A regional champion, a former Detroit lion who made his professional debut, and a slew of young boxers eager to fight in his first bout as a pro, the Eastern University of Michigan Convention Boxing at his center I am preparing for the night.
Ann Arbor’s A-Square Fight Club hosted about 20 men, women and children on Tuesday night for a fight practice with veteran promoter and owner Eric McGuire of more than 30 years.
Patrick Boozer, the Junior Welterweight Champion of the Midwest region of Universal Boxing in his Federation, will return to the ring with his pro-his boxing Friday night at EMU for the first time since 2017.
McGuire says former Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Lewis will also make his boxing debut.
After showing off his boxing skills on Tuesday, the Ann Arbor resident Reggie Harris, 25, led some of his group workouts. After returning to Eastern Michigan University, where he graduated in 2016, he will fight at the super-welterweight division.
For nearly his five years, Harris wrestled as an amateur and admits he had no intention of turning pro. Shortly before entering college, he voluntarily took up sports.
Harris is looking forward to making his first professional bout after his recent amateur competition success, but he said he isn’t thinking much because it scares him.
23-year-old Samrizzo from Plymouth is eager, timid and confident as he makes his professional debut. The featherweight, Lizzo, has been training for years at the A ranks. He added that he has taken the sport more seriously over the past four or five years, having competed in about 24 amateur bouts.
His 25-year-old Charles “Chuck” Kirk from Ann Arbor said he was considering fighting professionally after fighting as an amateur for about eight years.
The cruiserweight is confident that his mental training and training led him to victory.
Ypsilanti’s Cedric Johnson got his chance to compete professionally after 14 years of amateur competition. After 15 years at the gym, he considers McGuire a father figure, much like Harris. The 29-year-old lightweight has put in a lot of effort and sacrifice to get the win, so he claimed he wasn’t as nervous as others.
Not all A-Square fighters at Friday’s Fight Night are newbies. A 37-year-old Walter Burns from Belleville retired from the sport in 2010 with an impeccable record and his 4 KO wins. The boxer fought for his family and he made the decision to return to the sport before it was too late to show his talent, he claimed.
McGuire says it feels good to give boxers of all backgrounds the chance to fight in the professional ring. McGuire, who has been boxing since the age of eight, said one of his favorite aspects of boxing is breakthroughs.
Tickets are $25 for bowl seats, $55 for floor entry, and $75 for ring entry on his EMU event website.