punch, and Pearson had limited use of the hand for the remaining rounds. He had his first professional knockdown in the ninth round, and the fight ended with his first knockout loss when he was floored and counted out at 1:46 of round nine from a body shot. Eight months later, in August 2003, Pearson contested the USBA Super Featherweight title again, against Australian Robbie Peden. Early in the fight, Pearson began showing discomfort in his surgically repaired right hand, and was forced to retire before the seventh round. He subsequently took a 17-month break for additional surgery on his hand. In September 2005, Pearson challenged for the USBA Super Featherweight title again at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, against Brooklyn southpaw Shamir Reyes (record 18-3-2). Pearson won with a bodyshot in the sixth. In July 2006, Pearson fought another southpaw, former World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Featherweight titleholder Joel Casamayor, on an ESPN2's Friday Night Fights broadcast from Phoenix, Arizona. The 10-round bout was Pearson's first significant fight as a lightweight. Casamayor dominated for many of the first eight rounds before the bout was stopped due to a cut around Pearson's right eye in the 9th round. Personal life Pearson currently lives in Cheltenham, Maryland. External links Boxers from Washington, D.C. 1971 births Living people Lightweight boxers American male boxers