Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2020)—On Friday, February 28, 2020, Greenbelt, Md., native Sam “The Vanilla Gorilla” Crossed (9-0, 5KOs) will face the toughest test of his boxing career when he squares off with Baltimore’s “Slick” Nick Kisner (21-5-1, 6KOs). The 10-round matchup for the vacant Maryland Cruiserweight Championship is presented by Jeter Promotions and will take place at the world class Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Md. The bout will serve as the chief support for the main event between super middleweights Demond Nicholson (22-3-1, 20KOs) and Mike Guy (12-4-1, 6KOs).
“It is a huge fight for me that could really change my career,” Crossed said. “A win over Nick puts me in position to fight on the world stage and I am not taking this opportunity for granted.”
While this will be their first sanctioned bout, it will not be the first time Maryland pugilists have faced each other as they have sparred hundreds of rounds preparing each other for different opponents throughout their respective careers.
“We know each other very well,” the Greenbelt native said. “I have spent a ton of time in the ring with Nick over the years but this time we aren’t going to be wearing headgear and 16oz gloves.
“This isn’t going to be a sparring session and I plan to go out there and show how much I have improved from the fighter I was when I made my debut.”
The fan favorite Crossed hopes his 2020 is better than his 2019, a year in which he had a plethora of fights fall out due to issues beyond the fighter control.
“Last year was very frustrating; I had so many fights fall out,” Crossed explained. “I never lost focus though, and I feel great heading into this one.”
The Jeter Promotions card will be the first for the wildly popular Crossed’s bout at Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Md., which is just minutes from where the former Roosevelt High School football and baseball standout grew up.
“When I started this journey I figured I would have few pro bouts and then move on with my life,” the undefeated boxer stated. “To be in a position to fight for the Maryland Cruiserweight Championship in just my tenth fight in front of my hometown crowd at a venue like Live! Casino & Hotel is kind of surreal.”
Crossed previously fought on a Jeter Promotions card in 2018 and hopes to continue the relationship with world-class Maryland-based boxing promoter.
“I would like to thank Tony and Christin of Jeter Promotions for the opportunity to fight on a platform like this and for a title at this early stage of my career,” Crossed said. “ I would also like to thank my sponsors for this fight Cloakroom D.C. and Jersey Mike’s.”
