Thursday, December 16, 2010

Photos of "Cujo" vs. Julius Kennedy

All photos by Steve Edgar





Photos of Maurice Byarm vs. Winston Thorpe

All photos by Steve Edgar




Pikesville, Maryland: Byarm and Sigmon Victorious


The following story appeared as part of my Eastern Regional Report at Maxboxing.com.

D.C. heavyweight prospect Maurice Byarm scored his tenth straight victory as a professional with a fifth round stoppage over previously unbeaten Winston Thorpe (3-1-1, 2). Baing a replacement for Theron Johnson, Byarm admitted he wasn’t aware that Thorpe was a southpaw until the fight had started. But Byarm’s power was too much for the South Carolina native as Byarm was in control throughout the fight. Despite not hitting the canvas, referee John Gradowski felt that Thrope was absorbing far too much punishment and stopped the contest at 2:51 of the fifth round.

Following the fight Byarm did tell Maxboxing.com that several promoters have shown interest in him and that we can expect to know more early in 2011. Given Byarm’s limited amateur experience, he remains a work in progress. Expect him to be brought along slowly. But for a big man he possessed good feet and in time could make some noise in the heavyweight ranks.

Scott Sigmon took a big step in moving beyond being a local club fighter with a hard earned ten round unanimous decision over the rugged Julius Kennedy. Sigmon displayed better movement than he has in the past, not letting Kennedy draw him into close quarters. After Sigmon won the first two rounds, Kennedy rallied and evened the bout after four before Sigmon controlled the middle rounds building a lead on the scorecards.

Kennedy’s right eye was swollen and nearly closed as the sixth round commenced and a frustrated Kennedy landed several low blows causing referee Bill Clancy to deduct a point. At that point a melee broke out behind Kennedy’s corner furthering delaying the action. As order restored and one female patron was hauled away literally kicking and screaming, Sigmon resumed building an insurmountable lead on the game Kennedy.

In the end the judge’s scorecards read 96-92 (twice) and 95-93 on a third.

Sigmon tells Maxboxing.com that he is now training as a fighter full-time and has signed with the start up promotional firm The Hurt Factory out of Lynchburg, Va. Sigmon is another pro with a very limited amateur background and has a way to go before being considered a serious prospect. However, he is the type of fighter important to the sport, as he is always ready, willing and able to fight, and never fails to give the fans a great effort.

Also on the card:

Dale Robeson-El dominated spent veteran Ariel Espinal en route to a second round TKO in a light heavyweight bout.
Middleweight Devin Butcher scored a unanimous decision over Stephen Franklin
Heavyweights Lonnie Kornegay and Riley Brooks fought to a majority draw.
Tori Nelson defeated Shelly Seivert in a female middleweight tussle.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Pikesville, Maryland Saturday Night

I'll be at the Pikesville National Guard Armory Saturday night as Scott "Cujo" Sigmon takes on Julius Kennedy and Maurice Byarm faces Winston Thorpe.

Sigmon vs. Kennedy should be an exciting and action packed affair, while Byarm could have his hands full with Thorpe. Thorpe has one win and one tie with CES Sports prospect Jesse Barboza, so Thorpe is hardly an easy opponent for the "Freight Train."

If WiFi is available at the Armory, I will update the results immediately.