Trevor Bryan, Ilunga Makabu defend their respective titles during Don King's boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio, King a Cleveland native and legendary boxing promoter who publishes the Call and Post Newspaper, a Black Cleveland weekly that is also distributed in Columbus and Cincinnati....Activists, elected officials and others from Cleveland were among those in attendance...By editor Kathy Wray Coleman of Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

 


WBC Crusierweight Champion, the reigning WBC cruiserweight champion, defends his title against Thabiso Mchunu at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on Sat., Jan 29, 2022, one of two main events promoted by legendary boxing promoter Don King, a Cleveland native

Activist Dorothy Walwyn, Brother Robert "Bob" Saffold, who is the stepfather of U.S. HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, Activist Kathy Wray Coleman of Imperial Women Coalition, Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell, and Activist Alfred Porter Jr. of Black on Black Crime at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on  Sat., Jan 29, 2022  (Photo by Louie Moore)

 
Clevelanders, dressed to the nines, attend the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on  Sat., Jan 29, 2022 (Photo and all photos herein after by Dorothy Walwyn of Cleveland)

Legendary boxing promoter Don King and Cleveland Fox8  News Idol Tina Farmer at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on  Sat., Jan 29, 2022

Cleveland activists Kathy Wray Coleman and Dorothy Walwyn enjoy themselves at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on  Sat., Jan 29, 2022

 WBA Heavyweight Champion Trevor Bryan prepares to defend his title at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on Sat., Jan 29, 2022

Jonathan Guidry at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on Sat.,  Jan 29, 2022. Guidry lost to MBA Heavyweight Champion Trevor Bryan in one of two main events relative to the six card fight

Fans enjoy themselves at the championship boxing extravaganza in Warren, Ohio hosted by Don King Productions on  Sat., Jan 29, 2022, a six-championship  fight card

clevelandurbannews.com and kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief. Coleman is a former public school biology teacher and a seasoned Black political. legal and investigative reporter who trained as a reporter at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio for 17 years.

WARREN, Ohio - WBA Heavyweight Champion Trevor Bryan and WBC Crusierweight Champion Ilunga Makabu defended their respective titles and participated in the two featured events of a six-championship fight card hosted on Sat, Jan 29  by legendary boxing promoter and Call and Post Publisher Don King and Don King Productions at the W.D. Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio, a  city 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. Tickets for the boxing extravaganza that was streamed via pay-per view for $59 ranged from $83 for regular seating to $595 for ringside seats.

In the first of the two featured bouts Bryan, an undefeated WBA world heavyweight champion since 2021, defeated Jonathan Guidry, previously undefeated, to take the split decision at the end of a 12-round fight. That fight continually brought the crowd to its feet, including when Brant knocked Guidry to his feet at the end of the 12th round.

The other main event was a  closely-watched fight too as Makabu, the reigning WBC cruiserweight champion, defeated Thabiso Mchunu by split decision and now could be set up to defend his title against Canelo Alvarez in May. 

By distinction, Tyson Fury, however, is the current WBC heavy wight boxing champion of the world and was not among those boxing Saturday night in Warren. 

“WBA” is an acronym for the “World Boxing Association” while the “WBC” is the short form for the “World Boxing Council,"  Both organizations are affiliated with boxing as a sport and conduct activities that sanction official matches between boxing fighters and, at the same time, award boxing titles in different weight categories. Boxing greats like Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield were world championship boxers who won WBC titles during their heydays.

A multimillionaire, King, 90 and a Cleveland native, took to stage to welcome the crowd along side of an entree of people, including his daughter, Deborah King, his nephew, the Rev Dale Edwards, who manages the Call and Post, and Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell, who also spoke. The talented Tina Farmer, the idol for Cleveland Fox8 News, which held a local competition that mirrored American Idol, sang the National Anthem before the event got underway. 

King said he was elated to bring championship boxing to the Cleveland area and Northeast, Ohio and  that a major purpose of the gathering was so that people could "enjoy ourselves again and not be ruined by COVID."

It was a packed night of boxing that featured six bouts with championships at issue as boxing fans from Warren, Canton, Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and other parts of Ohio, and from places like Pittsburgh and as far away as Las Vegas came out, as did some mainstream media, including the the Daily Mail in London, England. 

Rev Edwards, the executive director and editor of the Call and Post, a Black Cleveland weekly that King has owned and operated since 1998,  distributed some complimentary tickets to some Cleveland activistschildren and those who could not afford to attend.

"We had a fabulous time," said Black on Black Crime president Alfred Porter Jr. of Cleveland, who had upfront floor tickets." And we thank Don King and Rev Edwards for giving back to the community."

Latisha Powell of Cleveland said she was grieving over her son who died last year after being shot in his home by a suspect who remains at large and has yet to be identified by police when an activist invited her to the event with complimentary tickets from King. 

"It really made my day and my family went with me, including my father, a Don King fan." Powell said. "Thank you Mr. King."

City officials of Warren thanked King for spotlighting the city of some 42,000 residents and dubbed the day "Don KIng Day." 

While some of the attendees were dressed in an ordinary fashion, others, mainly Black people, were dressed to the nines in mink coats, and other furs, both men and women alike.

The first fight of the night featured Tre’Sean Wiggins and Cody Wilson, Wiggins knocking out Wilson by TKO in the third round  to win the North American Boxing Associated welterweight title.

Dacarree Scott earned the NABA  the gold heavyweight  after he defeated Ahmed Hefny by split decision, Scott a late replacement for Alonzo Butler.

Johnnie Langston took the NABA cruiserweight championship by TKO after knocking down Nick Kisner three times in the fourth round, and Michael Moore of Northeast Ohio  won a unanimous decision against Anthony Lenk to win the final fight of the night, But Moore could not claim the NABA middleweight title due to wight constraints as he missed the four pounds needed to qualify. 

clevelandurbannews.com and kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Former WOIO 19 Action News Anchor in Cleveland Sharon Reed lands new anchor job, her lawyer says rumors about LeBron James fathering her baby are false, had threatened to sue on her behalf, Reed is famous for posing nude for Spenser Tunick's nude group photo shoot

Corrupt and racist University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld is booted from office by voters following claims of spending irregularities of taxpayers money, racism against Black residents, police abuse of Blacks as city safety director, and of running a theft ring of county residents homes via illegal foreclosure activity led by JPMorgan Chase Bank.....University Heights is a Cleveland suburb....Others involved in the theft ring or retaliation against homeowners who complain include corrupt common pleas judges such as Judges John O'Donnell and Carolyn Friedland, Chief County Foreclosure Magistrate and University Heights Resident Stephen Bucha, and his wife, an attorney with the law firm of Lerner Sampson and Rothfuss, who represents corrupt mortgage companies and banks, including JP Morgan Chase Bank... Others involved include racist and corrupt University Hts Police Sgt Dale Orians, former county prosecutor Bill Mason, who is a partner with Bricker and Eckler, which represents JPMorgan Chase Bank, and current County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley, who was Mason's deputy....Drunken Shaker Heights Judge KJ Montgomery, who also hears criminal cases for University Hts, has Blacks illegally prosecuted who complain of the theft of their homes, as does O'Malley..... Judge Montgomery is top in issuing excessive and illegal warrants against the Black community....All of the aforementioned are corrupt and activists want them indicted and prosecuted....This is Part 1 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption by Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog with some 5 million views on Google Plus alone.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com

Chief and unfair Cuyahoga County Judge John Russo loses authority-Part 2 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption: New Ohio law on seeking possible removal of a municipal court judge in a case for bias or conflict via the filing of an affidavit of prejudice takes authority to decide from chief Cuyahoga County Presiding Judge John Russo, other chief common pleas judges in Ohio, and hands it to the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, who also determines affidavits of prejudice filed against common pleas, probate, juvenile, domestic relations, and state appellate court judges....Most affidavits of prejudice are denied regardless of the merits and some judges complained of will retaliate, data show... Community activists, led by Cleveland activist Kathy Wray Coleman of the Imperial Women Coalition, lobbied the Cleveland NAACP for support and asked state legislators via state Rep Bill Patmon (D-10) of Cleveland to change the law but wanted a panel of judges and others to decide when a judge in Ohio is disqualified from hearing a case for bias or conflict....Coleman says she has since been further harassed by Chief Cuyahoga County Judge John Russo, who is White and leads a racist and sexist common pleas court fueled with corruption, malicious prosecutions, excessive criminal bonds, ineffective assistance of counsel to poor and Black defendants, and the mass incarceration of the Black community....By www.clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspapers....This is part 2 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption