Baltimore boxing trainer Calvin Ford appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday morning.
His accusers did not.
A Nevada judge dismissed two charges of assault with a deadly weapon in a matter of minutes after the witnesses failed to appear in court or remotely. Ford, who is best known as the trainer for world lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, appeared with attorney Carl Arnold but did not have to utter a word.
The Banner reached out to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and Ford’s attorney for comment, but had not received replies as of Tuesday afternoon.
It was the second appearance for a preliminary hearing after the state requested additional time in May to secure a Russian interpreter for a witness.
The court proceedings stemmed from an accusation that Ford threatened two people with a gun back in February 2023, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. A warrant for his arrest was issued last October, and Ford spent weeks in jail in Baltimore on the charges before being released on bond in January.
Associates of Ford told The Baltimore Banner in January that the charges were trumped-up claims by disgruntled business associates and predicted the case would be resolved in Ford’s favor.
Ford served a decade in prison on racketeering and conspiracy convictions, but he’s best known for his 1990s reinvention as a trainer for Baltimore youth, working out of Upton Boxing Center on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Though Ford faced Nevada charges for much of the last year, he was by Davis’ side last month when the 29-year-old defended his belt by knocking out Frank Martin at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
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