier and John Gradowski scored the bout 39-38 and 39-37 for Rawls while judge Don Risher saw the bout for Young, 39-37.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Heavyweight Carlos "The Diamond Cutter" Black of Washington, DC won his pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Lonnie Kornegay of Baltimore, MD. This bout could have easily been a draw. Black sent Karnegay to the canvas twice in the second round. Kornegay bounced back well after the knockdowns because Black looked very tired in rounds three and four. Karnegay took that opportunity to land solid shots on Black in the last two rounds, but it wasn't enough to get the win or draw. Judges Chevalier and Gradowski  scored the bout 38-36 while Risher had it 39-35. 

Black gets his first professional win while Kornegay's record falls 1-11-3.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Debuting junior lightweight Albert "Spider Monkey" Mendoza of Fayetteville, AR scored a third-round TKO over Nicholas Rodriguez of Dayton, OH. In the first two rounds of this bout both fighters didn't show any confidence in their boxing ability. It wasn't until the third round when Mendoza started landing more punches that dropped Rodriguez twice and getting the stoppage at 2:27.

Mendoza starts his career off 1-0, (1 KO) while Rodriguez drops to 0-2.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

To open up the card popular welterweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins of Baltimore, MD knocked out William Kelley in an  exhibition contest with a crushing uppercut. That punch showed the power of Hawkins because in this bout both fighters were wearing headgear and Kelly was laying on the canvas for about ten or more minutes. 

Regional 2015 Golden Gloves Match-Ups Set For April 25!

The Regional Golden Gloves matches boxers from DC and Maryland against boxers from Virginia and North Carolina, will take place on Saturday, April 25 from the Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD starting at 7:30 PM.  

Here is the list of scheduled bouts: 

Novice Division:

114 Pounds: Kevin Pendergrass, Suitland, MD vs. Napoleon Hart, Newport News, VA

123 Pounds:  D'Jon Brown, Washington, DC vs. Jacob Garcia, Sterling, VA

132 Pounds: Donnell Poe, Fort Washington, MD vs. Christian Johnson, Hampton, VA

141 Pounds: Dante Cox, Severn, MD vs. Eduardo Mendivil, Newport News, VA

152 Pounds: Sippriano Zelldon, Silver Spring, MD vs. Jacques Jean, Fairfax, VA

165 Pounds: Aaron Anderson, Baltimore, MD vs.  Carlos Cruz, Sterling, VA

178 Pounds: Darryl Lane, Washington, MD vs. Tony Reese, Richmond, VA

201 Pounds: Jonathan Surratt, Fort Washington, MD vs. Eric Chandler, Chesapeake, VA

201+Pounds: Timothy Crawford, Washington, DC vs. Aubur Wright, Richmond, VA

Open Division:

108 Pounds:  Demetrius Young, Bowie, MD vs. Jonathan Howard, III, Wilmington, NC

123 Pounds: Marcus Wright, Temple Hills, MD vs. Dewayne Beamon, Goldboro, NC

132 Pounds: Keeshawn Williams, Capitol Heights, MD vs. Roger Belch, III, Virginia Beach, VA

141 Pounds:  Gary Antuanne Russell, Capitol Heights, MD vs. Diego Abregu, Leesburg, VA

152 Pounds: Shynggskhan Tazhibay, Rockville, MD vs. Matthew Abregu, Leesburg, VA

165 Pounds: Tavon Body, Burtonsville, MD vs. Clinso Brumfield, Alexandria, VA

178 Pounds: Justin Bell, District Heights, MD vs. Jermaine Jackson, Richmond, VA

201 Pounds: Malik Titus, Baltimore, MD vs. Benjamin Dobbs, Virginia Beach, VA

Unopposed Champions:

114 Pounds:  Jordan White, Waldorf, MD

201+ Pounds: Christopher Laws, Hampton, VA

The winners in the Open Division will advance to the National Golden Gloves in Las Vegas, NV on May 10-17.

James "Keep Em' Sleepin'" Stevenson Returns To Action In Chicago!

James Stevenson will face Roberto "La Amenaza" Garcia of Weslaco, TX in a 10 round bout at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL on Friday, April 24. After Stevenson  22-1, (15 KO's) has suffered his first loss against Sammy Vasquez  on August 8, 2014 he has recovered well by getting a first round TKO over Larry Ventus on November 13 at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. On the other hand his opponent Garcia 36-3, (23 KO's) is on an 8 bout winning streak. 

The Stevenson vs Garcia bout is on the undercard featuring Anthony Dirrell vs Badou Jack and Daniel Jacobs vs Caleb Truax contests that will be televised by Spike TV.

Hardwork Promotions Scale Watch From Baltimore!

******************************************************************************************

MAIN EVENT

6 Round Cruiserweight Bout

Dan Biddle 200 lb. vs  Travis Reeves 194 lb.

 Dan "Bada Bing" Biddle of Hockessin, DE is 9-2, (5 KO's) and Baltimore's Travis "Seveer" Reeves is 8-2-1, (3 KO' s)

CO-FEATURE

6 Round Middleweight Bout

Tyeson Harrison 155 lb.  vs  Jeremy Trussell 154.5 lb.

Tyeson Harrison of Greensboro, NC is 2-1, (1 KO)  and  Baltimore's Jeremy Trussell is 8-2-1, (6 KO's)

Undercard

Joel Young 135 1/2 vs. Dravontay Speed-Rawls 134 1/2

Carlos Black 238 1/2 vs. Lonnie Kornegay 252 1/2

Vladimir Pierre 145 vs. William Kelley 152 1/2

Albert Mendoza 135 vs. Nicholas Rodriguez (will weigh-in Thursday)

Beltway Boxers Fall Just Under 100% In The Win Category!

From the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Valley Forge, PA, there were four Beltway Boxers sharing four bouts on a card scheduled for nine. Super middleweight Immanuwel Aleem of Richmond, VA stopped Emmanuel Sanchez of Laredo, TX at 2:15 of the second round.  This has been Aleem's fifth straight knockout as he remains undefeated at 12-0, (8 KO's) while Sanchez drops to 6-3, (1KO).

DC welterweight David "Day-Day" Grayton keeps his undefeated record intact with an eight-round unanimous decision over Grayson Blake of State College, PA. Judged scored the contest 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75. Grayton improves to 11-0, (8 KO's) while Blake falls to 6-4, (2 KO's).

In a co-featured bout in Accokeek, MD's junior middleweight "Swift" Jarrett Hurd stopped Eric "Murder" Mitchell of Vero Beach, FL in the third round at 2:07. Hurd remains undefeated at 15-0, (9KO's) as Mitchell drops to 23-12-2, (11 KO's).

This will be shocking news for the Beltway Boxing fans! "The Real Deal" Phil Jackson Benson was stopped in the sixth round by Darnell "Deezol" Boone of Atlanta, GA.  Boone landed a hard overhand right that sent Benson to the canvas. Benson tried to recover but the referee put a stop to the contest at 1:27 of round six.  Benson suffers the second loss of his career and falls to 15-2, (14 KO's). The veteran Boone is now 21-21-4, (10 KO's).

Super lightweight Malik "Iceman" Hawkins of Baltimore, MD  landed a solid right hand to the body to stop the debuting Darius Jackson of St. Louis, MO in 30 seconds of the first round at the GPG Event Center in Pennsauken, NJ. Hawkins is now 3-0, (3KO's).

On the HBO undercard of the Lucas Matthysse vs Ruslan Provodnikov bout at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY Lamont Roach, Jr of Upper Marlboro, MD was in sixth round contest against Jose Miguel Castro of Puerto Rico. In the later rounds Roach was landing power shots and combinations to convince the judges to give him the unanimous decision (60-54) on all three scorecards. Roach is now 7-0, (3KO's) while Castro drops to 4-3, (2KO's).