Preview: Phil Jackson-Benson, Mike Reed Step Up Their Game
by Gautham Nagesh
This is a huge weekend for boxing in the Capital region, and not only because heavyweight Seth Mitchell is squaring down with Chris Arreola tomorrow night on Showtime. Several local prospects including Phil Jackson-Benson, Mike Reed, and Alantez Fox will face perhaps the toughest tests of their careers on Saturday night at Rosecroft Raceway. As always, we’ll be ringside to bring you live coverage of the card from Keystone Boxing.
The main event will pit Jackson-Benson against Baltimore super middleweight Scott “Cujo” Sigmon, who has announced this will be his last professional fight, win or lose. The swan song aspect of the fight alone would sell tickets, but Sigmon has also been in with the likes of Kelly Pavlik and Farah Ennis, much better competition than Jackson has faced.
For his part, Jackson disagreed that Sigmon would be his best opponent, arguing instead for Maxell Taylor , who he stopped in May at Club One Fitness in Millersville, Md. (below)
“You can expect a knockout. It’s gonna come early,” Jackson told Stiff Jab recently. “Maxell was a good fighter. In my personal opinion, Maxell is better than Scott. It’s a step up on paper, but on experience, style and talent-wise, it’s really not. Maybe other people will be surprised, but I know what I’m gonna do.”
[[MORE]]I was ringside for that card; the main event featuring promoter Tony Jeter was cancelled late and the crowd nearly rioted when heavyweights Dennis Benson and Dwayne McRae refused to release each other in the first round. The pair tumbled to the mat in a heap and were disqualified; thankfully police eventually restored order. Jackson and Taylor went toe-to-toe for seven rounds in the main event, fighting mostly inside, where Jackson’s shorter punches and stronger frame gave him the advantage.
Jackson eventually overwhelmed Taylor with his steady pressure and determination. He expects to do the same to Sigmon, and hopes it will put him on the map of boxing’s big players.
“He doesn’t have enough for me. I’m ready for like HBO cards and those type of opponents,” Jackson said. “Anyone of these top prospects that they think is a good fighter, I’ve been trying to get them for a couple years.”
A native of New York City, Jackson moved to D.C. three years ago and remains unsigned with any manager or promoter. He admitted to having “certain people” behind him, perhaps a nod to trainer Adrian Davis and the team at Sugar Ray Leonard’s Gym, where he trains. Management aside, Jackson is serious about finding some real competition in the near future, with a potential move to light heavyweight down the road.
“Everybody says I got it, I just need to get on TV to show it,” Jackson said. “I’m a puncher, with a little bit of skills.”
Sigmon should give Jackson a chance to show off both those skills and his ability to hit with both hands. Sigmon is a very tough customer, but he is essentially a glorified club fighter and took a beating from Pavlik for seven rounds before the fight was stopped. Old fighters usually have one last great fight left in him, but one has to wonder whether Sigmon used that up years ago. Regardless, we expect a stoppage by Jackson, the only question is how long it will take.
The most intriguing fight of the night features Waldorf, Md. prospect Mike Reed, who will take on Dominican gatekeeper Ramesis Gil. Gil is the type of tough veteran that regularly takes on unbeaten prospects, and he has scalped his share along the way, including a split draw against unbeaten lightweight Jamie Kavanagh on the undercard of Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson here two years ago. Reed knows Gil could pose a risk to his perfect record, and appears to be preparing with that in mind.
I spoke to Mike briefly at the media workout last week, and he appeared confident but fully aware of the danger. I expect Mike to pass this test, but how he does it will say a lot about his potential. A stoppage would certainly draw some interest, especially after Gil fought touted prospect Karl Dargan to a split draw in his last fight. Letting the fight go the distance is a sure recipe for trouble, especially since Mike has never gone six rounds before.
Also on this card is a matchup between junior middleweights Alantez Fox (below) and Zain Shah, both of whom we have featured on this site. Shah is a trainer at LA Boxing and a talented artist, so fighting is not his full-time occupation. Fox is far younger, and part of the Headbangers team, which means he’s the prospect here. If he can stop Shah the way Harry Joe Yorgey did last November, it would go a long way toward dispelling any notions that Fox is not a puncher.
Arlington cruiserweight Albi Sadikas will meet Devon “Mr. 2-11” Mosley in what will be the second professional bout for both fighters. Neither particularly impressed me in their debuts. Mosley is a good dancer and former MMA fighter; he drew with Santos Martinez of Adrian, Mich. at Rosecroft in July. Sadikas at least won his first bout, stopping Damion Reed in the third round on the undercard of Phil Jackson-Maxell Taylor. Sadikas should win this one as well.
Unbeaten local lightweight Joshua Davis will also appear on the show; he will be the subject of Fresh Meat next week. Featherweight Marcus Bates and light heavyweight Eric Govan are also slated to appear. First bell is scheduled for 8 p.m.; tickets are reportedly going very quickly so get there early or risk missing out. And of course, if you can’t make it, follow @stiffjab on Twitter for updates.