Lights Off! Cameras! Plenty of Action!

Chase Shields Defeats Jimmy Lange! Photos: CD Brown for DC UrbanSports

The fight lasted twelve rounds, when many thought it wouldn’t. It was a test of will and sheer stamina. Two fighters giving what they had. In the end, one would be the surprising new WBC Super Welterweight Champion, and the other would learn from a very humbling experience.

Chase Shields and Jimmy Lange went at each other from the sound of the very first bell. Lange coming out like a tiger - Shields going to the head of his opponent. Lange looked un phased by the punches, even as the relentless combinations of Shields kept coming.

What the crowd saw was Lange fighting his familiar fighting style, but it wasn’t good enough. Shields had Lange up against the ropes, and wavering.

While Lange fought back, Shields’ punches dropped Lange to the canvas on at least two occasions (one may be considered a slip), even finding Lange in an eight second count by the referee.

“A few times he buckled, said Shields.”

Lange has been there before, but managed to pull through it for a win.

“All I had to do was stay calm and land some shots. I kept missing, fighting too hard. He’s a vet. He knows how to survive”, added Shields.

As things continued to get more interesting inside the ring, things were taking an interesting turn outside of the ring.

The lights of the Patriot Center went out in the ninth round, leaving the boxing ring in darkness. What happened is unclear, but the fight was stopped for most of ten minutes, causing a few patrons to start leaving.

After the situation with lights was remedied, the two men continued to go at each other.

Patrons after the fight said that the lights out session, gave Shields time to rest, and recover.

"I thought I could have done a lot better, but, I won. He's tough, you know? I just felt like I was a lot faster, I hit him a lot more. He wore me down about the fifth or six round. I had to really dig."

While Shields had a lot to say about the fight, adding Lange helped him get a lot better, speculating about having future twelve-rounders, Lange, on the other hand made no excuses for his performance.

"I was flat today, period. I take my hat off to Shields. (I'm not going to do it, 'cause my hair is a little messy). The guy come in, and did what he had to do. Not much to say. He just caught me with some good shots, and that's that."

Lange, stating he thought the fight was a lot closer, admits he was beaten by Shields, fair and square.

"There's a lot of guys, they start making up excuses before the fight even starts. I don't have any. I come in and got my (expletive) whipped tonight."

One might say Lange's father, and manager, Johnny Lange calling the fight "lousy", seconds that emotion.

“We stunk the place up tonight”, adding respectfully, “If we can’t beat Chase Shields, we can’t beat nobody. The only thing we can do is get a rematch. Go to Houston. Fight in his home town.”

In what may have seemed like a fight the Lange camp thought would be a sure win, they definitely were surprised with the outcome.

“He’s a helluva lot better than we thought he was, either that or he’s a helluva lot worse than we thought he was”, added John Lange.

“We stunk the place up tonight", Lange repeated. "Who knows why. One of them nights, but I don’t think you’re going to see a repeat of that.”

Shields improves his record 30-3-1.

Seen around the ring: Fighter Paul Williams, Riddick Bowe, LeVar Arrington, Ric Doc Walker.

View Lange/Shields fight photos

Interesting To Note
Remember Tattoo Tom? The father who went into the ring last May at the Patriot Center for his daughter, Shayla, who had cancer? Guess what he's up to now!.

It's On! Jimmy Lange Championship Boxing Event - Tonight!

The Championship fight against Great Falls, VA Jimmy Lange and Chase 'White Tiger' Shields takes place tonight at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.

Yesterday's weigh-in at Tyson's Mall saw Lange weighing in at 150 lbs. and his opponent, Chase Shields riding the scales 151 lbs.

In the light heavyweight division the svelte, muscular mass of Francois 'The African Warrior' Ambang (2-5-1) weighed in at 176 lbs. His opponent, Russia's Serey Kovalev (5-0, 5 KOs, did not weigh in yesterday.

In the heavyweight division, Dwayne "The Big Ticket" McRae (5-2, 3 KOs) out of Laurel, MD weighed in at 253 lbs, while his opponent, Chicago's Theron Johnson weighed 221 lbs.

Fighting in the Cruiserweight division, Robert "Big Mac Attack' McConnell (4-3, 2 KOs) from Elliot City, MD came in at 189 lbs. His opponent Patrick 'Cold Blood' Budd (2-1, 1 KO) out of Dumfries, VA weighed in at 187.

A consistent fighter, and fan favorite, Bayan "The Mongolian Mongoose' Jargal (14-0-2, 9 KOs), fighting out of the Arlington Boxing Club weighed in at 141 1/2 and his opponent, Louie Leija out of San Antonio, TX (21-14-1, 15 KOs) 143. This bout is the co-main event.

Fort Valley Boxing's Andrew 'The Doo Man' Farmer (13-1, 7 KOs) weighed in at
138 1/4, tying his opponent Ikem Orji (5-2, 1KO) in the Jr. Welterweight division.

Doors open at 6:00 pm. Former trainer to Sugar Ray Leonard, Pepe Corea will be in attendance. Corea has worked with the brightest in boxing including Lennox Lewis,
Roberto Duran, and Simon Brown.

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Mystics Alana Beard Added To 2010 USA Roster

Twelve internationally experienced players, including one Olympic gold medalist, have been added to the 2010-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster, USA Basketball today announced. The 12 athletes bring the pool of players from which the 2010 USA World Championship Team and, should the USA qualify, the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team will be selected
to 20.

All 12 athletes have prior USA Basketball experience and include Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (University of Connecticut), Shameka Christon (New York Liberty), Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (University of Connecticut), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx). Player selections were made by the five member USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee.

“As always, any time I'm associated with USA Basketball it’s an honor and privilege that I don't take lightly. It’s an opportunity to play and do something amazing for our country. It is the pinnacle of women's basketball,” said Beard.

The athletes join previously announced USA National Team members and two-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); as well as ’08 gold medalists Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury).

“This is one step closer to accomplishing my dream. Being a part of the national team gives me the opportunity to compete at the highest level and play with some of the best players in the world,” added Harding.

As was the case over the last quadrennium, the USA team will be fluid and athletes will be added progressively to the USA National Team roster. It is expected that the official 12-member 2010 USA World Championship Team and 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, should the USA qualify, will be comprised of players from the 2010-12 USA National Team.

Among the additions are two USA Basketball honorees. Charles and Wiggins were the 2009 and 2007 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, respectively, after helping U.S. teams earn two gold medals each. Charles in 2009 collected gold with the USA World University Games Team and earned her second gold of the year as the only collegian on the USA National Team in the UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational. Wiggins in 2007 helped USA teams earn gold at the FIBA U21 World Championship and Pan American Games and was an alternate on the USA National Team that competed in the FIBA Americas Championship.

Including the 2004 Olympic gold medal earned by Cash and the 2006 FIBA World Championship bronze medal earned by Beard, the 12 additions to the USA National Team boast of a combined 32 gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals. Some of those gold medals include the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship (Cash); FIBA U21 World Championship (Beard, Whalen - 2003 / Wiggins - 2007); FIBA U19 World Championship (Wiggins - 2005 / Moore - 2007); 2007 Pan American Games (McCoughtry, Wiggins); FIBA Americas U20 Championship (Christon, Whalen - 2002 / Montgomery - 2006); and the FIBA Americas U18 Championship (Beard - 2000 / Wiggins - 2004 / Charles, Moore - 2006).

Assisting Auriemma through the 2010 FIBA World Championship are DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom.

In the past dozen years, the highly successful USA Basketball Women’s National Team program, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIBA, has posted a 63-1 slate in major international competitions, winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008), two FIBA World Championship gold medals (1998, 2002), one FIBA World Championship bronze medal (2006) and one FIBA Americas Championship gold medal (2007).

The U.S. will look to capture the title at the 2010 FIBA World Championship that will be held Sept. 23 – Oct. 3 in Brno, Karlovy Vary and Ostrava, Czech Republic, with the gold medal winner earning a berth to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Sixteen nations have qualified to compete in the FIBA World Championship. The USA has been placed in Group B, and will face France, Greece and Senegal in the first round of games. The 12 remaining national teams were distributed as such: Group A includes Australia, Belarus, Canada and China; Group C consists of Brazil, Mali, South Korea and Spain; and Group D is comprised of Argentina, Czech Republic, Japan and Russia.

The preliminary round will be played Sept. 23-25 utilizing a round-robin format within each preliminary round group. The top three finishing teams from each group will advance to second round play, with the top teams in Groups A and B merging into Group E and the top teams in Groups C and D forming Group F. The twelve teams qualified for the second round, which will be played Sept. 27-29, will feature six teams in each group and each team will play the three new teams in its second round group. Teams finishing in first through fourth places in the second round will advance to the Oct. 1 quarterfinals. Semifinals are slated for Oct. 2, and the finals will be contested on Oct. 3.

First and second round games for Groups A and B will be held in Ostrova, while Brno is the first and second round site for teams in Groups C and D. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be held in Karlovy Vary.

Should the U.S. not finish with the gold medal in ‘10, it would have two additional chances to qualify for the Olympics: the 2011 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD) and 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD).

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee is comprised of WNBA representatives Reneé Brown, Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations; Dan Hughes, General Manager of the San Antonio Silver Stars; and Chief Operating Officer/General Manager of the Indiana Fever Kelly Krauskopf; athlete representative and five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards; and USA Basketball Women’s National Team Director Carol Callan.


FIBA World Championship

The FIBA World Championship has been contested essentially every four years since 1953, and the United States captured the first two gold medals before the beginning of the Soviet domination of women’s basketball was kicked-off at the 1959 World Championship. The former USSR put together a string of five straight golds (1959, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975), before the United States reclaimed gold in 1979. The Soviet Union in 1983 earned its final World Championship crown as the USA went on to capture four of the next five World Championships (1986, 1990, 1998, 2002). The only other nations to break into the gold medal column at this event are Australia, the defending world champion, and Brazil, which defeated the USA in the 1994 semifinals and went on to take the top spot that year.

The USA owns a record seven gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Championship play, while compiling an all-time 88-21 record at the event. In 2006, the most recent World Championship, the U.S. fell 75-68 to Russia in the semifinals, but rebounded to take host Brazil 99-59 in the bronze medal game and finish with an 8-1 record. Australia earned the gold after defeating Russia 91-74 in the final contest.

Collins, Phillips Receive MEAC Honors

Howard University's Dadrian Collins and Mike Phillips have been named to the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.

Collins, a 6-6 freshman forward from Williamsburg, VA, finished second on the team in scoring with 8.5 points per game. The sharpshooter from Montrose Christian also led the team in three pointers made (57) and in three-point shooting percentage (38 percent) and he was fifth in the conference in those categories. Collins played in all 31 games and started 20. He scored a career high 21 points against Norfolk State this season and was named Rookie of the Week three times.

Phillips also had an outstanding freshman campaign. The 6-7, 200-pound native of Fredricksburg, VA finished fourth on the team in scoring (7.1 points per game) and led the team in rebounding (5.1 per game). He tied for third in steals (13) and recorded a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds against Niagara. Phillips played in 30 games and started 24 and posted career bests in scoring (17 vs Loyola) and rebounding (16 vs Niagara). Phillips was also named Rookie of the Week three times.

Note: It is the first time that Howard has had two players named to the All-Rookie team.

Niki Reid Geckeler Provides Balance and Stability To Howard

From Player, To Coach, To Mom


Geckeler shown here during Howard game.

As a point guard for the Georgetown women’s basketball program, Niki Reid Geckeler proved to be one of the best in school history. A four year starter, she left her mark on the program as the school’s all-time leader in assists and in three-point field goal percentage.

Not only was Geckeler a success on the court, she was also an outstanding leader and student.

That is why it is no accident that she pursued coaching once her playing days were over. After receiving her degree in psychology from Georgetown in 1993, Geckeler began her matriculation as a coach.

She started her trek first as an assistant at her alma mater, then served as associate head coach at Fordham for two years, and then returned to Georgetown as assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and academic advisor for the women’s basketball program before being named the head women’s coach at Howard last season.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a head coach,” says Geckeler. “The various duties and responsibilities that I performed in various capacities helped prepare me for this opportunity. And the fact that I played the point guard position was also key because it helped me hone my leadership skills.”

Geckeler’s achievements in less than two years are just short of remarkable. After getting the position relatively late, she was faced with a challenge that she could never have imagined. With no time to recruit, Geckeler inherited a team that finished 4-26in 2007-08. The team regrouped and became the Lady Bison, starting at 0-16 to begin the season under their new coach.

Displaying the patience and mental toughness of the lead guard position, Geckeler was unflappable and stayed the course as Howard rebounded to go 9-9 the rest of the season and advance to the second round of the MEAC tournament before losing to eventual champion, North Carolina A&T.

“I have to admit that it was a challenging transition for me,” says Geckeler. “We had to change the culture and get them to believe that they could win.”

Geckeler and her staff quickly embarked upon building the program through an intense recruiting process and Howard signed eight incoming freshmen.

Among the top recruits were point guard Cheyenne Curley-Payne, talented guard Tamoria Holmes, twin forwards Portia and Nicole Deterville and swing player, Kara Smith. All have come along nicely during the season and are making timely contributions.

“It was important for us to bring in student athletes who were from winning programs,” says Geckeler. “Coach (Jimmy) Howard, who is recruiting coordinator, did an outstanding job in that area.”

Although the Lady Bison were picked eighth in the MEAC pre-season poll, they have been one of the surprises in the conference and boast a 15-13 record overall and 10-6in the MEAC going into the postseason tournament.

The contributions of the freshmen class, in particular the sterling play and leadership of Zykia “Ziggy” Brown and the consistent and dominant play of red-shirt freshman Saadia Doyle, has resulted in a team turnaround. Brown is a 5-8 junior guard, who led the team in scoring last season as a sophomore. She had played sparingly during her freshman season. Geckeler recognized Brown’s ability and slowly built much of the offense around her, resulting in a 9-9 finish down the stretch in 2008-09. Brown was named to the All-MEAC First Team on Thursday.

It was also Geckeler’s prompting and encouragement that has helped Brown to be more effective and take on the role as team leader for what is perhaps the youngest team in Division 1 women’s basketball.

Doyle has been one of the most pleasant surprises in recent history at the Mecca. After sitting out last season with an ACL injury to her knee, Doyle, who was recruited along with Brown by the former coaching staff, was relatively unknown by the coaches until they got a chance to see her in the pre-season workouts. The talented forward from Atlanta, GA says that Geckeler made her feel comfortable. This resulted in her having a phenomenal season.

“I was trying to find my way and get to know the players and the coaches,” recalls Doyle, the 2009-10 MEAC Rookie of the Year. “She told me that I was going to be an important part of this team. From that point, I became very comfortable.” Doyle is averaging a double-double this season and ranks nationally in that category and in rebounding.

Along the way to this reclamation project for the Howard women’s program, Geckeler faced perhaps yet another one of those most unexpected challenges. She and her husband Timothy realized they were expecting a child and in addition to coaching the team, Geckeler was preparing to become a mother for the first time.

“I had to make some serious adjustments during that period,” she recalls. “I had to slow down because I was trying to do things that I normally do in terms of practice and demonstrating certain things to the players.”

A little over nine months ago, Geckeler gave birth to her daughter Makenzie and in addition to coaching, recruiting and being a wife, she has the added responsibility of being a mother.

“It has really been an easy transition for me,” she says. “I get so much support from my husband, my staff, the University and the players. They have all been great. It is really a blessing.”

Oftentimes, Makenzie can be seen at practice or on occasion making the short road trips.

Geckeler’s philosophy on the point guard position and the responsibility it entails and how it prepares for life, is well taken. She has handled it all very well. The Lady Bison are in a position to finish as high as third place and no lower than fourth. They have played in 10 games that have been decided by five points or less and are 9-1 in those games.

“It is interesting how I have gone from being Coach “G” to Mama G with the players,” she says. “One of the biggest keys to success is the communication between the coaches and the student athletes. It is important that they become not only successful in the sport of basketball, but also in their lives as they mature and develop as a result of this experience.”

In Other HU Lady Bison News

Following a 10-5 league season and a four-game win streak, two Howard basketball players were awarded major postseason honors by the conference Thursday afternoon. Lady Bison junior, Zykia Brown (Riverdale, Md./Parkdale H.S.) was named to the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) First Team, while freshman teammate Saadia Doyle (Atlanta, Ga./Columbia H.S.) was named the 2009-10 MEAC Rookie of the Year. Doyle also garnered All-MEAC Second Seam honors and earned a spot on the All-MEAC Rookie Team.

Brown led HU (15-12 overall, 10-5 MEAC) to its first winning conference season in several years with consistent play. She is second in the league and 21st in the nation with 18.8 points per game. The junior is top-10 in the conference in 3-pt. field goals made, free-throw percentage and steals per game and recorded 20-plus scoring games nine times this season. Brown was named MEAC Player of the Week on Dec. 14 and recorded her 1,000th point in a win over Norfolk State on Jan. 18.

Doyle has current averages of 17 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The rookie led the conference in rebounding and is ranked among the top ten in eight different categories. She is ranked fifth in the NCAA with 18 double-doubles and 15th nationally in rebounding. Doyle was named MEAC Rookie of the Week eight times this season and pulled down a conference-high 22 rebounds in a win over Coppin State on Jan. 11.

Brown, Doyle and the rest of the Lady Bison wrap up their regular season at Hampton on Thursday before heading to the MEAC Tournament on March 8-13. Hampton, Morgan State and/or Howard could finish the season as the conference’s runners-up or with a share for the title based on the outcome of tonight’s games.

Chris Samuels Says Goodbye To Football

Says Coaching On The Horizon

Photo: CD Brown for DC UrbanSports

After many months of speculation, it's official. The man who many call great, a team player, a mentor; a man Redskins owner Dan Snyder called “a true gentleman, and a class act”, is walking away from the game he loves the most (at least from playing it).

“It’s going to be hard to walk away from the game that I love, but it’s the best decision for my family and me.

A spinal condition called stenosis which Samuels says he knew he had back in high school, made the decision to retire more apparent after he collided with a defensive lineman in a game against the Carolina Panthers.

"It was helmet-to-helmet, right on the crown of the head. Right when I hit him, everything went numb up top and I fell over and I knew I had had another episode. I went on the sideline, prayed about it, thought about going back in the game. The Lord led me to sit tight and I did. That’s pretty much it.”

Samuels told the media during yesterday's press conference that doctors predicted he would only play six or seven years in the NFL. "...but here I am 10 years later having attended six Pro Bowls - God has truly been good to me."

The third overall pick by the Redskins in 2000, Samuels played in just five games for the Skins in 2009 before being sidelined.

"If it wasn’t because of the neck injury, I would be going into my 11th season with the Washington Redskins. I truly love playing for this organization. It’s just a great place. Everybody is like family here."

Many of Samuels' teammates were on hand to support their friend, and former colleague. Mike Williams said of Samuels, "A guy like Chris will especially be missed. He's one of the pillars of this team. Being here for a year, I could tell. Just how he stood out, how he spoke to guys, how he worked, stuff like that. You didn't go to six Pro Bowls for no reason."

Derrick Dockery and wife, Emma provided the retirement gift.

"Derrick really showed up everybody by bringing the present", said Williams. Adding, "I don't want to put him on blast, but I think his wife got the present", joked Williams.

Redskins' front lobby receptionist since 1992, Ms. BJ (as she is affectionately called by many), said of Samuels:

"I can remember the day he first came here. He's just an all around great guy. He's just a guy that you just respect him and love him."

Ms. BJ says she has lots of favorite players, and lists Samuels in her Top 5 Redskins among Rock Cartwright, Michael Westbrook, Darryl Green, Art Monk, Brian Mitchell.

We asked Ms. BJ what she wanted to tell Samuels and the parents of Chris Samuels, who also attended the retirement presser.

"I wish you nothing but the best. Your son has been an outstanding person the whole time he's been here. He will do well no matter what he pursues."

Samuels plans to pursue a career in coaching. It is expected that he will help with coaching the Redskins in some capacity. He’ll be on the Redskins’ staff as a part of the Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship.

Samuels says he’ll begin his career working with offensive linemen, hoping to "learn as much as I can. Try to work my way up. Where I land, I don’t know.

Samuels' pastor, Chad Carlton, of Temple of Healing Waters said of Samuels, "It's been delightful being the pastor to Chris Samuels. He's a wonderful gentlemen, awesome man, very insightful, and really has a heart for God. It's easy being Chris' pastor. I'm just grateful to have been a part of this time of departing for him (from the NFL), but also his turning a new chapter in his life."

And with that Samuels thanked the many fans, offering “To the fans, I love you guys. It’s been real. Its been a long time, you know for me to be out here, just going out on the field and playing in front of 90,000 people is just a great experience, and 10years of it, it’s been a lot of fun. I truly believe you guys are the best fans in the NFL.

Samuels' advice to his remaining team, besides working hard and listening to the coaches?

"Go win a championship."

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Caps Get A Win After Vancouver

So, the US didn't bring home the gold in hockey, but the Caps did get a win last evening putting them back where they're supposed to be - in DC with the fans who love them most. (Whataya goin' to Vancouver for, anyway?)

The Caps get a 3-1 win over the Sabres.

After a rocky first-half start, and a few missed opportunities, the Caps were able to turn things around in their favor.

“I told them that was our best game in 10 games and by far our best game defensively where we didn’t leave the goalie out to dry too many times,” says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “It was a good effort.”

The Caps are at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, starting at 7:00 pm.


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Maryland Defeats No. 4 Ranked Duke

Congrats to the University of Maryland Terps (No. 22) on their win last night over Duke (No. 4).

The Terps pulled off the 79-72 win in fine fashion giving them a tie for the lead in the ACC rankings.

Greivis Vasquez was the high scorer on the night for Maryland with 20 points that included a much needed basket with 37 seconds left.

"This is a dream come true," Vasquez said.

Duke's Nolan Smith was the high scorer for the Blue Devils with scored 20. The Terps shut down Duke's eight-game winning streak causing lots of pandamonium and ruckus on (and off) the court.

Only one game remains in the regular season for the two teams with have Maryland traveling to Virginia on Saturday, and Duke hosting North Carolina.

Let the (March) madness begin. Oops. It already has.

Question: This is another case of the 'divided world we live in'. Why is it that when 27 people get arrested, and police with riot gear are called in, the perps are called 'party-goers' - not rioters but after a devastating hurricane, earthquake, or other natual disasters like the ones seen in Chile, Haiti, and in New Orleans, people going into survival mode are called looters, refugees, and thugs?

I'm just asking.

Who R U Picking?

Floyd Mayweather vs Shane Mosley

Mosley and Mayweather strike a fight pose at the Lincoln Theater. Photo CD Brown for DC UrbanSports

The highly anticipated Floyd Mayweather vs 'Sugar' Shane Mosely promotional tour is in full affect, with a stop in the Nation's Capital today. The promo presser for the May 1, 2010 event live, on Pay-Per-View, was held at the historic Lincoln Theatre where scorns packed the house to cheer for the fan favorite, Floyd Mayweather.

The Who R U Picking? tour (which frankly I would have just called Who U Pickin'?) began March 2nd in New York City, with a bit of a prelude to what may occur (and more) on May 1st at the MGM Grand as the world will be watching to see who will be the best welterweight of this era.

Unlike yesterday's presser in New York where both men wore suits, Mayweather was dressed in workout pants and hooded sweatshirt, while Mosley opted again to wear a suit.

President of GoldenBoy Promotions Oscar De LaHoya , who fought both fighters, (welcomed with a slew of boos from the crowd) said of the fight, "There's going to be a knockout for sure, it ain't going to be pretty, let me tell you."

The presser is sure to be featured in Mayweather's upcoming reality TV series. You can watch HBO's 24/7 which will follow both fighters leading up to the May 1, 2010 event. This will be Mosley's first appearance on the series and Mayweather's seventh appearace.

Going to the fight? StubHub and Southwest Airlines are the official ticket and airline sponsors. After the Pay-Per-View telecast, the fight will be shown all over the U.S. in 15,000 movie theaters in 1,500 select locations.

Photos of the Mayweather v Mosley presser, here.

Stay tuned for more on our interview with boxer Floyd Mayweather, and his trainer/uncle, Roger Mayweather.

Other DC Boxing News

This seems to be the week for boxing in DC. As we told you earlier, Jimmy Lange is set for his contest with Chase 'White Tiger' Shields this Saturday (March 6) at the Patriot Center.

DC native LaMont Peterson (27-1) has a contest in the works with Edwin Valero. He tells us, "Hopefully, if they license him here in DC, then it's on."

"It's a big fight for me coming off my last fight, coming off the loss (Timothy Bradley). This is a fight that could get me right back in to title contention."

On the Mosley - Mayweather bout, Peterson says he's picking Mayweather to have the slight edge. "Shane can do some things to Mayweather that can discourage him, and of course Mayweather can do things to Shane that can discourage him. If I had to choose though, I'd have to give Mayweather a slight edge."

Golden Boy heavyweight, Seth 'Mayhem' Mitchell (15-0-1), still on his knock'em-out-reigning tear is also scheduled for an upcoming bout soon. We'll have more on that later. Mitchell defeated Zack Page (19-27-2) on December 2009 at RoseCroft Raceway.

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Out At Redskins' Park

Snyder Doesn't Do Alligator.

The Washington Redskins said today that a report in the New York Post this morning on its Page Six gossip page is totally false. The newspaper claimed that Redskins owner Dan Snyder purchased two alligator desks from a furniture store in New York City for use at an office at FedExField.

“Number one,” said Dave Donovan, Chief Operating Officer of the Redskins, “Dan does not have an office at FedExField. Second, he has no need for new desks at any of his offices. We are demanding a retraction from The New York Post.”

When informed about the report, Dan Snyder responded, “The story is crazy. I don’t even own a pair of alligator shoes.”

“It appears the New York furniture store was trying to promote its grand opening by using Dan Snyder’s name in a conversation with a reporter,” Donovan said.

You can read the NY Post comments here.

“The store should be embarrassed about making up a story in order to sell furniture” , added Donovan.

Oh, boy.

I'll add, if the story isn't true, the Post should be ashamed of printing it. But then again, we already know how the NYP rolls.

Related
The Redskins continue to make staffing and coaching changes to improve their 2010 roster. The Redskins hired Richmond Flowers last month as coaching assistant. Flowers was a seventh-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2001, but spent most of that season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. He went to training camp with Dallas in 2002 before being released. Flowers joined the Redskins’ practice squad in 2002 and also spent the 2003 preseason with Washington.

The Redskins also promoted Larry Hess to Head Athletic Trainer and named Paul Kelly Assistant to the Head Coach/Football Administration in February.