FREEHOLD, N.J. — John Leonardo has a brand new problem forward of him on August 19.
The 23-year-old junior featherweight is making an attempt to increase his successful streak when he takes the ring at Sportika in his hometown of Manalapan, N.J. He additionally has the added duty of selling his first ever present underneath Physique Shot Promotions, a newly-formed firm which he runs together with his father/coach, Donnie Leonardo.
The brand new firm means the Leonardos might be coaching for their very own combat, whereas serving to be sure that the undercard fights are in place, that the tickets are being printed and bought, and the occasion is correctly publicized.
“It simply made extra sense for us to advertise and run our personal reveals and make our personal alternatives and open up doorways for ourselves as a substitute of at all times working for any person else on a regular basis,” mentioned Leonardo (9-1-1, 4 knockouts), who says his father has been carrying the majority of the enterprise load for this occasion.
Donnie Leonardo, a former welterweight professional with a 6-3-1 (3 KOs) file, says the objective is to do as much as 5 occasions a 12 months, holding the reveals native to Monmouth county, the central New Jersey county which incorporates widespread shore cities like Asbury Park and Lengthy Department, and different central Jersey areas. Among the many venues he has expressed an curiosity in working a present at is Asbury Park Conference Corridor, a legendary enviornment identified extra for Bruce Springsteen and Rolling Stones concert events, however hasn’t hosted a boxing present since 2004.
Different membership present promoters actively promote reveals in different elements of the state, with Abella Promotions doing reveals in New Jersey’s northeastern Bergen County, and Thomas LaManna’s Rising Star Promotions discovering a house in Atlantic Metropolis and Newark, however there are at present no promoters organizing occasions in Central Jersey, the cutoff level the place Taylor Ham turns into pork roll.
“The primary present is clearly the hardest, you wish to get it off the bottom after which see the place we’re gonna go,” mentioned Donnie Leonardo.
For John, his major focus stays the opponent he’ll face subsequent. Leonardo will face Dominique Griffin (5-3-2, 2 KOs) of Irving, Tex. in his first eight-round scheduled combat. The bout might be his second straight at 122 kilos after coming to the belief in his lone defeat a 12 months in the past, a majority determination to Jostin Ortiz Maysonet, that the fighters at featherweight had been simply too large for him. Since then, Leonardo has gained two straight.
Griffin, 35, is coming off a pair of spectacular outings, together with an upset determination over the beforehand unbeaten Carlos Vanegas Nunez this previous April, and a draw towards the 10-1-1 Robert Rodriguez within the combat earlier than that.
To take his profession to the following stage, Leonardo has introduced in Dustin Fleischer as an assistant coach. Fleischer, who compiled a 6-0 (5 KOs) professional file from 2015 to 2016 earlier than retiring to concentrate on coaching. Leonardo has arrange coaching camp at Juice Boxx, a boxing health club (and juice bar) in Freehold, N.J. which can be house to unbeaten tremendous middleweight professional Junior Younan.
The remainder of the cardboard contains Robert Terry (9-0-1, 3 KOs), the junior middleweight prospect from Jersey Metropolis who’s coming off a draw towards Raul Garcia in his ShoBox debut in April. Additionally slated for motion is Kevin Coleman, Leonardo’s greatest good friend and cornerman who might be turning professional after seven years out of the ring, plus light-weight James “Crunch Time” Wilkins (10-2, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y., heavyweight Derek Starling (6-1, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, and feminine light-weight Chiara Dituri (6-0, 3 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y., amongst others.
Whereas the speedy objective of selling their very own reveals is to advance the in-ring profession of Leonardo, the larger imaginative and prescient for Physique Shot Promotions contains one the place Leonardo isn’t at all times on high of the cardboard, and even within the ring.
“John hopefully is gonna have a worthwhile profession however backside line is that he’s gonna want a supply of revenue in years to come back. He’ll have a enterprise for himself; he’ll be a boxing promoter and he’ll be capable of earn a residing.” mentioned Donnie Leonardo, a 1987 New York Golden Gloves champion who had been in coaching camps with champions Buddy McGirt, Vinny Pazienza and Aaron Davis.
“I believe the primary objective is to construct me up however I don’t wish to combat on each present,” added Leonardo. “Particularly with me preventing 8-10 rounds, I’m not gonna combat that many occasions a 12 months anymore, so why not make different fighters get these different fights? I wish to produce other fighters I do know, that I work with, I prepare with, I spar with, give them the chance to have that hometown combat, make them really feel like they’re the primary occasion.”
Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Day by day Information, Rappler and The Guardian, and is a part of the Craig Newmark Graduate College of Journalism Class of 2020. He will be reached at [email protected].