Baltimore, MD – Baltimore native Cory “Black Ice” Cummings upped his record to 17-4 (13 KO’s) with an emphatic 9th round stoppage of Washington DC’s Demetrius Davis 19-15-5 (7 KO’s) in the main event Friday night at the Du Burns Arena. The opening round was a rough one for Cummings, who had to deal with a gash over his right eye following a clash of heads less than a minute in. With his opponent at a disadvantage, the slick Davis outboxed Cummings while frequently switching between orthodox and southpaw stances. Cummings was cut once again following a clash in the eighth, this time over the left eye.. With a sense of urgency and behind on the cards, Cummings had a strong surge in the final minute of the eighth round.
With momentum on his side and confidence intact, Cummings was able to get inside on his slick opponent and land a big right hook, which dropped the brawny Davis. The game Davis beat the count and was ready to continue but the fight was called to a halt by referee Gary Camponeschi. Along with a TKO at 1:45 of the 9th round, Cummings now has local bragging rights as he picked up the Maryland State Super Middleweight title.
“The Davis-Cummings fight was one of the best I’ve ever seen, said promoter Jake Smith. “Demetrius was handling him until the end of the 8th round and just got caught with a monstrous shot.”
Hot Junior Middleweight James “Keep Em Sleepin” Stevenson of Baltimore heard the final bell for the first time as a professional, scoring a unanimous decision victory over granite chinned Manuel Guzman. Stevenson was able to box and move, making it difficult for the gutsy Guzman to catch him. On occasion, Guzman was able press forward but ineffectively as Stevenson showed he is more than just a power puncher. Scores were 80-72, 79-73 and 79-74. With the victory, Stevenson improves to 9-0 (8 KO’s) while Lancaster, PA’s Guzman drops to 6-7-1 (2 KO’s). Rest assured, “Keep Em Sleepin” is a fighter to watch out for.
Cruiserweight Steve “Show Stealer” Wheeler upped his record to 2-0 after stopping Winchester, VA veteran Dan Shull 1-6. The Catonsvi lle, MD southpaw thoroughly dominated the bout with many effective body blows and right hooks. Shull gave it his all but was outgunned until the bout was mercifully stopped at 1:03 of third. Wheeler has had strong showings in both of his pro bouts.
Aggressive DC Heavyweight Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm improved to 2-0 (2 KO’s) following a TKO over Darius Whitson Winston-Salem, NC. Byarm used his 55 pound weight advantage to back up his opponent while landing multiple power shots. The undersized Whitson was unable to keep up with Byarm’s pace and the bout was stopped at 2:55 of the second stanza.
Barry Trotter 1-0 (1 KO) of Columbia, MD scored a dominating first round TKO over fellow debuting pugilist Justin Blackwell 0-1 of Baltimore. The aggressive Trotter tagged Blackwell throughout the opening stanza. An outgunned Blackwell quit on his stool between rounds, citing a hand injury.
The card was promoted by Baltimore Pro Boxing, who will also host their next show at the Du Burns Arena on July 25.
Headed by former pugilist Jake Smith, Baltimore Pro Boxing has promoted professional and amateur shows during the last 15 years. Their current stable of fighters includes hot Junior Middleweight prospect James Stevenson, Welterweight prospect Tim Coleman, rising Heavyweights Maurice Byarm, Mike Dietrich, Super Middleweight spoiler Demetrius Davis, Light Heavyweight Henry Mayes and exciting Cruiserweight Steve Wheeler.
Fire wins in Panama
New York’s rising female boxing star Keisher “Fire” McLeod-Wells, continued her winning ways by dominating the tough Panamanian Abigail Billar at the IBF Convention in Panama City, Panama. Abigail Billar was considered to be a stern test for the undefeated “Fire” as her sole defeat was through retirement because of injury.
“Fire” was able to establish her jab early, utilizing her height and reach advantage over the shorter Billar. Billar from Panama tried to press the action in round one and seemed to have some success but the taller “Fire” was able stay out of trouble and picked off Billar each time she attempted to get on the inside.
Keisher “Fire” McLeod-Wells, a former decorated amateur boxer, was able to land her signature jab and right hand throughout the bout and was never really in trouble from Billar.
“Fire’s” trainer, the former 2 x World Champion Mark Breland, said “I thought she boxed well. She stuck to the game plan and fought a good fight”.
Optimum Sports Agency’s Keisher McLeod-Wells looks to be back in action in the US in June