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By Gary “Digital” Williams

Ten amateur boxers from the Washington, DC region completed an outstanding week of competition at the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, AR. The week culminated with two Beltway Boxers capturing the first national titles for the Beltway in five years.

Capitol Heights, MD native Gary Allen Russell, one of the younger brothers of 2008 US Olympian Gary Russell, Jr., duplicated his brother’s feat by defeating Mohamad Adam of Dearborn, MI by a 5-0 decision in the 141-pound class. Gary Russell, Jr. was the last Beltway Boxer to win a national Golden Gloves title in 2005.

The Russell family almost won two national titles in the tournament, but Gary Antonio Russell lost his championship bid to two-time US Olympian Rau’shee Warren of Cincinnati, OH by a 5-0 decision. Antonio Russell reached the finals in his first year of open competition and is just 17 years old.

The big upset came in the 152-pound division where DC native David “Day Day” Grayton, Jr. upset the defending Golden Gloves and US Amateur champion Errol Spence of DeSoto, TX by a 3-2. Spence was ranked number one in the country at this weight class.

Of the nine DC-area boxers who participated, five (The Russell Brothers, Grayton, D’Mitrius Ballard and Jerry Forrest) made it to the quarter finals. Four (The Russells, Grayton and Forrest) advanced to the semi-finals which led to the final results. DC finished second behind Florida in the overall team standings.

Here is the 2010 DC Region team:

106 pounds: Jesus Aguilera (US Naval Academy)

114 pounds: Gary Antonio Russell

123 pounds: Shadeed Floyd (The outstanding boxer at the Regional Golden Gloves in Waldorf, MD)

132 pounds: Kevin Rivers, Jr.

141 pounds: Gary Allen Russell

152 pounds: David Grayton, Jr.

165 pounds: D’Mitrius Ballard

178 pounds: Jerry Odom

201 pounds: Charles Johnson

201+ pounds: Jerry Forrest

Allen Russell and Grayton join a tremendously talented list of Beltway Boxers who have won National Golden Gloves titles.

1973 and 1974: Sugar Ray Leonard

1976: Louis “Heidi” Curtis

1978: William “Flip” Johnson

1979: Kenny “The Technician” Baysmore

1982: Warren “Chico” Thompson

1985: Eugene “Sonny” Speed

1986: Anthony Wilson

1988: Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson

1991: Melvin “Top Gun” Foster

1992: James Harris

1995: DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley

1995 and 1997: “Dangerous” Dana Rucker

1998: Lamont “Bay” Pearson

2001: Lamont Peterson

2003: Anthony Peterson

2005: Gary Russell, Jr.

2010: Gary Allen Russell, David Grayton

This star-studded list went on to accomplish much later in the amateurs and in the pros. There are three Olympians on this list (Leonard and Curtis, 1976 and Russell, Jr., 2005) three pro world champions (Leonard, Johnson and Corley) and numerous regional pro titlists.

One other name is added to this list because although he is from Philadelphia, Steve “USS” Cunningham boxed for the US Navy when he was an amateur so he fought out of the DC Region. Cunningham went on to win the IBF Cruiserweight title.

There are also three brother tandems on this list. Mark Johnson and James Harris, Lamont and Anthony Peterson, and now, the Russell Brothers.

To Read More of Gary’s work, you can visit his website Boxing Along The Beltway

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