Weights For Saturday Night's Boxing Event

Boxers weigh in for Saturday's big bout at GMU Patriot Center. Photo/CD Brown.

Official weights are in for tonight's Patriot Center boxing event featuring Jimmy Lange, William Joppy and others.

10 Rounds – Jimmy Lange (154 lbs.) vs. Joe Wyatt (151 lbs.)

10 Rounds - William Joppy (169 lbs.) vs. Cory Cummings (167 lbs.)

6 Rounds - Todd Wilson (141 lbs.) vs. Corey Goodwin (141 lbs.)

6 Rounds - Perry Ballard (153 lbs.) vs. Booker Mullins (151 lbs.)

6 Rounds - Jonathan Reid (162 lbs.) vs. Mike McFail (165 lbs.)

6 Rounds - Zain Shah (159 lbs.) vs. Omar Sims (163 lbs.)

4 Rounds - Brandon Quarles (155 lbs.) vs. Lawrence Jones (155 lbs.)

Fight Preview

· Popular Northern Virginia fighter Jimmy Lange (33-4-2, 23 KOs) returns to headline his 11th Patriot Center show when he faces Joe Wyatt (23-1, 15 KOs) in a ten-round championship bout for the North American Boxing Association’s (NABA) vacant 154-pound U.S title (NABA is a division of the World Boxing Association/WBA). The former star from season one of The Contender has won his last two bouts but will step up in competition to face in Wyatt, a former top 20 world contender whose only loss was to undefeated Reda Zam Zam for the WBA’s Inter-Continental light middleweight title.

· Looking to capture his 40th career win in front of his hometown fans, former three-time, middleweight world champion William Joppy (39-6-1, 30 KOs) of Washington, DC will take on battle-tested Cory “Black Ice” Cummings (17-4, 13 KOs) of Baltimore. Joppy has taken on elite competition such as Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Felix “Tito” Trinidad, while Cummings has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Keith Holmes and Montell Griffin.

· Among the action-packed undercard, three fighters are looking to remain undefeated, including Fairfax, VA welterweight prospect Todd “White Lightning” Wilson (8-0, 2 KOs), a former Virginia Military Institute collegiate national champion, going up against Corey “Bad Boy” Goodwin (7-5, 4 KOs) of Columbia, SC.

· In another DC-Baltimore rivalry bout, Wilson’s unbeaten middleweight teammate Zain “Tiger” Shah (3-0, 2 KOs) of Chantilly, VA will have his hands full with confident Baltimore fighter Omar Sims (5-2, 3 KOs), who has won his last two fights by way of knockout.


· In a bout for local bragging rights, Alexandria Boxing Club’s Brandon Quarles (2-0), will square off against LA Boxing’s Lawrence Jones (3-2-2, 1 KO) of Chantilly, VA.


· Lange’s former Contender teammate Jonathan Reid (34-13-7, 19 KOs) of Nashville, TN will face Baltimore ring veteran Mike McFail (12-40-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round bout. Reid is coming off a loss to undefeated Caleb Truax while McFail dropped a six-round decision to Lange back in August. **Note**: Reid told us that although he's lost his last 9 fights, he's still looking forward to getting back into the ring. Said Reid, "Being on the card with Lange is having that brotherhood back again." **

· Junior middleweight Perry Ballard (20-2-1, 15 KOs) is set to return to the Patriot Center after appearing in the venue’s very first pro boxing card more than five years ago. The Martinsburg, WV fighter suffered his first pro loss at the hands of Lange before an electrifying crowd on September 17, 2005. He will face Booker Mullins (3-9) of Spartanburg, SC in a six-round contest.

See Fight Card here.

Weigh-in photo gallery here.

Officially Tennis

DC Elected Officials To Participate In Tennis Event For Good Cause.



DC Mayor-Elect, Vincent C. Gray; Former Mayor, Anthony Williams; Councilmember (D-Ward 8)Mayor Marion Barry, Council Chairman-Elect Kwame Brown, Councilmember (D-Ward 5)Harry Thomas; Councilmember (D-Ward 7)Yvette Alexander, Tennis Legend Zina Garrison, and Founder and CEO, Recreation Wish List Committee Cora Masters Barry attend 12th annual "HEART TO HART TENNIS EXPERIENCE" this Saturday NOVEMBER 6 AT SOUTHEAST TENNIS AND LEARNING CENTER 701 Mississippi Ave SE, DC.

The fundraising event will feature a day of tennis clinics, celebrity matches and a silent auction. The celebrity matches will feature a rematch between former Mayors Williams and Barry, with the winner playing Councilmember Alexander for the championship honors. Mayor-Elect Gray will serve as line judge with help from Chairman-Elect Brown and Councilmember Thomas.

Schedule

10:00am Zina Garrison Clinic

Noon-1pm Lunch/Celebrity Arrival

1:00pm Celebrity Matches Featuring Youth and Local Politicians

2:00pm Remarks/Press Interviews

3:00pm Tennis Experience Awards Ceremony

Don't You Want to Come Out And See For Yourself?

That's the question Ted Leonsis is asking fans (and potential fans) of the Washington Wizards.

On his blog today, Leonsis does a bit of recruiting (sales and marketing) of his own to help fill the seats at Verizon Center for future Wizards home games.

With seats not exactly filled to capacity for the team's home opener against Philly last Tuesday, Leonsis tells readers to get in on the new Wizards/John Wall era stock now (while the gettin's good).

Leonsis even promises to Dougie if a home game sells out. (We know you wanna see that).

From Ted's Blog
Remember when I preached that the Washington Capitals were like a growth stock? Get in early like you did on AOL, Google and Microsoft stock? Now we are totally sold out with a waiting list. Bad times became good times. The people that believed were rewarded.

I am here to tell you that about the Washington Wizards. Buy your tickets now, please. Sign up for season tickets. Get in early and own your seats. We will continue to invest in the team and improve the team. We will have star power. We will have an arc of growth. Get in early. See our own home grown and developed stars grow up before your very eyes.

"Sorry, I had to get up on a soap box", Leonsis continues.

We need your help. We play this Saturday night. We need and want you to be in attendance. The team plays better in front of a sold out building. Come support the team. Off of soap box now.

End Leonsis soap box rant.
____

After losing the first two games of the season, the Wizards won an impressive 116-115 season home opener against Philadelphia last Saturday that saw 1stRDP John Wall yield 20 points, 13 assists, and 9 steals.

With just three NBA games under his belt, and at least 20 points and 10 assists in a home debut, Wall joins the NBA's elite players (Isiah Thomas, Oscar Robertson, and Norm Nixon)

Trivia: Did you know Norm was married to actress/choreographer Debbie Allen, the sister of Cosby Show actress Phylicia RaShad Allen?

Wall's stock looks good. Real good.

Cartier Martin's (another Kansas standout now in the DC area. Skins' Brandon Banks is the other) three-pointer sent the game into a thrilling overtime at 106-106 (that would have normally seen the Wizards unsuccessful).

Gilbert Arenas continues to be hampered by injuries (knee/ankle) and is a game-to-game decision, for now.

The team takes on The Knicks Friday in New York, and meets the Cavaliers at home on Saturday night.

Don't you want to come out and see for yourself?

**Note to Ted: I'm still awaiting my press credential you said you'd look into.**

Related
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J Wall Highlights
Upcoming: Wizards Holiday Camps

Randy Moss...

Is Not Coming To Washington. Won't Have To Pay Taxes Either.

Remember the time? Moss in former Patriots uniform.

TMZ is reporting that Randy Moss just got a $200,000 bonus for being picked up by the Tennessee Titans (courtesy of his new state government).

It all comes down to state tax. Back in Minnesota, the former Viking had to set aside 7.85% of his multi-million dollar salary to pay the state income tax.

But now that he's employed in the state of Tennessee, where they don't have a state income tax, multiple financial experts report that the extra $200,000 Moss was planning to kick over to MN, could now remain in his own pocket.

Related
Randy Moss MotorSports

GW's First Transgender Player

Kye Allums, formerly Kay Kay Allums, becomes GW's first transgender women's basketball player.
The University who has the endorsement of the First Lady, has its first transgender athlete on it's women's basketball team.

Meet Kye Allums, the transgendered ‘male’ who plays for the George Washington University women’s basketball team.

Allums has not had the sex reassignment surgery nor is she taking male hormones, making the junior eligible to continue to play on the women's team.

“I want people, not just athletes, to be comfortable with who they are and not feel like they have to hide who they are,” says Mr. Allums.

The school's administration is said to support Allums.

“The George Washington University supports Kye and his right to make this decision,” says Senior Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services Robert A. Chernak. Women’s basketball head coach Mike Bozeman and his staff echo that support.

“My teammates have embraced me as the big brother of the team. They have been my family, and I love them all”, said Allums.

Many wonder, then, why big brother Mr. Allums doesn't just play for the GW men's basketball team.

Other News
Lacy Becomes Mystics GM

Caps Win. Metro Ride Home Proves It.

Caps fans take over Metro after last night's 5-4 win over Toronto. Photo/CD Brown. Disclaimer: Fans in this photo were not the roudy fans.
There's nothing perhaps like a metro ride home after the win of one of DC's sports teams.

Caps fans overwhelmingly became the dominate passengers on the Metro last night as many wore the jerseys of their favorite Caps' players.

"I hate everyone who doesn't like us!", shouted one fan.

"Hey Pittsburgh! I hate Pittsburgh!", shouted another, referring to rival Pittsburgh Penquins.

Interestingly enough Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau said during the postgame interview, “Hockey is a game of emotion."

The celebrating got a little too off color with a few other nuggetts that we can't repeat here.

Also discussed amongst the fans were the topic of Randy Moss coming to Washington, and the 'cardio' of Donovan McNabb.

Related
Game Recap

Ravens' Suggs At DC Movie Screening

Terrell Suggs, one of many guests at DC screening of new Parr film '35 and Ticking'.

Baltimore Ravens' OLB Terrell Suggs was in DC last evening at the Historic Lincoln Theatre for radio host Russ Parr's screening of his new movie '35 and Ticking', a romantic comedy about a group of friends who are at the turning point in their lives where they must come to terms with status of their relationships, or lack thereof.

We asked Suggs about the Ravens' kick-A season, to which Suggs replied "yeah, we're doin' great. We're 5-1."

We neglected to get Suggs' opinion on the soap opera with the Washington Redskins, but we're sure he must share the opinions of the rest of us.

The Ravens defeated the Skins in preseason action 23-3, their only game of 2010.

Also attending the movie screening were former Redskin, Darnarian McCants.

The movie stars the cousin of CBS sports caster James Brown, and DC native, Clifton Powell.

Out At The Park

While everyone has been focusing on the 'Lies of Shanahan' and the 'very disrepected' Donovab McNabb, there were a couple of items that flew under the radar out at Redskins Park.

Clinton Portis returned to practice this week.

DeAngelo Hall's jersey goes to the NFL Hall of Fame. #23 was named Defensive Player of the Week coming off his four interceptions in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears.

"I didn't donate it, they stole it", laughed Hall during the presentation.

The size 48 jersey, complete with grass stains, will find its way to Canton this week where it will be enclosed in a glass case along side other NFL HOF-ers.


Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall donates his jersey to NFL Hall of Fame. Photo CD Brown.
The Redskins have a bye week this week before facing the Philly Eagles November 15th at FedEx Field. The Skins defeated the Eagles on 10/3, 17-12, in Philadelphia. All eyes will again be on McNabb (and his performance) to see if he can get a repeat against his former team.

NFL Play 60 and Washington Redskins Offer 'Fit For You'
Prior to the Monday Night Football matchup between the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, the Redskins and the NFL are inviting fans to come show their support for the team and ‘Play 60’ at the NFL ‘Fit For You’ 5K walk/run event on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The walk/run starts at National Plaza in National Harbor, Md., continues along the scenic pathway to Southpointe and finishes back at National Plaza.

NFL Mid-Season Benefit Dinner
The Washington Redskins Alumni along with the Washington DC Retired Pro Football Players Alliance will celebrate the halfway point of the 2010 NFL season with the inaugural Return To Glory 2010 NFL Mid-Season Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 from 6pm – 10pm at Tony and Joe’s Restaurant on the Georgetown Waterfront in Washington, DC. The event is being held to allow fans to celebrate the success of General Manager Bruce Allen, Head coach Mike Shanahan and the 2010 Washington Redskins with their favorite former NFL greats, while raising money for area non-profit organizations.

Among the NFL alumni players invited to attend: John Booty, Reggie Branch, JB Brown, Larry Brown, Andre Collins, Gary Clark, Phil DuBois, Kevin Glover, Darryl Grant, Roy Jefferson, Kenny Jenkins, Mitch Johnson, Charles Mann, Raleigh McKenzie, Brian Mitchell, Mark Moseley, Mike Nelms, Spain Musgrove, Brig Owens, Darryl Pounds, Lonnie Sanders, Ron Saul, Ray Schoenke, Ed Simmons, Calvin Snowden, George Starke,
Charlie Taylor, Ted Vactor, and Rick “Doc” Walker, Mark Washington.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, Brig Owens’ Super Leaders, Washington Legal Defense Fund for the Homeless and the Langston in the 21st Century Foundation.

Info www.dcseafood.com/nfl_player_alumni , or via Facebook at RedskinsReturnToGlory.

Tricked In Motown

Skins Lose Game. And Their Dignity.

Skins QB benched at 1:45 in the 4th. Ain't no thing. He's still D. McNabb.
On a Halloween Sunday afternoon Washington Redskins fans got lots of tricks, but not a winning treat in a 37-25 loss to the 1-7 Detroit Lions.

The good stuff first.

DeAngelo Hall continued his performance from last week, getting a Detroit interception early on.

Brandon Banks proved again why he is worthy of a spot on this team, running for 271 yards for 2 TDs (one called back). Banks surpassed Brian Mitchell for the number of yards run in a single game.

The Skins' ability to match the Lions in scoring through the third quarter was impressive. Matching Detroit with each TD, until Calvin Johnson's three TDs proved detrimental for the Redskins. There was no stopping CJ.

Still a lot of questions unanswered.

Most notably the coaches' decision (whether it be from Big Shanahan or Baby Shanahan) to bench veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb with (wait for it) less than two minutes in the game.

Two minutes! You mean McNabb who had played 58 minutes couldn't play the remaining 1:45 of an NFL game? Clearly he wasn't injured, was not being tended to by any conditioning coach, was not carted off the field. So why was McNabb taken out of the game with a chance to bring the team to within one TD to at least tie (or win) the game?

Shanahan puts in second string QB, Rex Grossman who had not played in an NFL game since who knows when, let alone Sunday's entire game, because...

According to Shanahan, "With Rex knowing how to run that 2-minute offense, I felt that with the time left and no time outs he gave us the best chance to win in that scenario."

Well, how did that work for ya?

I'll tell you how it worked. Detroit's sacking attack on a Redskin quarterback continued even after Grossman got in the game.

On his first play Grossman was sacked by defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, fumbling the ball straight into the arms of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (who was a scary monster the entire day). Suh carried the ball 17 yards for a touchdown that cinched a Detroit victory, and brought further doubt about this Redskins team, coach-player relationships, and the team's coaching abilities.

In two weeks we've heard the most ludracris remarks after the most ludacris performances.

Last week Jay Cutler made remarks about throwing 4 interceptions to DeAngelo Hall, and yesterday the team of Mike Shanahan made the most ludacris remarks about why they made the most detrimental executive order of the season.

We've also had the most ludacris decisions made in the last month reminiscent of the previous Jim Zorn era.

In the last month, Shananhan has decided to trade a hopeful Devon Thomas, benched Albert Haynesworth during the Indianapolis Colts game when he expressed the desire to play, quite possibly costing the team another game.

And the latest trick, benching the franchise QB at 1:45 in the 4th.

Those decisions leave me wondering if Shanahan gets some sort of preverse pleasure in throwing his most promising players under the bus.

Given those factors, I have to ask...

If you can bench the QB at the 1:45 mark in a game, can you bench the coach at the half-way marker in the season?

The team with the 1-5 record gets their second win of the season thanks to some awful play calling, some terrible blocking (McNabb was sacked 5 times), and a poor running game.

All the makings of a disastrous Halloween brew.

For the Redskins, it's back to the drawing board. They'll have two weeks to figure it all out going into their bye.

Hopefully, some regrouping, rethinking, and some restructuring during the bye will help save the rest of the season, before it, too, goes bye.

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