Up-and-coming junior welterweight prospect, Mike “Bad Man” Ohan Jr. (15-1, 9 KOs) will fight Jonathan “Yoni” Ariel Sosa (7-13-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round main event, “The Last Chapter,” at the Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts this Saturday, August 6th, as he looks for another victory to set himself up for a significant bout later on this year.
Photo: Emily Harney/Fightography
The twenty-eight-year-old orthodox boxer from Holbrook, Massachusetts, who will be fighting in his fifth main event, has won six in a row, four by way of knockout since he lost a disputed six-round majority decision to Carlos Hernandez.
His professional career is off to a good start due to his offensive prowess, which includes his well-placed, hard-hitting jabs, hooks, and body shots, quickly adapting in the ring, and always being in tip-top shape. He won the vacant USA New England welterweight title against undefeated Ryan Dibartolomeo via an eight-round unanimous decision in 2020. He made one successful title defense, a fifth-round technical knockout over Tyrone Luckey (who after their bout, knocked out previously unbeaten Eduardo Aguilar in two consecutive fights) the following year. After that bout, he dropped down to the junior welterweight division and won his next two bouts by second-round knockouts.
Ohan has gained invaluable fighting experience by sparring with Mark DeLuca (28-3, 16 KOs), Abraham Nova (21-1, 15 KOs), Ryan Kielczweski (31-6, 11 KOs), undefeated Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs), Jonathan DePina (8-1, 4 KOs), Francis Hogan (11-0, 10 KOs), among others. He trains at the boxing gym, EveryoneFights in the Seaport (Boston), Massachusetts with his new trainer, Matt Ryan. He will also have trainers, Travis Demko (8-1, 1 KO as a professional fighter) and Michael Firicano in his corner against Sosa. Ohan is promoted by Chris Traietti’s Granite Chin Promotions, one of New England’s fastest-growing boxing promotional companies.
He had a good amateur career (40-20) at 141-pounds, which culminated with him making the National Golden Gloves championship in 2016. He was a two-time Southern New England Golden Gloves and Rocky Marciano Tournament of Champions winner in 2015 and 2016. He also won the Ohio State Fair in 2016, came in second in 2015, and placed fifth in a PAL tournament in California in 2015.
Ohan was gracious enough to take time out of his busy training camp to discuss his upcoming fight against Sosa, what it has been like being promoted by Granite Chin Promotions, his last bout against Jose Aubel, his thoughts on his career, what he wants to accomplish this year, and much more.
James Stillerman: How is training camp going?
Mike Ohan: It is good. I am sharp. I am peaking at the right time. I am ready to go. I am in shape. My trainers are pushing me hard, which is good. Everything is on point. We are just waiting for the date now.
James Stillerman: What kind of fight do you expect from your opponent, Sosa?
Mike Ohan: He is another fighter that is going to keep me rolling. We tried to get other boxers to fight me but we did not have any luck. Damon Towns [5-0, 4 KOs] wanted to fight me and then he said that he could not make weight. We tried to get a better opponent but we ran out of time, so we settled on Sosa. I have not done too much studying on him but I do not think he will be that much of a match. I am ready for it. I am not underestimating him. I am coming in sharp and in shape. I think I will roll through this guy.
James Stillerman: How frustrating has it been not to get better boxers to fight you?
Mike Ohan: I call out fighters respectively. I am not a jerk about it. If the money and timing do not line up then it is understandable but I want more competition. In the amateurs, it was very competitive and it was fun. I want to test my skills. I do not want to fight the same guys that will keep you active. I want to step up and face better competition. I am with Chris Traietti of Granite Chin Promotions and we are on the same page. We are looking for the right fights. We will have some competitive bouts soon which I am excited about and it will keep me motivated.
James Stillerman: What is it like being promoted by Granite Chin Promotions?
Mike Ohan: This is the third fight since I signed with Chris. Before that, I have been on several of his fight cards. We have a very good fighter/promoter relationship. He tells me every step that needs to happen, everything that he is going to do, and the cost of everything. He is not shady about anything, which a lot of promoters are.
James Stillerman: How would you rate your performance in your last fight against Aubel?
Mike Ohan: I did what I had to do. As soon as I got in the ring, I had the height and weight advantage and it was over as soon as I landed my jab. My jab has a lot of power and it takes the will out of guys. He quickly faded and then I put the pieces of the puzzle together.
James Stillerman: What was it like winning the New England welterweight title?
Mike Ohan: It was good. I fought Luckey [in his first title defense] and stopped him in the fifth-round but he hit me with several good shots in the second. It was a good fight. After our fight, he knocked out an undefeated fighter twice, so that was good for me to see that his record is a lot better than it shows and that he is a dangerous boxer to fight, yet I stopped him in the fifth-round which shows me where I am at.
James Stillerman: Why did you drop down in weight to 140-pounds?
Mike Ohan: I have had two consecutive fights at 140-pounds. Many fighters at 147-pounds rehydrate to 170 to 180-pounds, whereas I walk around at 154-pounds, so I believe that 140-pounds is the weight that I am better suited for.
James Stillerman: How is your career going thus far?
Mike Ohan: It is going well. We are on the brink of something. The next fight or two will be a big fight. I want good competition and a good fight and I should have that in the next fight or two when I set up in competition.
James Stillerman: What are you looking to accomplish this year?
Mike Ohan: I am willing to fight anyone at 140-pounds in New England, depending on the money. I am ready for the next stage. Whatever Chris has for me, I will be ready for the next step on the big stage. Maybe we will fight a Top Rank fighter, like one of those guys I can knock off and show my name on the big stage and then take something big after that.
James Stillerman: What did you learn from your loss to Hernandez?
Mike Ohan: I felt I won the fight. It was a learning curve for me. I have no excuses. This was a fight where I figured out how to fight smaller guys, especially after I watched the bout. I landed a lot of clean punches and almost knocked him out in the third-round. I busted him up. I landed the better punches, but the smaller fighter looked more aggressive than me because I was taller which is probably why he got the decision over me. I also learned not to overtrain in the gym, which I did for that fight. [Ohan fought with a fractured elbow against Hernandez and his two previous bouts. He got surgery on his elbow after the loss to Hernandez.] I wanted a rematch but he retired after our fight.
James Stillerman: What was it like to have a father who was also a professional fighter?
Mike Ohan: He [Mike Ohan Sr., 14-6-2, 11 KOs, was a middleweight boxer from 1983 to 1995, who sparred with “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, Vinny Paz, and Robbie Sims] paved the road for me, so I do not have to make the same mistakes that he did. He is not involved in my career but he supports it. He is not my trainer but he gives me his input and points me in the right direction and I take it. He has my back and tells me who I should watch out for, things I should do, and the right way to go about certain things. He had to deal with a lot of tough things in the 80s and 90s and things have not changed in this sport.
For more information about Ohan and to purchase tickets for his upcoming fight, friend him via Facebook at Mikeohan and Instagram at Mikeohanjr1.