JETER LOOKING FORWARD TO FIGHTING LANGE
By Michael Walters

UPDATE: Lange weighed in at 154 pounds, while Jeter came in at 158. In the co-feature, Brandon Quarles (6-0) and John Mackey (13-8-3) both weighed 157 pounds. Harry Joe Yorgey (25-1-1) will fight on the undercard at 162 pounds, two pounds heavier than Zain Shah (5-0).

Jimmy Lange will once again headline a card at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia when he takes on little-known middleweight Tony Jeter (14-3-1, 10KOs). Best known for his stint on the reality series The Contender, Lange (38-4-2, 25 KOs) has become somewhat of a boxing franchise in Fairfax, having appeared on 14 cards at the college basketball arena which regularly attract pwards of 5,000 people. In Jeter, he will be facing a suburban Washington D.C., local who has fought on three of Lange’s undercards at the Patriot Center. Jeter has nothing but kind words for Lange and what he has done for fighters in the area.

“I think the Langes have done so much good for the boxers in this area,” Jeter said. Jeter credits Lange with keeping boxing relevant in the Beltway region and feels as though the opportunity that Lange has provided for local fighters has been invaluable.

None of that will matter on Oct. 27th, though, according to Jeter. “I have nothing bad to say about him, but dude when fight time comes -- I am going to kick his ass,” Jeter said. “I am going to f*ck Jimmy Lange up. This is real talk, it ain’t going to be like his last couple fights, that’s for sure.”

Jeter, who didn’t take up boxing until he was in his early teens, is a former two-time Washington, D.C. region Golden Gloves champion who had an amateur record of 84-16. The Marylander turned pro in 2001, after a failed attempt to make the 2000 Olympic team.

When Jeter turned to the pro ranks 2001, he quickly signed a promotional contract with another Prince Georges County, Md., native, the legendary "Sugar" Ray Leonard. Jeter joined a stable of fighters at SRL Boxing that included future champions Paul Williams, Carlos Quintana, Bernard Dunne and former champion Verno Phillips.

Jeter’s time with SRL Boxing didn’t last long. He lost a four-round unanimous decision to Kwame Bumpus in his hometown of Philadelphia on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights in October of 2001, and subsequently left the sport for four years.

“I should have went with a local promoter like a Gene Molovinsky so they could have built me up. Even at 25, I wasn’t mature enough. Physically I wasn’t mature enough, mentally I wasn’t mature enough and then I took that L (loss) and that was it,” Jeter said.

During the next seven years he would only fight twice, but since returning to the ring in 2008, the former Golden Gloves champion has been a staple in the beltway region.

Jeter, who promoted his first professional show in September, doesn’t see himself competing as a fighter much longer and would like to focus his efforts on promoting shows in Maryland in the future.

On Saturday, the 36-year-old former amateur standout will look to give the fans a thrilling fight and plans to leave it all in the ring.

“He might knock me out in one round, but that one round is going to be some sh*t.”