By Vince D’Writer: Dominique “Dimes” Crowder and Mia “KillerBee” Ellis both won titles in their hometown at The GTD Challenge, which took place on August 5th at Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex in Baltimore, Maryland.
The event marked the promotional debut of Nikki Cobbs and Brandi Murphy of BadGurl Promotions, as they collaborated with Calvin Ford and Kenny Ellis of GTD (Gervonta Tank Davis) Promotions.
The GTD Challenge was a very entertaining event that consisted of amateur fights, pro debuts, and a couple of promising prospects receiving the opportunity to fight for a title.
Kicking off the main card was Mayweather Promotions, highly touted welterweight prospect, and Washington D.C. native Jalil “Major” Hackett, as he defeated Jorge Rodrigo Sosa (6-8, 6 KOs). Hackett immediately set the tone in the first round by getting inside, landing accurate shots, and displaying good punch placement.
At the midway point of the opening round, Jalil Hackett landed a solid left hook followed by a left uppercut and a hard shot to the body that caused Jorge Rodrigo Sosa to take a knee. Sosa was able to continue, but 25 seconds later, Hackett landed a shot to the body that sent Sosa back down to the canvas.
Sosa survived the opening round, but in round 2, Hackett came out focused on attacking his opponent’s body. He proceeded to attack upstairs and downstairs on Sosa, and then he landed a left hook that floored Sosa for a third time.
The bout continued as the two fighters had a heavy exchange, but during the course of the exchange, Sosa got caught with an overhand right that subsequently ended the fight. With the win, Jalil Hackett remains undefeated and improved his record to (7-0, 6 KOs).
In the co-main event, the hometown favorite who developed her skills at the Upton Boxing Center, Mia “KillerBee” Ellis (7-1, 6 KOs), beat Jessica Emerick and won the National Boxing Association lightweight title.
With a five-inch height advantage, the 5 foot 9 inch Mia Ellis immediately put her height and reach to use by establishing the range and connecting with the right hand on multiple occasions. Ellis was able to land sharp combinations and connect with some solid shots to Emerick’s body.
Jessica Emerick attempted to bounce back in the second round as she was able to get inside and land a solid combination. Unfortunately for Emerick, while throwing her best offense of the fight, she got caught with a counter left hook that sent her down to the canvas and abruptly put an end to her night.
A vacant title belt was up for grabs in the main event as Baltimore native Dominique “Dimes” Crowder scored a unanimous decision victory over Filipino boxer Kenny Demecillo (17-7-2, 10 KOs) and won the WBA International bantamweight title.
In the opening round, Crowder pressed forward while working behind the jab. He proceeded to change levels with the jab, and he followed it up with some sharp lead right hands. Crowder started the second round by landing a hard one-two combination. Demecillo was trying his best to get inside, but Crowder’s jab and one-two combination kept Demecillo at bay.
Round after round, Crowder controlled the distance while dominating the action with his jab, right hand, and combination punching. Round six was Demecillo’s best round as he was able to briefly pin Crowder against the ropes and land a flurry of shots.
Other than that, it was an easy fight to score as Dominique Crowder cruised to a unanimous decision victory and improved his record to (16-0, 10 KOs). With the win, Crowder collected the WBA International title and the privilege to move up in the official boxing rankings.
In other results from the night, Rafiullah Yari (1-1) defeated Christopher Wright (0-3) by 2nd round knockout. Super middleweight Sean “Silky” Hemphill (16-1) dominated Christian Thomas (11-4) and got the 6th round stoppage.
Two super-featherweights made their pro debuts as Damari Philson (1-0) defeated Adarian Edwards (0-1) by way of first round stoppage. After being punished by Philson throughout the opening round, Edwards informed the referee that he didn’t want to continue.
A pair of middleweights also made their pro debuts as Monyae Gregory (1-0) defeated Jemorean Smith (0-1) by first round knockout. It took Gregory less than 30 seconds to land a devastating right hand, followed by a vicious left uppercut that instantly put a halt to the contest.