Professional boxing returns to North Carolina on Feb. 27 at the J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh. Presented by Stop Running Promotions and dubbed Nowhere to Run, the card pits bantamweights Dewayne Beamon and Liamine Djaouti against one another in the main event, and features several pro upstarts looking to build their resumes on the undercard.
The 30-year-old Beamon (3-0, 2 KOs) faces perhaps the toughest test of his young career in Djaouti, an experienced Frenchman with over 100 amateur fights to his name. So while the bout marks Djaouti’s pro debut, his pedigree is not exactly reflected by his blank record.
Exceptional footwork, lightning-quick hands and solid pop make Beamon a prospect worth keeping an eye on in the future if he continues racking up victories in impressive fashion. Of course, he’ll first need to take care of business against Djaouti.
If Beamon’s perpetual six-pack abs are any indication, he’ll be fit as a fiddle and ready to shine when he steps in the ring later this month. The Goldsboro, North Carolina resident’s shredded physique doesn’t exactly give off the vibe that he frequents Burger King.
Standing at 5’5″and normally campaigning at 118 pounds or a slightly higher contracted weight, Beamon once deliberately fought at 132 pounds in the North Carolina Golden Gloves tournament just to get better competition. Oh yeah, and he won the championship.
I recently touched base with Stop Running Promotions co-owner and promoter Yessica Gutierrez to get some additional information about the event, as well as to gauge her enthusiasm on Beamon-Djaouti and the rest of the card.
“Ticket prices are low! Fights are amazing! We want everyone there,” Gutierrez wrote in a message to ThaBoxingVoice.com. “We will have the No. 1 fighter from North Carolina and (No. 16) in the nation (in Dewayne Beamon) as the main event.”
Beamon is currently ranked No. 16 among super bantamweights in the USA by BoxRec.com. To clarify, Beamon considers himself a bantamweight but opted to fight a bigger guy in his last fight — Beamon’s most recent opponent weighed in at 126 1/2 pounds so Beamon came in at 123 1/2 pounds — thus he’s currently categorized as a super bantamweight for ranking purposes by BoxRec.com. The official bout sheet for Nowhere to Run lists the contracted weight limit for Beamon-Djaouti at “118 + 3,” so it will be a bantamweight scrap with a 3-pound cushion on the scale.
Here’s a list of the other fights on the card, which are of course subject to change with the event still a few weeks away:
Blake Mansfield (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Kevin Womack Jr. (7-10-3, 5 KOs)
Maynard Allison (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Braulio Soto (3-0, 3 KOs)
Benjamin Dobbs (1-0, 0 KOs) vs. Rex Harris (1-3-2, 0 KOs)
Botirali Mamadjonov (debut) vs. Tahlik Taylor (1-2, 0 KOs)
Jude Franklin (debut) vs. Randy Campbell (3-16, 2 KOs)
Zed Mitchell (5-0, 5 KOs) vs. Derek Ntifo (0-2)
Rafiq Muhammad (debut) vs. Danny Ureña (debut)
Stephon Morris (1-0, 1 KO) vs. TBD
Joshua Davis (10-1, 4 KOs) vs. Antoine Knight (3-19, 1 KO)
Seating options for the event include $10 general admission arena seats, $20 floor seats or $350 for a ringside VIP table. Tickets can be purchased here. The $40 ringside seats are already sold out according to Stop Running Promotions’ Facebook page.
Ringside Tickets have SOLD OUT!! Wow thanks to everyone that purchased their ticket. We still have $10 general admission…
Posted by Stop Running Promotions, LLC on Thursday, January 14, 2016
Check out the official Nowhere to Run promotional video below:
(Photo/video credits: Stop Running Promotions, LLC)
