Baltimore, MD – With a slew of raucous supporters on hand at the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, hometown favorite James “Keep em’ Sleepin” Stevenson kept his perfect record in tact with an impressive third round stoppage of Ken “Superman” Dunham.
After a tentative opening round, Stevenson got track in the second, landing a few solid blows to the head of his North Carolina based opponent. With momentum on his side, Stevenson was on the attack during the next stanza. Stevenson dropped Dunham thrice with powerful combinations in the third round, forcing referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the contest at 1:31. With the victory, Stevenson picks up the NABC and WBF Americas Welterweight while upping his flawless record to 10-0 (9 KO’s).
“I saw he couldn’t take my punches after the second round” said Stevenson, who is considered one of boxing’s best kept secrets. “I stayed on him, put the pressure on and after the second knockdown, I knew the fight was just about over.”
Welterweight prospect Tim “Pit Bull” Coleman 16-1-1 (4 KO’s) of Baltimore scored an impressive unanimous decision over tough veteran “Magnificent” Martinus Clay 13-21-4 (5 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA. Coleman put together a strong performance, controlling Clay throughout the contest with an effective right hand lead from a distance as well as solid body punches when the bout was fought at a close range. The grizzled Philadelphian refused to give up and hung in tough throughout the contest. Scores were 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 for Coleman, who is now training with Ricky Hatton assistant Lee Beard.
“I think I did a decent job in this fight but I was hoping to knock him out” Coleman said after the bout. “Clay is a tough kid and he always comes to fight but there is definitely a lot more that you will see from Tim Coleman in the near future”. Coleman and Clay previously battled to a draw in December 07.
Popular Cruiserweight Steve “Show Stealer” Wheeler 3-0 (2 KO’s) of Catonsville, MD destroyed Lamar Foreman of New York in the opening round. A quick left cross from Wheeler put Foreman down just 50 seconds into the bout.
Cruiserweight prospect Daniel Kooij 4-0 (1 KO) of Baltimore by way of the Czech Republic earned a six round unanimous decision over Jackson, TN’s Rodricka Ray 2-3-1 (1 KO). Kooij landed a plethora of jabs and strong right hands the head of Ray but also fooled around a bit, dropping his hands en route to taking a few unnecessary punches. Scores were 59-55 twice and 58-56 for Kooij.
Hard hitting Heavyweight Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm upped his record to 3-0 (2 KO’s) after scoring a majority decision victory over tougher than advertised Maurice Winslow 3-10-1 (3 KO’s). The aggressive Byarm stunned Winslow on multiple occasions with hard hooks to both the body and head before surprisingly slowing down. Winslow had some success in close range, throwing a high volume of punches to keep Byarm honest. Scores were 39-37 twice and 38-38. After the bout, Byarm was sent to the hospital for an arm injury that he suffered in the opening round.
The card was promoted by Jake Smith’s Baltimore Pro Boxing. Their next card will take place Friday September 11 once again at the Du Burns Arena with a bout between Henry Mayes and Mike Paschall scheduled as the main event.
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 contender Tim Coleman, rising Heavyweights Maurice Byarm, Mike Dietrich, surging Super Middleweight Demetrius Davis, Light Heavyweight Henry Mayes and exciting Cruiserweight Steve Wheeler.
For more information go to www.baltimoreboxing.com.