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Boxer Willie Nelson to fight tonight on ESPN2
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Boxer Willie Nelson moved from Cleveland to Boardman to train with Youngstown’s Jack Loew at Southside Boxing Club and is now ranked fifth in the world by the WBC with a record of 19-1 and 11 knockouts. Nelson fights Mexico’s Michael Medina tonight in Connecticut.
Willie Nelson, a Jack Loew protege, to fight tonight on ESPN2
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
In April of 2011, Jack Loew and his son, John were watching Cleveland’s Willie Nelson fight Vincent Arroyo on ShoBox, spending half the time admiring Nelson’s talent and the other half screaming about his mistakes.
Nelson, a 6-foot-3 junior middleweight, had a six-inch height advantage and a 12-inch reach advantage over Arroyo, which is a little like a giraffe fighting a zebra.
Nelson dominated the fight but the big-punching Arroyo managed to drop Nelson three times, squeaking out a majority decision. It was the first loss of Nelson’s career and it left Loew speechless.
“He was beating the kid’s [butt],” Loew said of Nelson. “Just destroying the kid. No way a 5-9 kid should beat someone with Willie’s size and experience. It just shouldn’t happen.
“He was making a lot of amateurish mistakes and it cost him.”
Nelson’s handlers thought so, too, convincing him to finally drop his longtime trainer in favor of Loew, who had known Nelson since he was a decorated amateur.
“After my first loss, I realized I just needed a change,” said Nelson, who moved from Cleveland to Boardman to train at the Southside Boxing Club. “I didn’t want to go too far from my [four] kids and my family, so I talked to my promoter and I talked to Jack and he said he’d like to have me here.”
They’ve since won three fights together — the last two over previously unbeaten boxers, including a 10-round unanimous decision over John Jackson last September for the vacant NABF title.
Now ranked fifth in the world by the WBC, Nelson (19-1, 11 KOs) will fight Michael Medina (26-3, 19 KOs) tonight in a 10-round bout at the MGM grand in Mashantucket, Conn., on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
“This fight will definitely open some more doors for me,” Nelson said. “It’ll get my name out there as more of a household name. People will get to know who Willie Nelson is.”
Nelson has fought twice in Youngstown, on the undercard of Kelly Pavlik’s bout against Marco Antonio Rubio at the then-Chevrolet Centre in February of 2009 and on the undercard of the Pavlik-Miguel Espino bout at Beeghly Center in December, 2010.
But he’s still a bit of an unknown to Valley fight fans.
When asked to describe his style, he said, “I’m trying to be more of a boxer, but I’m pretty much more of a banger. I like getting in there and mixing it up. I’m working on my patience and staying behind my jab.”
“Jack has helped me tighten up my defense, be more aggressive walking forward with my hands up and being more patient in the ring.”
Loew compares this bout to Pavlik’s fight against Bronco McKart in July of 2006, a win that set up bouts against Jose Luis Zertuche and Edison Miranda. By September, 2007, Pavlik was fighting Jermain Taylor for the title.
“Willie needs this to continue that climb up the ladder,” said Loew, who thinks Nelson will jump to third in the rankings after Friday. “We saw what happened to Kelly’s career after that Bronco McKart fight. It took off.”