On Saturday, May 11, Boxing Insider Promotions brings professional boxing back to the Tropicana Showroom for the first time in seven years, and this show has a local flavor.
Atlantic City junior middleweight Justin Figueroa (8-0, 6 KOs) is in one of the featured bouts. Local fans may remember Figueroa’s days as a football star at Holy Spirit High School, and he also proved himself to be the best in South Jersey in the amateur ring. Beaming with confidence, he recently returned from San Antonio, where he registered his eighth straight pro win, a decision over Christian Aguirre, and as usual, he celebrated by dancing “the Worm” across the ring.
Junior featherweight John Leonardo (10-1-1, 4 KOs) is in an eight-round bout and brings a healthy contingent of fans with him. Hailing from nearby Manalapan Township in the Garden State, he’s a former New Jersey Golden Gloves champ who goes by the nickname “Bodyshot.”
Avious Griffin of Chattanooga, TN (13-0, 12 KOs) brings an interesting story into his eight-round bout. At a time when he should have been building a pro career, Griffin spent eleven months in prison when he was wrongfully accused of murder. Cleared of that, there’s been no stopping him.
Brooklynite Pryce Taylor (3-0, 2 KOs), an intriguing heavyweight prospect, will also be in action on this show, in a four-rounder.
Another contestant is middleweight Jacob Solis, who debuted there back in December and is now 3-0, with all the victories coming by knockout. Solis also has an ardent fan following and helps grow the sport by serving as a boxing instructor.
There are other great prospects in action. Junior welterweight Dwyke Flemmings (6-0, 6 KOs) is a powder keg out of Paterson, NJ who has recorded four one-round knockouts and will be in a scheduled six-rounder; middleweight Famous Wilson (4-0, 2 KOs) is a former New York Golden Gloves champ who is in a four-rounder. Other four-round contestants include super middleweight Joel Telles of Brooklyn (2-0, 2 KOs) and lightweight Koby Williams, also of Brooklyn, a NY Golden Gloves and Metro champ who makes his professional debut.