by Pavel Yakovlev: The Heavyweight Factory, the South Florida promotional firm headed by Kris Lawrence, announced today that it signed welterweight Brad “The King” Solomon to a promotional contract. Solomon, currently 12-0 (four KO’s) as a professional, is the first non-heavyweight to join Lawrence’s stable. The addition of Solomon to The Heavyweight Factory’s roster suggests that the organization may be preparing to establish itself in multiple weight classes.
Boxing experts regard he 27-year-old Solomon as a serious future threat in the welterweight division. Solomon’s amateur background is formidable: he won three US National Golden Gloves tournaments and the 2007 World Golden Gloves championship. Standing 5’11” and possessing excellent hand speed, Solomon is known for his slick boxing skills, masterful command of distance fighting, fine lateral movement and educated left-jab. After accumulating a 20-5 record as an amateur, Solomon turned professional in February, 2008.
This June, Solomon won his most important fight to date, outclassing Puerto Rican powerpuncher Kenny Galarza over ten rounds in Miami. The judges’ scorecards favored Solomon by margins of 100-90, 100-90, and 99-90. The bout was televised live on “Friday Night Fights” and showcased Solomon’s airtight defensive skills; the previously unbeaten Galarza (he had kayoed all of his prior opponents) barely landed a punch during the fight. Some ringside scribes even reported that Solomon seemed to toy with his dangerous opponent.
Henry Rivalta, The Heavyweight Factory’s Director of Boxing, is certain that Solomon will soon rival welterweight luminaries such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, and Andre Berto. According to Rivalta, “This kid can just flat out fight, I do believe he is destined for greatness. I knew there was something extremely special about this kid. He is very confident in his ability and I am glad to be part of his team. We are coming for all the big names and we will be second to none.”
Rivalta is not the only boxing industry insider who has high expectations for Solomon’s future.
Handicapper Evan Young of www.boxingforecast.com is definitely enthusiastic about Solomon. “I was very impressed when he easily handled undefeated prospect Ray Robinson,” said Young. “Solomon brought an exciting, effective style, and I thought to myself that I am going to keep an eye on him. Since then, Solomon has beaten another undefeated fighter in Galarza. Solomon is definitely someone to look out for. He’s going to make some noise.”
Charles Farrell, a Boston-based agent and former manager of Leon Spinks, Mitch Green, and Buster Drayton, gives Solomon high marks as well. According to Farrell, “Solomon’s got a lot of natural talent, has an innate sense of where he is in the ring — a kind of radar about his proximity to the ropes — and good balance. “ Although Farrell does not regard Solomon as a heavy puncher, he expects that Solomon will “wind up becoming a decent puncher as he gets a bit older, similar to the way British lightweight James Murray did.” Farrell also notes that Solomon has “already beaten two fellow prospects, so clearly his people have confidence that he’s a real fighter.”
Solomon, who is managed by Charles Ferguson, is moving upward quickly. On August 24th, Solomon will face Puerto Rican veteran Wilfredo Negron for the WBA International and WBC Latino welterweight titles at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Negron is no easy touch; he has been fighting professionally for 16 years, during which he acquired a record of 26-14-1, including 19 knockouts. A victory will likely establish Solomon as a top-15 or top- 20 contender in the WBA and WBC world ratings.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the Solomon-Negron bout can call the Hard Rock Live at (800) 745-3000. The ten-fight card will also feature a match between world-rated heavyweight Timur Ibragimov and Gurcharan Singh. In addition, several of The Heavyweight Factory’s leading heavyweight prospects, such as Luis Oritz, Yasnay Consuegra, and James Bryant, will appear in undercard action.