Baltimore junior welterweight prospect Malik Hawkins got the main prelim spot on tonight’s Davis-Nunez prelims from Royal Farms Arena, and he did his job in front of the hometown crowd, beating tough Jonathan Steele by unanimous decision.
Hawkins (16-0, 9 KO) won on scores of 78-74, 79-73, and 79-73 in a fight that was plenty competitive throughout. Hawkins, 23, is six feet tall at 140 pounds, so he’s physically intriguing as well as having some skills. He beat veteran Raymond Serrano about 16 months ago in a 10-round decision, and this win was about on that level.
Steele (9-5-1, 6 KO) might not have much of a record by the numbers, but he’s a tough, durable, and gritty fighter who comes to compete, never just cashing a check. He came right at Hawkins and hurt him a bit quickly, but Hawkins came back and largely was able to outclass Steele, who has never been stopped and weathered some good storms in this one.
All in all, a really useful learning experience for Hawkins as he works his way up.
Dylan Price UD-8 Samuel Gutierrez
Dylan Price, a 20-year-old super flyweight prospect, looked solid and promising enough in a showcase fight against tough veteran Samuel Gutierrez (16-24-6, 6 KO), winning an eight-round decision on scores of 78-74, 79-73, and 79-73.
Price (9-0, 6 KO) is hard to project at world level yet because he’s so young, he’s not an overwhelming talent, and being a super flyweight/bantamweight prospect in the States can be a bit tough to find decent opponents at the right level, but there’s a reason some folks are high on him. A lot to learn, a long road to travel, but genuine potential in there.
Kareem Martin RTD-3 Luis Avila
23-year-old junior welterweight Kareem Martin improved to 13-2-1 (4 KO) with a stoppage of Luis Avila (8-19-3, 5 KO), winning when Avila’s corner pulled their fighter after the third round. It was all one-way action, and frankly if Martin could punch, he’d have knocked Avila smooth out at some point. He was landing at will.
Martin is a talented fighter who was once thought to be a real prospect, had a couple losses to David Grayton and Ryan Karl in 2016 and 2017, but he’s won four in a row and is trying to get it all together. Never say never, he’s still young.