Baltimore, MD – Cruiserweight hopeful Venroy “Hardwork” July left the ring last Saturday evening following his eight round draw with unbeaten Quantis Graves as a frustrated fighter.
July, who doubled as a main event boxer and promoted the card in front of a packed house at the Patapsco Arena in Baltimore, MD, battled a highly regarded foe but didn’t get the result he was looking for. For much of the bout, there was excessive holding along with multiple headbutts, throwing both fighters off their game. Ultimately, neither July nor Graves, 9-0-2, was able to take advantage in a bout that could best be described as a power struggle.
Scores were 77-75 July and 76-76 twice.
“I allowed Graves to get into my head.” said July, who has a professional record of 16-1-3 with 6 knockouts. “He did things to frustrate me in the fight and I’m upset I let that happen. I need to be more composed next time out because I didn’t do what I trained for. Graves’ style was also different than I thought. I expected him to box me but he threw me off guard by coming at me early on. Physically, I felt fine the whole fight. After the eighth round ended, I thought I would’ve won a decision but I’m not claiming a robbery at all.”
July, a full time lawyer who promoted this fight under the Hardwork Promotions banner, knows he has to do better next time around.
“Although I’m upset with the outcome, this was a learning experience. My level of competition is strong and I’m not looking for easy fights. Most guys in my shoes are taking easier fights and I’m looking to take on another quality opponent immediately. My goal is to fight for a title by 2015 and beating good fighters is the only way to get there.”
Unbeaten super middleweight Demond “Dbestatit” Nicholson once again showed why he is a prospect worth keeping an eye on, knocking out unbeaten Chris Rohn in 51 seconds. In other undercard action, heavyweight Dwayne “Big Ticket” McRae stopped Jonte Willis after two rounds, Alexandru Marin outpointed Alex Hipolito, Larry Reico and Travis Reeves scored first round stoppages and Taneal Goyco upset previously unbeaten Jeremy Trussell via sixth round knockout.
“The undercard was excellent,” July said. Demond Nicholson impressive and so was Reeves. We had knockouts, decisions and a big upset. We had two of the top amateurs in separate bouts with (Romanian featherweight star) Alexandru Marin and my opponent Quantis Graves, who missed out on the 2008 Olympic Team by losing to (unbeaten contender) Deontay Wilder. I’m very pleased with the card from a promotional standpoint.”
Hardwork Promotions is targeting their next fight card for late June or early July. For more on Hardwork Promotions, visit Hardworkpromotions.com
