Noble, King Ja, Hunter & Green Turn Father’s Day Weekend Into a Night of Fire Inside the Ring
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq.
Date: June 13, 2026
Venue: First District Plaza – Philadelphia, PA
Promoters: Dominic Walton—Teflon Promotions
Matchmaker: Dominic Walton
Ring Announcer: Kyle Brown
Referees: Eric Dale & David Fields
Doctor: Dr. Tony Al-Amin
Ringcard Ladies: Mimi, Bri & Diamond
Timekeeper: Alice “The G.O.A.T” Grady
Coverage: Millions.co
Commentators: Marc Abrams, Eric “Outlaw” Hunter & Chris Kennedy
Gloves: “Put Up Your Dukes” brand – www.kdukesboxing.com
Photos: Darryl Cobb Jr.
Billed as “Father’s Day Brawl,” the seven-bout card drew strong anticipation. It featured four four-round fights and three six-round fights, with competitors ranging from flyweight to heavyweight and three boxers making their professional debuts. Ring announcer Kyle Brown was also impressive in his debut, delivering a standout performance that suggested he is here to stay.
My previous visit to this venue was on January 28, 2012, for a five-bout card promoted by Percy Custus of Shuler’s Gym. That show was headlined by light heavyweight Dhafir “No Fear” Smith, who won a six-round decision over Quinton “Renegade” Rankin. It also featured ring announcer Alex Barbosa, who improved to 2-0 with a win over Luis “The Wolf” Rivera. Current junior lightweight prospect Rasheen “Sugar Sheen” Brown, now 15-1 with nine knockouts, appeared on that card as a 13-year-old, 75-pounder in a three-round exhibition against Tryon Witherspoon. Returning to First District Plaza after a 14-year hiatus was a pleasure.
The main event matched unbeaten 26-year-old, 5 ft 9 inches Philadelphia lightweight prospect Jabril Noble (8 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) against Ivan Delgado Alvarado (6 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 4 kos) of Monterrey, Mexico, in a scheduled six-round bout. Delgado, a 36-year-old southpaw standing 6 feet entered the ring first. A few minutes later, the house speakers blared “Children’s Story,” the classic 1989 track by British American rapper Slick Rick:
Once upon a time not long ago
When people wore pajamas and lived life slow
When laws were stern and justice stood
And people were behavin’ like they ought ta good
There lived a lil’ boy who was misled
By anotha lil’ boy and this is what he said
“Me and Ty, we gonna make sum cash
Robbin’ old folks and makin’ the dash…
Noble made a classic, dignified ring walk alongside trainer Greg “Hotshot” Hackett. His music choice was a welcome change from many of the earlier walkout songs, which were filled with profanity, sexually explicit lyrics, and the use of the “N-word.” I appreciated his decision to use a rap classic that brought back fond memories.
Having followed Jabril Noble since his amateur days, I believe he is a future world champion and one of boxing’s brightest prospects. He is a skilled boxer who names James “Lights Out” Toney, Meldrick Taylor, and the late Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum among his favorites. Their influence is evident in his style: strong defense, hand speed, smart punch selection, and effective body work. It was no surprise, then, that Noble took control early, setting the pace with his jab and landing to the body. Delgado, a southpaw, tried to smother him and force clinches, which made the fight messy at times. Even so, it felt like only a matter of time before Noble solved him. Noble was clearly ahead 3-0 going into the fourth round.
Whenever Greg Hackett is in a fighter’s corner, I pay close attention because the Philadelphia trainer is both highly knowledgeable and engaging. From his body language between rounds, it was clear he was not satisfied. Noble came out for the fourth round with urgency, working behind his jab and dropping Delgado with a sharp straight right. Delgado beat the count, and referee Eric Dali made sure he was fit to continue. Once the action resumed, Noble pressed the attack. A well-placed left hook and another straight right snapped Delgado’s head back, sending him to the canvas, flat on his back as thought he was sunbathing on the beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Referee Dali immediately stopped the fight, awarding Noble a technical knockout at 2:25 of the fourth round. It was another impressive step forward in Noble’s march up the championship ladder.
In the third fight of the night Teflon Promotions’ signee, debuting flyweight Jasir “King Ja” Junior of Newburg, New York stole the show! When I heard the moniker “King Ja” – I was confident that a Jamaican fighter was on the card. Photographer Darryl Cobb Jr. brought me back to reality that it was “Ja” and not “Jah.” If that small distinction went over your head – let your Jamaican friend or co-worker explain. Nevertheless, I couldn’t believe what I saw in the ring!
Standing 5 ft 2 inches – tipping the scale at 106.8 lbs – the 21-year-old, 16 times USA National Amateur champion is Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor, Joltin’ Jeff Chandler and my childhood friend & teammate Leroy “Bucky” Davis rolled into one! And he came “to get down!”
Boxing since he was three years old under the tutelage of his uncle/trainer Leonard Lee, King Ja had 456 amateur bouts and I had to joke, “he isn’t Cuban!” The loss of his younger brother Naheem in January 2024, has ignited a fire that will scorch divisions from flyweights to featherweight for at least the next decade and half. The bell rang for the opening round and “King Ja” attacked as though Avila had slapped his Mama! I immediately said to Jamil Ali, President USA Boxing Mid-Atlantic Region, who was seated next to me, “This little guy seems like he has an anger management problem!” It was evident that this was more than a fight – it was personal. I later discovered that Avila called King Ja “a bitch” at the weigh-in! It wasn’t a wise move. There is no need to give a highly skilled prospect extra motivation!
A three-legged giraffe with a broken front foot had a better chance of survival on the Serengeti Plains than Avila had of making it to the bell ending the first round. King Ja blanketed his opponent – slipping, blocking and rolling punches while landing with power and precision to Avila’s head and body! Thank God Referee Eric Dali is one of the best in the business – cat-like reflexes and is always in position to assess damage. He jumped in and stopped the fight at 1:24 saving Avila from leaving the ring on a stretcher! Avila slid down a razor blade and landed in an alcohol river!
Grab a pen and write down “Jasir ‘King Ja’ Junior.” The question isn’t whether he will win a World Title, the questions are “How soon?” and “How many?” Call me Hansondamus!
The co-main event, the fourth bout of the night, was a scheduled six-round junior welterweight contest between undefeated 19-year-old Philadelphia southpaw Kadeem “Speedy” Hunter (7 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) and 38-year-old Carlos Gaston Suarez (9 wins – 12 losses – 3 draws – 2 kos) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hunter’s father and trainer, Eric “Outlaw” Hunter—a former featherweight world title challenger and 2025 Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame inductee—had originally been scheduled to fight on the card. Although that bout did not materialize, he remained busy in his son’s corner and later served as a commentator for the rest of the event.
Hunter dominated from the opening bell and looked every bit like a rising star, dropping Suarez five times in two rounds before referee David Fields stopped the fight at 42 seconds of the second round. Working behind his southpaw jab, Hunter controlled the action early. Midway through the first round, he accidentally clipped Suarez with an elbow, but there was no apparent damage. Soon after, a combination ending with a right hook to the body sent Suarez to the canvas for the first time. Suarez beat the count, the referee completed his checks, and the bout continued.
Suarez had little time to recover before Hunter floored him again with a straight left to the chin. After beating another count, Suarez was dropped a third time when Hunter pinned him in the corner and drove a left uppercut into his midsection. He made it through the rest of the round, but Hunter had full control.
Early in the second round, Hunter scored a fourth knockdown with a hook. Suarez again showed toughness by getting up, but moments later Hunter landed a crushing straight left that sent him down for the fifth time. At that point, Suarez’s corner threw in the towel, ending the one-sided bout. Hunter was awarded a technical knockout at 42 seconds of round two after scoring five knockdowns in a dominant performance.
In the opening bout, a scheduled four-round heavyweight fight, debuting 21-year-old Demalik Miguel of Baltimore, Maryland, who stood 6 feet 1 inch and weighed 254 pounds, made quick work of 36-year-old Breon Bryant of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who was 5 feet 9 inches and 201 pounds. Bryant entered first, accompanied by ring-walk music heavy with use of the “N-word.” Miguel, a former high school quarterback and safety, took control immediately after the opening bell. Using his jab to stalk the smaller Bryant, he followed with a left uppercut and a straight right that sent Bryant to the canvas. Referee Eric Dali counted him out, and Miguel was declared the winner by knockout 38 seconds into the first round in an impressive professional debut.
The second bout, a scheduled four-round featherweight contest, matched debuting 22-year-old Ethan Gonzalez of Trenton, New Jersey, against 25-year-old Luis Orlando Verdugo Arrollo (5 wins – 3 losses – 0 draws – 0 kos) of Sonora, Mexico. It was a competitive, tactical fight throughout. Gonzalez used his jab effectively and landed to both the head and body, while Arrollo answered with his own jab and occasional overhand right. The opening round was close and could have gone either way. The bout followed a similar pattern from there, but Gonzalez consistently landed the cleaner shots, including several hooks to the head and body, and gradually took control. There were no knockdowns, and neither fighter was ever in serious trouble. Although Gonzalez suffered a cut over his right eye from a headbutt while boxing mostly from the outside, it did not affect the outcome, he had cutman Danny Davis in his corner! Two judges scored the fight 40-36 and the third had it 39-37, all for Gonzalez, who earned a unanimous decision in an exciting, tactical debut.
The fifth bout, a scheduled six-round super-middleweight matchup between two Philadelphia fighters, featured 36-year-old Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker (16 wins – 14 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) against 35-year-old Tariq “Showtime” Green (7 wins – 4 losses – 2 draws – 3 kos). The two had sparred over the years and knew each other well.
Brooker was returning from a long layoff after a first-round knockout loss to unbeaten light-heavyweight prospect Najee Lopez on July 12, 2023. Green last fought on Teflon Promotions’ March 7, 2026, card, where he earned a six-round unanimous decision over James Martin at the Philadelphia Sixth Man Center. Given Brooker’s inactivity, it was reasonable to expect the layoff to be a major factor.
Green came out aggressively in the opening round, working behind his jab and quickly landing a right hand to Brooker’s ear that briefly stunned him. Brooker answered while moving backward, and the bout immediately proved competitive. In the final seconds of the round, Green landed a sharp right uppercut that got Brooker’s attention before the bell sounded. In the second round, Green kept pressing the action as Brooker’s trainer, Reverend Elvin Thompson, shouted instructions from the corner. Brooker stayed composed and boxed on the move, but Green continued to close the distance and landed several hard shots late in the round.
Green maintained control in the third, pumping his jab and following with power shots. Referee Dali warned him once for a low blow, but Green kept the pressure on. Brooker continued firing while backing up, yet midway through the round Green trapped him on the ropes and unleashed a heavy combination that sent him through the ropes and onto the canvas, with his head and upper body draped over the apron. Dali counted to ten and waved the fight off, giving Green a knockout victory at 1:52 of the third round
Brooker, now 36, has had a memorable career and has a strong professional path at the University of Pennsylvania where he is employed. After giving fans many entertaining fights, this may be the right time for him to step away from boxing and focus on his career outside the ring.
The sixth fight of the night stunned the Philadelphia crowd into silence. Highly touted Philadelphia cruiserweight Vaughn “V-Hustle” Adams (1 win – 0 losses – 0 draws – 1 ko) was ahead two rounds to none when Shawn “Lethal” Shultz (0 wins – 2 losses) of Indianapolis, Indiana, knocked him out at 1:59 of the third round, leaving him helpless on the canvas. The ending was shocking, but before getting to the knockout, the setup matters.
I was ringside for Adams’ professional debut on November 22, 2025, when he scored a first-round knockout in just 33 seconds. At the time, I wrote: “I am not one to pontificate, prognosticate or even hesitate, allow me to state my position. V-Hustle is a special project with an extremely bright future contingent on his pursuit of excellence, the ability to listen to his trainers and develop at a rapid pace.” Standing 6 feet 4 inches, the 35-year-old is still learning on the job. With no amateur experience, he must be moved carefully and strategically.
Adams controlled the opening round behind his jab, keeping his 5-foot-11 opponent at distance. Shultz repeatedly switched between orthodox and southpaw stances, trying to disrupt Adams’ rhythm, while Adams landed several solid body shots. Shultz missed with a few overhand rights, but Adams’ low guard concerned me. With his hand resting near his hip, I turned to Jamil Ali beside me and said, “V-Hustle better keep that hand up!”
In the second round, Adams kept boxing behind his jab, but his lead hand remained dangerously low. Shultz continued switching stances so smoothly that it was clear his record did not reflect his experience. Despite that, Adams won the round, hurting Shultz with a right uppercut and controlling the pace. Still, Shultz’s constant stance changes were difficult to read—even from ringside.
Then came the turning point. As Shultz shifted from southpaw to orthodox and brought his left leg forward, he launched a perfectly timed overhand left that landed flush on Adams’ chin and badly hurt him. Shultz immediately attacked, unloading a rapid combination that sent Adams face-first to the canvas. The crowd was stunned as referee Fields waved off the fight and the ringside doctor entered the ring. Shultz had spent two rounds studying Adams’ flaws and capitalized on his habit of carrying his lead hand too low. This was not luck; it was the product of gym work, amateur experience, and preparation. Shultz did not come to lay down—he came to get down!
I am confident Adams will learn from this loss and continue moving forward. During the post-fight interview, I shared advice my trainer once gave me after a defeat: “This was a misdemeanor—you missed this one. It’s time to get meaner!”
Once again, Teflon Promotions delivered a sensational night of boxing. Kudos to the officials and to the ring-card ladies, Mimi, Bri, and Diamond. Thank you to Allanah Richman of Teflon Promotions Public Relations for keeping us informed and for her hospitality.
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
ghanson18@icloud.com
