By Mike Indri, Retired Boxers Foundation – November 2, 2007: Outside of his Lansing, MI hometown not too many boxing fans have heard of talented lightweight prospect Tyrone Harris, and with good reason. While compiling a commendable 21-3 record since turning pro in 2004, the former 2000 National Golden Gloves champion and amateur phenom (135-15) has come to realize that to climb the ladder of success in the vicious world of professional boxing it takes a lot more than a blistering jab and tons of physical prowess..
“I suppose I was not quite ready for the bigger fights” (Koba Gogoladze, 10 round unanimous decision loss: 05/31/06, and Stevie Johnston 12 round majority decision loss: 01/26/07), stated the highly touted southpaw, “but a fighter wakes up one morning and he feels his strength, maturity and mindset has come to task – and that’s where I am today.”
After a shocking technical knockout loss to Israel Hernandez (TKO 4, 01/20/06) gave Harris his first defeat after fourteen victories, it was not much later that Harris had a televised opportunity to redeem himself against the dangerous and difficult Gogoladze. The fight was not one of Harris’s better efforts and the likeable lightweight boxer missed out on a chance to get to that next level. Harris then spun off three non-spectacular decision victories before losing against former world champion Stevie Johnston, in a fight which many people felt Harris had won.
The twenty-six year old Harris annihilated tough Pascali Adomo in one round and dominated rugged Mexican Rafael Ortiz in a 10 round blowout on ESPN, leading up to tonight’s televised bout against Josesito Lopez (21-2, with 13 KO’s) on the undercard of the Showtime featured heavyweight battle between Calvin Brock and Eddie Chambers.
“Tyrone has one of the best jabs in the business, and he can put a fella out with it” noted Harris’s longtime manager Gary Brandenburg. “We know that Lopez is a tough fight, but he (Harris) tells me it will not go the distance. I look for Tyrone to bust him up and take Lopez out in the later rounds.”
In today’s highly competitive boxing business, television exposure is vital – and hard to come by. Just winning is not enough; a fighter needs to win impressively and must convince the networks that he is worthy of their scarce network time. Not an easy task for any fighter, and as we all know boxing is anything but easy.
Josesito Lopez won’t be easy either.
Winner of his last five bouts, with only one opponent surviving the final bell, Lopez is fighting at his best now and senses this is his chance to make a statement. Fighting out of Riverside, CA. the twenty-three year old fighter certainly is not traveling to the Emerald Queen Casino, in Tacoma, Washington, with any thought of losing.
This eight round bout certainly will bring out the best in both of these 135-pound fighters.
“I’ve seen Tyrone (Harris) grow up before my very eyes and watched him only better himself each time we took a step back,” stated Bradenburg, one of boxing’s special people whose heart and motives are truly in the right place. “Tyrone Harris has the talent and power to beat any fighter on any given night and can close the show sweetly. Watch Tyrone on Showtime tonight, he will show you why he is a future champion!”
While the eight round lightweight contest will surely propel one of these young, talented boxers to the next level, the Showtime main event features heavyweight title challenger Calvin Brock taking on the undefeated Eddie Chambers, from Philadelphia. The bigger Brock, 31-1 (23 KO’s), looks to get back into title contention against the quicker, sharper and favored Chambers (29-0, with 16 KO’s) in this twelve round IBF title eliminator bout.
Looks to be an exciting night of Showtime boxing, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.