It had been six months since
welterweight sensation Dusty Hernandez-Harrison had fought in front of his home
crowd and he gave them and himself an early birthday present.
His record is still flawless
and now at 15-0 with nine knockouts. Puerto Rico native Eddie Soto has now been
added to that list.
On May 18, Hernandez-Harrison,
a Thomas Stone High School graduate, and All-In Entertainment were showcased at
the University of the District of Columbia’s Sports Complex in Washington,
D.C., in front of nearly 3,000 people.
Hernandez-Harrison, who turned
19 on May 21, knocked down Soto in the second round and finished the bout in
the fifth round with a right-handed blow.
“It was an awesome atmosphere
for my first fight at home in six months,” Hernandez-Harrison said in a press
release. “The fans seemed to really enjoy themselves and I am glad I was able
to deliver a good show for them.”
In the same press release,
Buddy Harrison, Dusty’s trainer and father, said, “I am just so happy that he
could put on a performance like this for his fans, friends and family in
Washington, D.C.”
Westlake graduate Michael Reed
was also on the card, along with Jerry Odom, Kevin Rivers Jr., Yurii Polishchuk
and Greg Newby.
Ty Lawson of the Denver
Nuggets, Pierre Garcon of the Washington Redskins and Grammy-nominated singer
Wale were all present to support the sport and the Harrison family.
Jeff Fried, owner of All-In
Entertainment and advisor to the Harrison family, said that the recent card
opened the door for Harrison in so many ways.
“May 18 was a wonderful
success in so many ways,” Fried said. “Starting with Dusty’s performance in the
ring and continued development as a professional boxer, an enthusiastic crowd
further confirming Dusty’s status as the marquee boxer from this region and the
manner in which the overall promotion was handled.”
Fried said that 2013 will
indeed be a busy year for Harrison. He has more fights lined up for Harrison,
but they are only focusing on one at a time.
Harrison will step in the ring
again June 29 as part of the undercard of an HBO broadcast from the MGM Grand
at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.
“This is a different look for
Dusty,” Fried said. “As we said at the end of last year, 2013 will be a busy
year for Dusty’s development, and that continues in late June and then summer
and fall, but we never like to talk about any bout but the next one, so all
focus is on June 29 and Dusty will be fighting back home before [the] year
ends.
“The fan outpouring for Dusty
and the other future world champions to come back to Washington, D.C., started
right after the May 18 bout, and we will be selling out another Washington,
D.C., venue in the fall.”
Odom, a super middleweight
from Bowie, said he was happy to be back in front of his home crowd. He
defeated Drew Morias (1-2) when referee Dave Braslow stopped the contest just 1
minute 5 seconds into the bout.
“I was happy to be on this
card and being home to show off my talent,” Odom said. “It went well. I
received another first-round knockout, and that feels good.”
Odom is now 4-0 and has kept
all of his opponents contained within the first round.
“I know I haven’t [fought past
the first round], but sooner or later I may go more, I can’t knock everybody
out,” Odom said.
Odom trains under Xavier Biggs
and said he’s working on his form, speed and endurance.
“There’s never enough training
for all of these.” Odom said.
Odom is still very busy
outside of the ring, studying media communication via online classes through
Full Sail University and has a 3.0 GPA.
Rivers Jr., 22, improved to
7-0 with five knockouts as the Palmer Park resident handled Jason Rorie of
Winston-Salem, N.C., (6-17) in a fourth-round unanimous decision.
Junior welterweight Reed
(Dream Team), 20, did not face his opponent. He was set to face Damon Antoine,
but Antoine refused the bout, even after being offered a larger purse. Reed is
set to fight July 13 at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington.
Reed could not be reached for
comment by press time. (Source)
