Over the weekend, Riyad Season’s The Ring IV card took center stage, featuring four highly anticipated bouts: Benavidez vs. Yarde; Haney vs. Norman; Rodriguez vs. Martinez; and Mason vs. Noakes. But neatly tucked away at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, MD was an entertaining Jeter Promotions card full of aspiring prospects, including highly touted TOP RANK prospect, Deric “Scooter” Davis (9-0, 9 KOs).
Davis, filled in admirably after a super welterweight bout between Mykal Fox (25-5, 5 KOs) and Mark Dawson (12-1-1, 4 KOs) was scratched due to illness, with the DC native flashing elite speed, stamina, and accuracy in beating down Kaylyn Alfred (5-8-2, 1 KO) in a scheduled 6-rounder at lightweight.
Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s card, featuring Davis vs. Alfred:
1. Deric Davis is a Bonafide Star in the Making at Lightweight
Just two months removed from signing a long-term promotional deal, the spiritually grounded and refreshingly humble Davis passed an early test by defeating Kaylyn Alfred in three rounds.
What stood out, however, was the surgical nature of the 23-year-old’s win, punctuated by intelligent pressure, precision body shots, and powerful head strikes that Davis used to break down Alfred.
By the third round, Alfred was unable to handle Davis’s attack, which consisted of power hooks and uppercuts that kept Alfred on virtual skates for most of the fight. Then, midway through the stanza, Davis uncorked a left hook to Alfred’s body, which dropped the Louisiana native on his wallet and left him unable to beat the referee’s count, earning Davis a KO win at the 1:40 minute mark of the round.
Zooming out on Davis’s “honor roll” performance (per his esteemed trainer, Barry Hunter), the young fighter displayed the kind of boxing chops that few in his age bracket exhibit early in their pro career. Factor the years Davis spent in the sweat-soaked confines of DC’s Headbangers Boxing Gym with Hunter, his amateur pedigree (158 wins against 17 losses), and the quality reps he gained while training with current and former world champions like Gervonta Davis, Adrien Broner, and Shawn Porter, and two things are clear: (1) Scooter Davis’s success is no accident; and (2) he is undoubtedly a prospect to watch.
2. Don’t forget about Nasheed Smith
Fellow light heavyweight prospect, Nasheed “Sugar Sheed” Smith (8-0, 6 KOs), who fights out of Headbangers Boxing Gym along with Scooter Davis, also delivered a dominant performance on the undercard. In just 5 minutes and 20 seconds, Smith overwhelmed Symari Alexander (3-6, 2 KOs) to notch a second-round TKO.
Smith showcased a unique blend of power and patience to lay waste to Alexander, proving he belongs in the conversation when it comes to the next crop of boxing talent.
3. Jocelyn Shade’s upset of Kacey Wheeler proves you can’t judge a book by its cover
The upset of the night came from 42-year-old Oakland Native, Jocelyn Shalaya Shade (2-1, 0 KOs), who stunned undefeated Kacey ‘Hot Wheelz’ Wheeler (3-1, 3 KOs) with a unanimous decision win.
Despite being the underdog and ceding physical and chronological advantages to Wheeler, Shade controlled the fight, dropping Wheeler in the fourth round and outpointing her foe over four rounds. Simply put, Shade proved to be too much, too soon for Wheeler.
Fortunately, there is ample time for Wheeler to course-correct.
4. Tyler Langer and Ezri Turner Logged Dominant Performances
A pair of light heavyweight and cruiserweight prospects, Ezri Turner (9-0-1, 6 KOs) and Tyler Langer (7-0, 4 KOs), also notched commanding wins over Zak Kelly (5-2, 4 KOs) and Marcus Smith (2-4, 2 KOs), respectively, in 6-round bouts.
After Kelly took control in the opening minute of the first round, Turner turned up the heat on Kelly thereafter, using his power and infighting skills to rip shots through Kelly’s guard and build up an early lead. In the third round, Turner broke the fight open, landing a heavy shot to Kelly’s head, which dropped Kelly to a knee and scored a 10-8 round for Turner. Although Kelly would beat the count, over the next three rounds the duo fought nip-and-tuck with Turner getting the better of most exchanges and ultimately outpointing a game Kelly for a well-earned UD victory to retain his NBA continental Title (scores 59-54, 60-55 [twice]).
It took Langer exactly four minutes to lay waste to Marcus Smith in a fight that could have been stopped after the first round. Langer was equal parts freight train and battering ram, punishing Smith en route to a second-round TKO win.
Both Langer and Turner’s performances proved they are also prospects whose names are worth keeping tabs on.
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Other notable results from the card:
Chambers UD6 Gaines: Brandon Chambers (12-4-1, 5 KOs) beat back a spirited effort from Renaldo Gaines (10-5-1, 3 KOs) over six rounds to retain his regional NBA Continental Bantamweight Title by unanimous decision. Despite Chambers looking completely gassed and lumped up midway through the fight, and Gaines’s corner imploring him to pounce, Gaines (inexplicably) refused to capitalize, letting Chambers pull away on the scorecards. Ultimately, it was Gaines’s lack of urgency down the stretch that cost him the fight (scores: 59-55 and 58-56 twice [Chambers])
Hutcherson UD6 Ward: In a scheduled 6-rounder, Jaqeem Hutcherson (13-2-1, 0 KOs) outpointed Taran Ward (5-14, 3 KOs) in a close fight. Hutcherson was the busier fighter but almost let the win slip away with low blows that drew a stern warning from the referee midway through the fight. Nevertheless, Hutcherson used his jab and defense to keep Ward at bay and secure the win (scores: 60-54, 59-55, and 58-56 [Hutcherson])
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About the Author:
Paul R. Jones is a longtime writer and ringside photographer for EAST SIDE BOXING. His articles, photographs, and commentary have appeared in Boxing News 24, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider, Medium.com, and more.
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