An explosive night of professional boxing in Wilmington, Delaware, features David “Hot Sauce” Hardy Jr.’s fifth-round TKO victory, Jalique Holden’s hard-fought majority decision, and impressive performances from A.T. McCowin, Sedreana Leonard, and Frankie Lynn
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq.
Date: October 24, 2026
Venue: Police Athletic League of Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware
Promoters: Greg Pritchett & Rashad Brown—Strict Biz Promotions
Matchmakers: Rashad Brown, Helen Hall & Greg Pritchett
Ring Announcer: Samad Haq
Referees: Dave Braslow & Shawn Clark
Ring Card Ladies: Trinity Brown, Mya Cardona & Juliana Vasick
Doctor: Mayda Melendez
Timekeeper: Fredric Blumstein
Coverage: FCLTV.com
Commentators: Marc Jackson Sr., & Bradley Featherstone
Gloves: “Put Up Your Dukes” brand – www.kdukesboxing.com
Ring: Ricardo “The Ringmaster” Caraballo @ricardosringrental
Photos: Darryl Cobb Jr. & Kenny Ludwig (where noted)
Delaware fans are the best! Tonight, they gathered at Wilmington’s Police Athletic League for another evening of professional boxing from Strict Biz Promotions. Beside me in the VIP section sat legendary Philadelphia sports journalist and actor Billy “Billy V” Vargus—the sports anchor who single-handedly put Fox 29 on the map. It was a pleasure to talk boxing with him again. The five-bout card showcased rising prospects—the future of the sport. Two knockouts and three evenly matched, action-packed contests gave us plenty to discuss.
The crowd grew especially vocal during the fourth bout, the co-main event, with fans shouting, “Pass the hot sauce!” Philadelphia trainer Quilly Hughes, who assisted Hardy’s trainers for this bout, added his own emphatic call: “Pass the motherfucking hot sauce!”
The six-round co-main event matched twenty-year-old featherweight prospect David “Hot Sauce” Hardy Jr. of Chester, Pennsylvania, against rugged, relentless twenty-nine-year-old Jerrod “The Golden Nugget” Miner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hardy entered with a record of 6 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 4 kos; Miner stood at 2 wins – 17 losses – 2 draws -1 ko. At 5 feet 10 inches, Hardy towered over the 5-foot-4 Miner, who resembles a smaller version of the late, great light-heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Miner has a lion’s heart, and I doubt he has ever been in a bad fight. He has the skills; I’m confident his record would look very different with the care and attention Hardy’s career has received. Despite what appears to be gross career mismanagement, Miner keeps accepting all challengers. The bout promised a vivid clash of styles—a pugilistic ballet pitting brute force against chess-like strategy and testing both fighters’ physical and mental abilities.
Miner emerged first from the dressing room, wearing American flag trunks. Hardy followed with a more elaborate entrance, flanked by approximately ten youngsters, ages 8–13, dressed in army fatigues. He entered the ring wearing army-fatigue trunks and a jacket, topped off with a campaign hat featuring a stiff, wide brim and an adjustable chin strap.
Miner attacked at the opening bell with Hardy demonstrating his defensive prowess, blocking or rolling with the shots. Miner received a warning from referee Braslow for attempting to throw Hardy to the ground during a clinch. The fight continued with Miner in pursuit with Hardy using his height and reach to box from long distance. Towards the end of the round, Hardy opened the “hot sauce” and unleased a few vicious uppercuts and hooks before the bell ended the opening stanza.
Hardy carried his momentum into the second round. Rather than rely on his height and reach, he outworked Miner inside, landing crisp uppercuts to the midsection followed by left hooks around Miner’s right side. Toe-to-toe, the taller fighter outdueled his compact opponent, who might have been expected to excel at close range. The pace continued through the third and fourth rounds. In the fourth, Hardy entertained the crowd with a brief “shimmy,” shaking his hips and arms before returning to work. He outpunched Miner, who fought back valiantly, as Hughes delighted Hardy’s fans by shouting, “Pass the motherfucking hot sauce!” from the corner. Miner’s toughness was undeniable: in seventeen previous losses, he had failed to reach the final bell only once.
Hardy opened the fifth-round intent on a devastating finish. It was time to pour the hot sauce. He caught Miner off guard early, unloading straight rights, uppercuts, and hooks in a barrage reminiscent of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The onslaught drove the courageous Miner backward until referee Braslow intervened to prevent serious damage. Hardy won by technical knockout at 38 seconds of round five, capping a highly entertaining clash of styles. Pass the motherfucking hot sauce!
The main event paired undefeated junior-lightweight Jalique “No Duck” Holden (10 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) of Wilmington, Delaware, with Joshua Draughter (8 wins – 7 losses – 1 draw – 1 ko) of New Orleans, Louisiana, in a scheduled eight-round bout. This high-stakes tactical chess match went the distance, with neither boxer in danger of being stopped. Holden preserved his perfect record with a majority decision: 78-74 and 77-75 in his favor, with the dissenting judge scoring it 77-75 for Draughter.
Little separated the boxers in a difficult-to-score opening round, as both jabbed and traded occasional punches in a customary feeling-out period. The second followed the same pattern: each probed for openings behind the jab while maintaining a sound defense. I scored the next three rounds for Holden, who was busier than Draughter. The sixth was another close contest of jabs, though Draughter landed a straight right with fewer than ten seconds remaining. Holden attacked early in the seventh, and Draughter responded with equal intensity. Holden clearly won the final round by dictating the pace. The rising prospect faced a stern test against a formidable opponent. As the late, great Leroy “Bucky” Davis would say, “Draughter came to get down, not to lay down!”
The night opened with a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout between Philadelphia’s Dominique Mayfield (4 wins – 2 losses – 1 draw – 0 kos) and Wilmington, Delaware’s A.T. “The Atomic Dog” McCowin (1 win – 0 losses – 0 draws – 0 kos). At 6 feet 2 inches and 290 lbs., Mayfield stood 5 inches taller and weighed 60.5 lbs. more than McCowin, making his opponent look like a middleweight. McCowin offset that size disadvantage with speed and smooth, intermittent stance changes. The opening round was close, with both boxers jabbing from a distance to establish the pace. McCowin missed several overhand rights late in the round.
The second round followed a similar pattern: McCowin jabbed and launched overhand rights while Mayfield worked behind his own jab. Mayfield remained too patient, seemingly waiting for the perfect knockout punch. Later in the round, McCowin rushed forward and met a counter left hook from his larger opponent. It was another closely contested round.
McCowin began the third round as a southpaw, apparently hoping to confuse Mayfield. The switch paid off when he landed a right hook followed by a straight left that knocked Mayfield down. Mayfield rose before referee Braslow’s count passed three. After checking him, Braslow allowed the fight to resume. Mayfield recovered quickly, returned to his jab, and landed several body shots.
McCowin opened the fourth and final round with an overhand right that missed its target. Mayfield stalked him for much of a clinch-heavy round with few clean punches, though he landed a straight left to the body. McCowin won the tactical contest by unanimous decision, with scores of 40-35 and 39-36 twice. It was Mayfield’s second consecutive loss, leaving him with 0 wins – 2 losses – 1 draw in his last three fights, dating to February 2025. I hope he returns to the winner’s circle; his record does not reflect his talent. He needs to be more aggressive behind his jab.
The second bout, a four-round contest, matched Philadelphia junior-middleweight Nicole “Authentic Queen Nic” Fisher (1 win – 0 losses – 0 draws – 0 kos) against debuting Sedreana “Poodie” Leonard of Saint Louis, Missouri. At 5 feet 6 inches, Fisher stood three inches taller than Leonard, whose listed height of 5 feet 3 inches seemed generous from a distance. The judges awarded Leonard a unanimous decision, scoring 40-36 and 39-37 twice, but I had Fisher winning. I saw Fisher control the action from outside, jab consistently, and pivoted away from danger as the busier boxer. Neither fighter was knocked down or appeared close to a knockout loss. Leonard pressed forward, but aggression without clean contact should not win rounds. The scorecards suggested the judges saw Leonard out-land Fisher; my eyes told a different story. Perhaps I should schedule my annual eye examination early. I thought Fisher had been robbed, but all three judges disagreed.
The third bout, a scheduled six-round welterweight contest, paired Frankie Lynn (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draw – 3 kos) of Chester, Pennsylvania, with Anthony Dill (3 wins – 3 losses – 0 draws – 3 kos) of New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lynn won by technical knockout at 3:00 of round two after referee Shawn Clark ruled Dill unable to continue with a broken left hand. Before the bout, Dill waited in the ring for nearly ten minutes before Lynn emerged from his dressing room to deafening cheers, wearing a white robe, an oversized gold-colored chain, and a long false beard. Clark completed the pre-fight formalities, and the boxers and their handlers returned to their corners.
Lynn attacked at the opening bell as Dill bobbed, weaved, and switched to southpaw. Lynn pushed him to the ropes, but Dill escaped, smiling as he landed an uppercut. The round was close. In the second, Dill again fought southpaw, keeping his hands down while bobbing and weaving along the ropes for much of the round. After the bell, referee Clark went to Dill’s corner, and the bout was soon stopped. Dill had broken his left hand, though how it happened was unclear. I hope they meet again so fans can see this much-anticipated matchup play out.
Strict Biz Promotions’ Greg Pritchett and Rashad Brown delivered another memorable night—a full-course boxing feast. They have a winning formula and know how to draw the fans. One day, I expect both to earn places in several boxing halls of fame. Kudos to the ring-ladies -Trinity, Mya and Juliana – job well done.
Throughout the main event, Princess Bey urged Holden to score a knockout, shouting, “Hurry up I have to be to work by 11!” Hopefully, she wasn’t late for her shift.
I look forward to Billy V’s next movie—and prays that he has a role for a Jamaican!
Pass the motherfucking hot sauce!
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
