Beltway Boxing 2015 Knockout Of The Year!

Article courtesy of Gary "Digital" Williams,
Boxing Along The Beltway


Once again, the Knockout Of The Year selection was the closest of the year.  Beltway Boxers provided a plethora of quality knockouts throughout the area.  As in previous years, the criteria for this award is:

1. The knockout must have been performed by a Beltway Boxer.

2. The knockout must have taken place in a Beltway location.

This year’s winner was a crushing shot that signaled the start of a turnaround of a boxer’s career. 


The Beltway Boxing Knockout Of The Year for 2015 is:

Travis Reeves TKO 6 over Samer Barakat, July 9, Tall Cedars Hall, Parkville, MD

Reeves had to work hard to gain this knockout.  The somewhat-awkward Barakat pressured Reeves enough early in the bout to avoid Reeves’s favorite shot, the looping right hand.  The problem for Barakat was his inability to provide any challenging offense.   This allowed Reeves to continue to figure out how to land his favorite punch.

Late in the fifth round, Reeves finally figured out how to land the overhand right, hurting Barakat with it as the bell rang. Finally in the sixth round, Reeves crumpled Barakat with another brutal overhand right that dropped him in a heap in a neutral corner.  The bout was stopped at 1:15.  Barakat was carted out of the ring and had to seek treatment at a local hospital.  Barakat recovered fully from his injuries.

Here is the knockout:

Honorable Mention (In Chronological Order):

Zarifbek Nishanbaev third-round KO over Norman Allen, June 6, ABC Sports Complex, Springfield, VA

In just his second pro bout, “The Uzbek Warrior” faced off against the veteran “Shadow” Allen. Nishanbaev went on the offensive early and tried to swarm Allen with rights and lefts.  Nishanbaev trapped Allen against the ropes repeatedly, trying to land power punches.  Nishanbaev sent Allen to the canvas with a straight right hand early in the second round but Allen managed to weather the storm for the rest of the round.

In the third round, Nishanbaev landed a brutal counter right hand that drove Allen to the canvas.  The bout was stopped at 44 seconds.

Devin Butcher first-round KO over Walter McCray -- June 20, Martin’s West, Woodlawn, MD

After pressuring his opponent from the opening bell, Butcher stopped McCray with a crushing right hand that sent McCray crashing to the canvas and his mouthpiece flying over toward the BATB location at ringside.  The bout was over at 55 seconds.

Luther Smith first-round KO over Schuyler Marshall -- August 22, North Hall At Eastern Market, Washington, DC

Smith has become a very popular boxer in his first year of competition as he scored first-round knockouts in his first three pro contests.  His most devastating KO was this one against Marshall in front of a very partisan crowd.  Smith landed a brutal left-right combination that sent Marshall toppling backwards to the canvas. Marshall tried to get up but could not do it before the bout was stopped at 39 seconds.

Stephon Morris second-round KO over Cassanova Brooks -- December 12, Coppermine Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, MD

In his pro debut, Morris used a brutal counter right hand to knock out Cassanova Brooks in the second round.  After a relatively-even first round, Morris caught Brooks with the counter hand that made Brooks crumple to the canvas. The bout was over at 28 seconds as Brooks could not beat the count.

Previous BATB Knockouts of the Year:

2006: Jed Phipps KO1 over David Cleage -- January 20, Pikesville Armory, Pikesville, MD.

2007: Elias Bouloubassis KO1 over Vincent Robbins -- March 10, Pikesville Armory, Pikesville, MD.

2008: Seth Mitchell TKO2 over Alexis Cruz Medina -- May 29, Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD.

2009: Tony Jeter KO1 over Keith Gross -- September 26, George Mason University Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA.

2010: Jimmy Lange KO 10 over Joe Wyatt -- November 6, George Mason University Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA.

2011: Kevin Womack KO4 over Benjamin Olinga, November 19, Show Place Arena, Upper Marlboro, MD

2012: Kevin Rivers KO1 over Bobby Wooten, November 3, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC

2013: Jarrett Hurd KO2 over George Armenta, December 6, Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD

2014: Marq Johns TKO 2 over Luis Hernandez, July 18, Rosecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, MD

Tomorrow: The Beltway Boxing Bout Of The Year!

(Award winner photo created by Ross Molovinsky)

Jeter Promotions Will Start Off The 2016 Beltway Boxing Season!

Gerome "GQ" Quigley (11-0, 10 KO's) of  Gaithersburg, MD is the current 147lbs Virginia State Champion. He also traveled to Germany and won the vacant International Boxing Association Intercontinental super welterweight title by defeating Vito Vendetta in his own hometown of Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany on November 6, 2015. Guigley will be the main event on the Jeter Promotions card at the ABC Sports Complex on Jan. 16 in Springfield, VA. 

The bout is scheduled for six rounds with an opponent TBA. 

Also scheduled to be on the card that night will be more undefeated fighters such as Cobia Breedy, Brendan Barrett, Edgar Torres, Francisco Bustos, and honorable mention 2015 Beltway Boxing Rookie Of The Year Drayvontay Speed-Rawls (4-0, two KO’s), lightweight out of Glenarden, MD.

Beltway Boxing 2015 Prospect Of The Year!

Article courtesy of Gary "Digital" Williams,
Boxing Along The Beltway

Many Beltway Boxers made solid progress throughout 2015.  The majority of our top prospects moved from boxing in local club shows to appearing on cards that were seen by national and international audiences.

However, one prospect became the Webster’s Dictionary-style definition of moving from the prospect level to a level where boxers, boxing fans and media will have to look out for him in the coming year.

The Beltway Boxing Prospect Of The Year for 2015 is:

“Swift” Jarrett Hurd (17-0, 11 KO’s), super welterweight, Accokeek, MD

The Al Haymon-signee only had three bouts in 2015 but all three were quality contests.  Hurd started the year with a third-round TKO of veteran Eric Mitchell on April 18 in Valley Forge, PA.  The bout was Hurd’s first scheduled eight-round contest.  Hurd’s next opponent, Jeff Lentz, raised some eyebrows on August 14 in Newark, NJ because, although Lentz was undefeated as a boxer, he only had five contests compared to 15 for Hurd (Lentz was also, however, a talented MMA fighter).  Hurd dominated the contest, stopping Lentz in the seventh round.

However, Hurd saved his best performance of 2015 for the last one of his year.  In front of a nationally-televised (Showtime) audience, Hurd faced fellow undefeated boxer Frank Galarza on November 14 in Las Vegas, NV.  Hurd, participating in his first nationally-televised contest, did not let the bright lights blind him as he knocked down the heavily-favored Galarza in the fourth  round, punished Galarza in the fifth and put him away in the sixth as Galarza turned away from Hurd to avoid further punishment, stopping the contest. 

Here is the video:

The Galarza win gave Hurd instant notoriety and a number 11 ranking by the WBA.  Hurd's entire year became the blueprint of what a prospect wants to do with his career.  A remarkable year, indeed.

Honorable Mention (In Alphabetical Order):

D’Mitrius “Big Meech” Ballard (11-0, 1NC, seven KO’s), super middleweight, Temple Hills, MD

Ballard continued his busy career with four bouts in 2015, facing tougher competition along the way. Three of Ballard’s four victories came against opponents with double-digit victories and Ballard won all three by unanimous decision. 

On March 12, Ballard stopped Jason Zabokrtsky in the first round in San Antonio, TX.  On June 30 in Philadelphia, PA, Ballard captured a six-round unanimous decision over Josue Ovando in front of a nationally-televised audience.  That win was followed by another six-round victory over Juan Carlos Rojas on October 3 in Carson, CA.  Ballard ended his year with a shutout six-round win over Fabiano Pena on December 19 in Verona, NY.  Ballard’s progress continues to be steady and he could have a big year in 2016.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis (14-0, 13 KO’s), super featherweight, Baltimore, MD

Davis made this category a close race for two reasons:  One: his performances in 2015 and Two: his affiliation with recently-retired pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  Davis scored five knockouts and was the only Beltway prospect on this year’s list to venture into scheduled 10-round contests.

Davis began 2015 with a first-round knockout over Israel Suarez in Pittsburgh, PA on February 20 and followed that win with another first-round stoppage of Alberto Mora on May 22 in Atlantic City, NJ.  On September 12, Davis competed on Mayweather’s final bout in Las Vegas, NV and scored another first-round knockout over Recky Dulay.  For the rest of the year, Mayweather took a vested interest in Davis and placed him in two high-profile, nationally-televised contests against increasingly tougher competition.  Davis flourished in both bouts, scoring a third-round TKO over former world champion Cristobal Cruz on October 30 in Orlando, FL followed by a ninth-round stoppage of Luis Sanchez in Las Vegas on December 18.  Davis should be a factor in the super featherweight division in 2016.

Mykal “The Professor” Fox (8-0, two KO’s), lightweight, Forestville, MD

The 20-year-old lightweight moved up into the six-round bout category in just his second year of pro competition.  On January 17, Fox won a unanimous decision over Luis Rodriguez in Washington, DC.  Fox fought twice more in the Nation’s Capitol scoring a first-round TKO over Thomas DeLeon on March 14 and winning a six-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Castillo on July 18.  Along the way, Fox signed a promotional contract with King’s Promotions.

Fox took a nice step in competition in his last bout of 2015 and put on his best performance of the year.  Fox won a shutout six-round unanimous decision over 24-bout veteran Adam Mate on December 4 in Fort Washington, MD.  Do not be surprised if Fox makes fewer and fewer appearances in the Beltway in 2016 as he starts to make waves in the lightweight division.

Travis “Seveer” Reeves (11-2-1, five KO’s), cruiserweight, Baltimore, MD

In 2015, Reeves proved to be one of the most improved boxers in the Beltway region.  Reeves won four times in the year facing steadily improving competition.  Reeves won a rematch with Lamont Capers on March 20 in Woodlawn, MD scoring a six-round unanimous decision.  One month later on April 23 in Parkville, MD, Reeves put on a nice performance winning a six-round unanimous decision over Dan Biddle.

Reeves started to open eyes with his first scheduled eight-round contest as he registered a crushing six-round knockout over Samer Barakat on July 9 in Parkville.  Then, on December 12 in Baltimore, Reeves scored a first-round knockout of Anthony Caputo Smith.  Reeves seems to be turning the corner in his career and 2016 should be an interesting year for him.

Lamont Roach, Jr. (9-0, three KO’s), lightweight, Upper Marlboro, MD

The 2014 Beltway Rookie Of The Year made some steady movement in 2015 as he advanced into six-round contests throughout the year.  Roach stopped Herbert Quartey in the fourth round on January 20 in front of a nationally-televised audience in Philadelphia, PA.  On April 18, Roach won a six-round unanimous decision over Jose Miguel Castro in Verona, NY.

Roach made his second national television appearance on June 30 in Philadelphia and won a six-round unanimous decision over Christian Santibanez.  Roach ended his year by winning another six-round unanimous decision over Jose Bustos on October 17 in Madison Square Garden in New York City on the Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux undercard.  Roach continues to be a promising talent in the lightweight division.

Previous BATB Prospects of the Year:

2006: Tyrell Samuel

2007: Tim Coleman

2008: Bayan Jargal

2009: Mark Tucker

2010: Gary Russell, Jr. and Seth Mitchell

2011: Maurice Byarm and Venroy July

2012: Thomas Williams, Jr.

2013: Dusty Hernandez Harrison

2014: Mike Reed

Tomorrow: The Beltway Boxing Knockout Of The Year!

(Award winner photo created by Ross Molovinsky)

The Start Of The 2015 Beltway Boxing Awards Begin!

Article courtesy of Gary "Digital" Williams,
Boxing Along The Beltway

Rookie Of The Year:  The boxer who had the most impact in his first year between January and November 2015.   The Beltway had 11 boxers turn pro during that time period in 2015 (those who started after that period will be put in the 2016 class).

This year’s choice faced the most experienced competition as a first-year boxer, moving into scheduled six-round competition while continuing to advance a family dynasty.

The Beltway Boxing Rookie of the Year for 2015 is:

Antonio Russell, (5-0, four KO’s), bantamweight, Capitol Heights, MD

Russell, who was named the Outstanding Boxer of the 2013 National Golden Gloves, made his pro debut in Philadelphia, PA on January 31 and scored a second-round knockout of Harold Reyes.  Russell was quickly put on the undercards of big bouts -- His second contest was on the undercard of the James DeGale-Andre Dirrell bout on May 23rd in Boston, MA.  Russell stopped Brandon Garvin in the first round.

Russell traveled to Tampa, FL on July 11 and went the distance for the only time in his career, capturing a four-round unanimous decision over the always-tough Jaxel Marrero on the Keith Thurman-Luis Collazo card.

Russell moved up to the scheduled six-round bouts and scored a second-round TKO over Manuel Rubalcalva on September 12 in Mashantucket, CT on the undercard of the Cornelius Bundrage-Jermall Charlo title bout.  Russell ended 2015 with a third-round TKO of another veteran -- Eduardo Melendez -- on October 30 in Orlando, FL.  Look for Russell to make a step up in competition as it seems that he is on a fast track.

Honorable Mention (in Alphabetical Order):

Eric “El Torito” Hernandez (6-0, four KO’s), lightweight, Leesburg, VA

Hernandez was the busiest member of the 2015 rookie class having his six bouts come in just a four-month period.  Hernandez made his debut on June 20th in Woodlawn, MD, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Mason Wicket.  Hernandez notched three straight knockout wins in his next three contests -- July 18 in DC against Fernando Serrano in the second round, September 26 in Norfolk, VA over Anthony Dave in the third round and a second-round TKO over Alfredo Ellis, Jr. on October 10 in Greensboro, NC.  Hernandez won a six-round contest against Benjamin Olinga on October 23 in DC before ending his rookie year with a first-round knockout of Brandon Hinnant just eight days later in Goldsboro, NC.  Hernandez is an exciting fighter who already seems to be willing to take on all comers.

Drayvontay Speed-Rawls (4-0, two KO’s), lightweight, Glenarden, MD

The nephew of Beltway Boxing legend Eugene “Sonny” Speed had a tough contest in his pro debut winning a four-round split decision over fellow debuting boxer Joel Young on April 23 in Parkville, MD.  Speed-Rawls improved in his second bout with a solid four-round unanimous decision win over Jorge Soto on July 24 in Baltimore, MD.

The hand speed of Speed-Rawls started to become a focal point of his offense and led to back-to-back first-round knockouts in his final two bouts of the year.  Speed-Rawls stopped Brian Raglin on August 22 in Washington, DC and ended the year with a win over Shonta Barnes on November 14 in Springfield, VA.  The speed of Speed-Rawls may be a major part of his advancement in 2016.

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.

Tomorrow: The Prospect of the Year!

(Award winner photo created by Ross Molovinsky)

"The Accomplishments" A Recap Of Beltway Boxing In 2015!

2012 INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAMER Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson the face of the 2015 Boxing Along The Beltway Awards

Happy New Year and welcome to our recap of Beltway Boxing 2015 where every day this week, we will hand out our year-end awards.  As usual, we will have six categories:

Rookie of the Year

Prospect of the Year

Knockout of the Year

Bout of the Year

Card of the Year

Boxer of the Year

However, we start with a summary of Beltway Boxing 2015- a year where the big question as the year began was whether Beltway Boxers would be able to build on the advancements made in 2014. 

The answer to that question was a resounding yes as a number of locals moved from prospect to contender and, yes, to champion status.  This is why Beltway Boxing 2015 is being called “The Year of Accomplishment.”  

No accomplishment was bigger than Gary Russell, Jr. capturing the WBC Featherweight championship on March 28 with a fourth-round TKO over Jhonny Gonzalez in Las Vegas, NV. 

The year turned out to be a huge one for the Russell Family as Antonio made his pro debut and Antuanne became the first local since Gary, Jr. to make the United States Olympic Team.

Former world champion Lamont Peterson became a mainstay on the new Premier Boxing Champions TV series with two quality bouts -- a majority decision loss to Danny Garcia and a majority decision victory over previously-undefeated Dominican Republic Olympic Gold Medalist Felix Diaz that was held in Fairfax, VA on October 17.    

Two Beltway pros put themselves in good position to possibly earn title shots sometime in 2016.  Antoine Douglas and Dominic Wade won key nationally-televised bouts in 2015 -- Douglas had three impressive knockout performances while Wade won a split decision over former world champion Sam Soliman.  Both men are ranked in the top 15 by all four major governing bodies.

Beltway prospects started to make key moves in 2015. Junior middleweight Jarrett Hurd had three quality wins including one that  introduced himself to the national scene -- an eye-opening sixth-round TKO over previously-undefeated Frank Galarza on November 14 in Las Vegas.  Hurd is now ranked 11th in the world by the WBA.

Mike Reed, the Beltway Boxing Prospect of the Year in 2014, fought five times in 2015 against solid competition, scoring four knockouts along the way.  

Other prospects, such as D’Mitrius Ballard, Lamont Roach, Jr. and the Fox Brothers (Alantez and Mykal), stayed on the path towards making big moves in 2016.

Beltway Boxers continued to make their mark on national television in 2015.  Locals appeared 33 times on national TV -- three more than in the previous year.  Douglas’s three appearances led the way, followed by two for Peterson, Roach, Jr., Jerry Odom, Gervonta Davis, Cecil McCalla, Jessie Nicklow, and Immanuwel Aleem.  

The other locals making at least one national TV appearance were Russell, Jr., Hurd, Wade, Ballard, Dusty Hernandez Harrison, Alantez Fox, Cornelius Whitlock, James Stevenson, Joshua Snyder, Emanuel Taylor, Nick Kisner, Alexander Johnson, Ayi Bruce, Tony Thompson, Fernando Guerrero and Thomas Williams.

Internationally, Beltway Boxers appeared on world wide channels -- Tony Jeter’s bout against Chris Eubank, Jr. was shown on Sky Sports, Gerome Quigley’s IBA Junior Middleweight title bout appeared on Euro TV.  Thompson’s win over Odlandier Solis was shown on 360Sports TV.

Ironically, the accomplishments by our local boxers made it difficult for promoters to put together cards in the Beltway region, as the number of boxers available started to dwindle.  There were just 19 pro cards in 2015 compared to 31 in 2014.  Maryland had just eight shows in 2015, down from 12 in 2014, DC only had seven shows in 2015,dropping from nine the previous year.  Northern Virginia had four cards compared to 10 in 2014.

On the amateur side, along with Antuanne Russell making the Olympic team, Tyrek Irby and Marquis Moore, a Colorado resident who is originally from Fort Washington, MD, also participated in the Men’s Olympic Trials.   On the women’s side, the Beltway sent four to the Olympic Trials, the second qualifier was held in Baltimore, MD.  Tiara Brown and Franchon Crews made their second trip to the trials while it was the first time for Amelia Moore and Iesha Kenney, who at 17 years old, was the youngest participant in the trials.  Kenney had an outstanding year as she won a bronze medal at the Junior and Youth Women’s World Championships in Taiwan.

For the first year since 2009, Beltway Boxers did not win a National Golden Gloves title.  This may be a sign that there may be a delay before the next great amateurs come into the open division. However, if the Beltway’s performance in the National Silver Gloves is any indication, the delay will be a short one.  Six locals -- Lorenzo Simpson, Tyreek Williams, Lawrence Malcolm, Ragahleak Bartee, Stacey Selby and Michael Tymas -- brought home gold medals from Independence, MO.  For Simpson (14-15, 147 pounds), it was his fifth straight national title in his fifth weight class.  Tymas (12-13, 147 pounds) was named the Outstanding Boxer in his age group.

We lost a number of quality Beltway Boxing people in 2015:

Beltway Boxing In Memoriam:

Alvin Anderson -- Former Baltimore-Based Junior Middleweight contender

Steven Copeland -- Virginia Amateur Boxer

Howard Davis, Jr. -- Olympic Gold Medalist on the 1976 US Olympic Team that featured three  local boxers (Sugar Ray Leonard, Charles Mooney and Louis “Heidi” Curtis)

Bob Foster -- Former World Light Heavyweight Champion who called DC his boxing home

Alfred Grant -- Deputy Commissioner, District of Columbia Boxing And Wrestling Commission

David Greer -- Boxing Judge in Maryland and Pennsylvania

“King” Charles Jerome -- DC Heavyweight  Pro Boxer

Johnnie Johnson -- Trainer and Coach at Hagerstown Boxing Club

Cyprian “CP” Khumalo -- Former Boxer and Host of Internet DMV Sports Show

Cedric Kushner -- Promoted Beltway legends Mark Johnson and Hasim Rahman

Thomas Langley -- Beltway Trainer and Coach

Norvus “Butch” Miller -- Trainer and Brother of Purcell Miller

Charlie Tuttle -- Noted Amateur Boxer

Finally, let’s give a more visual example that could help show the progress local boxers have made. In April of 2012, this picture was taken of Gary "Digital" Williams with members of a group of boxers I referred to in the post accompanying this photo as just some of the members of “The Next Wave.”  From left to right: Michael Reed, David Grayton, Jerry Odom, Gary Russell, Jr., Alantez Fox (in back with yours truly), Gary Antonio Russell, D'Mitrius Ballard and Kevin Rivers, Jr. 

Based on their amateur accomplishments (six of the nine boxers shown won National Golden Gloves titles, two were named Outstanding Boxers of the Golden Gloves), they were part of a large group of standouts that would start a new era of Beltway Boxers.  Seven of the nine turned pro in 2012 (after this photo was taken) or later. Gary Russell, Jr. started in 2009 and Alantez Fox in 2010.

The pro won-loss record of just these nine boxers going into 2016 is 115-4-1 with 73 KO’s and you can add one world title.  When you add the records of many of the other prospects talked about in the area, it’s an even better percentage.  The coming year should be very interesting and exciting indeed.

That's our look back at 2015.  Tomorrow, we start the awards with Rookie of the Year!

Written by Gary "Digital Williams
Boxing Along The Beltway
Photos added by Juan Marshall
ProAmFightTalk

2015 Beltway Boxing Awards Coming Soon!

The 2015 Beltway Boxing Awards are coming soon! Gary Williams "Digital" & I feel that the importance of these awards are to show appreciation to the boxers for their dedication and performances throughout the year. The winners of these awards will be based off of the level of competition that made a noticeable impact on their career, depending on the category. That's why some of this years choices are going be looked at very carefully. This flyer shows a perfect example of an outstanding Beltway Boxer.

This individual made his mark in the world of professional boxing.
Beltway Boxing Fans representing the face of the 2015 Awards is the 2012 INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAMER Mark Too Sharp Johnson!

This is a great choice of representation to create this years flyer. Thank you Ross Molovinsky!

D'Mitrius Ballard Gets Unanimous Decision In New York!

Super middleweight D'Mitrius "Big Meech" Ballard out of Temple Hills, MD out boxed Fabiano "Pit Bull" Pena of Los Angeles, CA Saturday at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY. Ballard proved to have the better game plan when he was landing very accurate punches and wasn't wasting any. Ballard wins the six-round contest by unanimous decision with scores from judges: Tom Schreck 60-54, John McKaie 60-54, Don Trella 60-54. 

Ballard remains undefeated with a record of 11-0, (7 KO's) while Pena falls to 11-4-1, (8 KO's).

(Photo courtesy of Team NoXcuse)