Two years ago, Sam Hampton, then a bouncer in a Virginia Beach, Va., bar, gained a small measure of fame by shattering the jaw of former Oriole Glenn Davis in a pool-room altercation.
But last night at Teamsters Hall, Hampton, a full-blooded Choctaw Indian, proved he was a legitimate professional fighter, stopping Baltimore heavyweight Mike Whitfield at 2:50 of the first round of their scheduled eight-round main event.
"Boxing is much more respectable," said Hampton (6-2-2), who turned pro after winning a Tough Man competition in Tulsa, Okla. "That [Davis] incident is strictly in the past."
A stocky 225-pounder with a ponytail, Hampton showed poise and punching power in his brief encounter with Whitfield, a portly 246 pounds.
He caught Whitfield (3-6) early in the first round with a stiff left jab, straight right and left hook. The combination sent Whitfield flying against the ropes, with his leg scraping the canvas. That brought a mandatory eight count from referee Leo Schumacher.
Hampton wasted little time finishing the job. Another three-punch salvo dropped Whitfield flat on his back. He beat the count, but his wobbly condition and glazed eyes convinced Schumacher to end it.
By the time Hampton had mopped his brow and left the ring, several area promoters were trying to line him up for future appearances.
"This is what I want to do," said Hampton, who was stopped in the first round by Ray Anis in his previous bout. "I'm still in the learning process. But I just have to keep busy."
A crowd of 600 turned out for promoter Tank Hill's first show. It almost didn't happen, when several canceled bouts left Hill with less than the minimum of 26 rounds of boxing. But a four-rounder was added late yesterday to satisfy the Maryland Athletic Commission.
Aggressive Baltimore light-heavyweight Courtney Butler (8-1-1) used James Thomas, of Wilson, N.C., as a punching bag for more than three rounds before referee Larry Barrett stopped the lopsided bout at 1:04 of the fourth round.
Butler hurt Thomas (5-3-1) in the opening minute, and the North ** Carolinan spent the next two rounds covering on the ropes while absorbing a relentless pounding.
Baltimore middleweight Kenny Blackston (3-2) swarmed all over Philadelphia's Troy Fredrickson (0-2) and needed only 2:47 to win the fight. Blackston staggered Fredrickson early with a looping right and continued to pummel him when referee Ken Chevalier intervened. Local middleweights Kevin Johnson (2-1), of Loch Raven, and Roger Womack, making his pro debut out of Mack Lewis's Baltimore gym, fought toe-to-toe for four rounds. But Johnson floored Womack in the third round and earned a 38-37 edge on all three officials' cards.
Landover cruiserweight Arnold Fountain (1-3-1) scored his first win in five fights by out-pointing Baltimore's Courtney Bridget (2-1) in a four-rounder. Bridget failed to capitalize on his height and reach, preferring to fight out of a low crouch, playing right into Fountain's hands. He also was penalized a point for hitting low in the second round.