Thursday, April 19th 2012

Mike Jones Bio

“MJ”  

  • Ranked IBF #1 at 147 pounds…
  • NABA welterweight champion, seven successful title defenses…
  • NABO welterweight champion, two successful defenses…

At the age of 29, Mike is a six-year pro. The IBF’s No. 1 ranked contender at 147 pounds, he has stayed active in the ring, stepped up in class of opposition in recent fights, and given strong performances.

He is coming off a 12-round decision win against Sebastian Lujan and in his last fight on December 3.

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: Jones completely dominated Lujan…. Jones easily won, beating Lujan essentially with his left jab. Jones connected with straight, clean blows and piled up the points for the lopsided and obvious victory.

It was an important one too, because it earned Jones a shot at a belt. After Andre Berto gave up his version of the 147-pound title, it paved the way for the winner of this elimination bout to get a fight with mandatory challenger Randall Bailey for the vacant belt. It’s been a long time coming for Jones. [End Rafael item]

Co-manager Jim Williams said, “We’ve been working with Mike since he was an amateur. He’s a real modest guy. He’s pretty quiet. He’s a real good dad. One of his kids comes to the gym with him most of the time, because he can’t get a babysitter, and the mother has the other one. He’s a different type of guy.

“He’s got a machine gun tattooed on his arm, and that is so unlike him. I don’t know when he got that done. When I first met him, I said, ‘Does that machine gun mean anything? Are you supposed to be a bad guy or something?’ ‘No, no. Not at all,’ he says. You never hear him curse. He’s just an unusual person.”

Mike said, “I guess I got my discipline from my dad. He’s been working for a long time, putting food on the table and everything, and I’m just doing the same thing for my kids.

“I’m pretty much a boxer. I’m not a slugger – pretty much a smart boxer. Whatever I see that opens up, I attack.

“My knockouts, I basically sum it up as accurate punching. It doesn’t take a devastating puncher to get knockouts. You just got to be accurate with your shots.”

Fight by Fight – 2011 – IBF W WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR – in his last fight on 12-3-11 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Sebastian Lujan (38-5-2): the fight was one of the co-featured bouts with the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II main event, and Mike dominated; he staggered Lujan with a right hand in the 1st round and consistently outboxed and outworked him; Mike landed the sharper punches thoughout the fight, and won by scores of 119-109, 119-109, 118-110; after the fight, Mike said, “There are no easy fights in boxing. It was a tough fight because he threw a lot of awkward shots and he never stopped working. I respect a guy like that, because I knew he would keep working in the ring.”…

On 6-25-11 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKO’d Raul Munoz (22-13-1): the fight headlined at the South Philly Arena – it was Mike’s first fight in his hometown in over two years, and drew a capacity crowd; Mike quickly overpowered Munoz – he hurt him with a body punch in the 2nd round, then scored a knockdown moments later with a right hand – Munoz got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:29; after the fight, Mike said, “I took my time in the first round. I was relaxed and looked for an opening. When Munoz was more aggressive in the second round, he left himself more open. I followed our game plan of going to his body to get him to drop his hands down, then I started to go up on top. I got him with a good right. This is home. I was born and raised in Philly. It’s motivating to see all the fans out there screaming my name. I’m real happy with my performance and I’m glad to have given the fans a good show. I’ll take two, three weeks off and then start preparing for my next fight I want to finish the end of the year strong. I want a big fight. There are a lot of great fighters out there and I’ll fight any one of them. I want to fight the best.”…

On 2-19-11 in 2-19-11 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch againstJesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3): the fight was co-featured with the Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel main event; Soto-Karass pressed forward and gave a strong effort, but Mike consistently outboxed him and landed the sharper punches; Soto-Karass was cut over both of his eyes in the 3rd round, one from a clash of heads; scored 116-112, 117-111, 115-113; after the fight, Mike said, “I stuck to the game plan. The game plan was lateral movement, try to hit him with the jab. He was no different than the first fight and we put together a better game plan.”…

2010 – 7TH NABA, 2ND NABO W TITLE DEFENSE – on 11-13-10 in Arlington, TX, he won a 10 round majority decision against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3): the fight was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito main event at Cowboys Stadium, and it was very close; Mike staggered Soto-Karass with a series of punches in the 2nd round, then went on a nonstop attack that lasted for much of the round – Soto-Karass was rocked several times and cut over his right eye, but survived, rallied later in the round, and Mike was exhausted at the bell; Soto-Karass was cut over his left eye in the 3rd, but pressed forward, kept a busier pace, and landed the harder punches in the middle rounds; Mike appeared to finally get his second-wind around the 7th round – he was cut over his right eye in the 8th, but had some rallies in the late rounds; it looked like the decision could go either way; many observers thought Soto-Karass deserved to win, and the crowd booed the announcement of the scores – 95-94, 97-93 Jones, 94-94; after the fight, Mike said, “I felt I pulled out the victory. I kind of punched myself out in the second round. After that, I had to get my legs back under me. It was all heart after that. He had a real hard head and battled. My legs got weak, but I finished strong because I knew the fight was close.”…

6TH NABA, 1ST NABO W TITLE DEFENSE – on 7-9-10 in Atlantic City, NJ, he knocked out Irving Garcia(17-4-3): the bout headlined at Boardwalk Hall; Garcia gave a good effort and had a few rallies, but Mike dominated most of the fight – he generally outworked Garcia, landed hard body punches, and steadily wore him down; Mike had a small cut under his right eye, but scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 5th round and Garcia was counted out at 1:22; after four rounds, Mike led by scores of 39-37, 39-37, 40-36; after the fight, Mike said, “I saw his legs start to buckle every time I hit him to the body, so I tried to capitalize on that. I stepped it up a little more each round, and I thought I did a good job of breaking him down.”…

5TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE, WON VACANT NABO W TITLE – on 4-17-10 in Atlantic City he TKO’dHector Munoz (18-2-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Sergio Martinez-Kelly Pavlik main event, and Mike dominated; he staggered Munoz in the 1st round, rocked him several more times in the following rounds, and bloodied his mouth; Mike staggered Munoz with a right hand in the 5th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:03; after the fight, Mike said, “He’s a tough guy. I didn’t want to exert myself at the beginning – I wanted to set a good pace because I was a little sluggish my last time out. I could tell he was wearing down, and I tried to counter and make my jab the offense. I wanted to keep the jab to the body. I’d just like to fight every month and half or two months. I’m ready to move.”…

4TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 2-27-10 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Henry Bruseles (28-3-1): the bout headlined at Bally’s and drew a capacity crowd; Mike consistently outboxed and outworked Bruseles and dominated most of the fight; scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-92…

2009 – 3RD NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 11-7-09 in Atlantic City he TKO’d Raul Pinzon (16-3): the fight headlined at Bally’s; Pinzon gave a good effort, but Mike dominated – he consistently outworked Pinzon and landed the harder punches; Mike rocked Pinzon with a series of right hands in the 4th round; he staggered Pinzon with a right hand in the 5th, then scored a knockdown moments later with a series of punches – finished by a left hook to the body – and the referee stopped the fight at 1:40…

2ND NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 8-8-09 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against late substitute Lenin Arroyo (20-9-1): the fight headined at Bally’s, and Mike dominated; he consistently outworked Arroyo, landed the harder punches, and rocked him several times; scored 99-91, 99-91, 98-92…

1ST NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 3-6-09 in Philadelphia, PA, he knocked out 1996 Colombian Olympian and late substitute Dairo Esalas (31-15): the fight headlined at the Blue Horizon; Mike scored three knockdowns in the 2nd round – the first with a right hand, the second moments later with a series of punches – and Esalas was penalized one point for spitting out his mouthpiece – and the third with a double left hook to the body and head; the referee stopped the fight at 1:56…

2008 – on 12-5-08 in Reading, PA, he knocked out Luciano Perez (16-8-1): the fight headlined at the Sovereign Center; Perez pressed forward and gave a good effort, but Mike quickly overpowered him; Mike scored a knockdown with a left hook-right hand combination in the 2nd round; he scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 3rd, and Perez was counted out at 1:56…

WON VACANT NABA W TITLE – on 8-29-08 in Philadelphia he knocked out Juliano Ramos (15-1): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he staggered Ramos with a right hand in the 6th round, then staggered him again with series of punches – finished by a left hook – and Ramos dropped to the canvas as the referee stopped the fight at 1:12; after the fight, Mike said, “It’s awesome. This is my first belt ever, amateur or pro.”…

On 5-9-08 in Philadelphia he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Gilbert Venegas (10-5-3): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he consistently outboxed and outworked Venegas, and rocked him several times; Venegas was cut under his right eye in the 6th round; scored 80-72 on all three scorecards…

On 3-28-08 in Salamanca, NY, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against 38 year-old Germaine Sanders (27-5): the fight was co-featured with the Cornelius Bundrage-Kassim Ouma main event; Sanders moved and boxed, but Mike pressed forward, landed the sharper punches, and dominated most of the right; Sanders rocked Mike with a left hook in the 6th round, but Mike finished the fight strongly and won by scores of 78-74 on all three scorecards…

2007 – on 11-9-07 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKO’d 33 year-old former lightweight world title challengerIsrael “Pito” Cardona (36-7): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra and Mike dominated; Cardona pressed forward, but Mike kept him off-balance with movement and scored repeatedly with his jab; he stunned Cardona with a right hand to the body-left hook to the head combination that cut Cardona over his left eye in the 3rd round, then rocked him with an unanswered series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 1:34; after the fight, Mike said, “He was a tough opponent. It took a lot for me to stop him. This was the toughest fight I had so far. I heard he’s only been stopped once. I hurt him with a hook, and everything after that was reaction. Once I saw blood I kept going.”…

On 10-5-07 in Philadelphia he knocked out Richard Hall (10-19-2): Mike hurt Hall with a left hook to the body, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 1st round, and Hall was counted out at 1:38; after the fight, Mike said, “I knew he was ready to go when I landed that shot to ribs. I want the jewelry. [note: championship belt] There’s no stopping me until I get it.”…

On 8-31-07 in Niagara Falls, NY, he TKO’d Martinus Clay (12-16-2): Mike dominated the fight and steadlily wore down Clay; he scored a knockdown with a right hand to the body that dropped Clay to his knees in the 5th round, and he was counted out…

On 7-20-07 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Doel Carrasquillo (10-4-1): Mike boxed and moved effectively, and scored repeatedly with his jab and right hand; he bloodied Carrasquillo’s nose badly in the 2nd round, and Carrasquillo did not continue after the 2nd round; after the fight, Mike said, “I think I answered the question that Mike Jones has a chin. I’m now ready for whoever they put in front of me. They will just be my next victims.”…

On 5-4-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Gilbert Guevara (5-1-1): at 2:46 of the 1st round…

On 3-2-07 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Francisco Maldonado (11-25-4): Mike scored a knockdown with a series of punches late in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown with a series of punches early in the 2nd, and Maldonado was counted out at 0:15…

On 1-15-07 in Airway Heights, WA, he TKO’d Donald Fosmire (10-11-1): Mike dominated the fight and stopped Fosmire at 1:23 of the 3rd round…

2006 – on 11-17-06 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Jason Jordan (2-3-1): Mike scored two knockdowns, both with left hooks, in the 1st round; Jordan got up but was very unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:42…

On 9-29-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Todd Dillon (debut): Mike scored a knockdown with two right hands in the 1st round – Dillon got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:00…

On 8-2-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Ronny Glover (1-1): Mike scored two knockdowns in the 1stround, and Glover was counted out at 2:44..

On 3-3-06 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Chris Gray (1-1): at 2:30 of the 2nd round…

He debuted at the age of 22 on 12-16-05 in Philadelphia and TKO’d Jason Thompson (1-0): Mike staggered Thompson with a right hand-left hook combination that sent him stumbling back across the ring in the 2nd round, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches that dropped him flat on his back and the referee stopped the fight at 0:48…

Fight by Fight – 2011 – in his last fight on 12-3-11 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Sebastian Lujan (38-5-2): the fight was one of the co-features with the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II main event, and Mike dominated; he kept Lujan off-balance with movement, consistently outboxed him, and landed the harder punches; scored 119-109, 119-109, 118-110…

On 6-25-11 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKO’d Raul Munoz (22-13-1): the fight headlined at the South Philly Arena – it was Mike’s first fight in his hometown in over two years, and drew a capacity crowd; Mike quickly overpowered Munoz – he hurt him with a body punch in the 2nd round, then scored a knockdown moments later with a right hand – Munoz got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:29; after the fight, Mike said, “I took my time in the first round. I was relaxed and looked for an opening. When Munoz was more aggressive in the second round, he left himself more open. I followed our game plan of going to his body to get him to drop his hands down, then I started to go up on top. I got him with a good right. This is home. I was born and raised in Philly. It’s motivating to see all the fans out there screaming my name. I’m real happy with my performance and I’m glad to have given the fans a good show. I’ll take two, three weeks off and then start preparing for my next fight I want to finish the end of the year strong. I want a big fight. There are a lot of great fighters out there and I’ll fight any one of them. I want to fight the best.”…

On 2-19-11 in 2-19-11 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch againstJesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3): the fight was co-featured with the Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel main event; Soto-Karass pressed forward and gave a strong effort, but Mike consistently outboxed him and landed the sharper punches; Soto-Karass was cut over both of his eyes in the 3rd round, one from a clash of heads; scored 116-112, 117-111, 115-113; after the fight, Mike said, “I stuck to the game plan. The game plan was lateral movement, try to hit him with the jab. He was no different than the first fight and we put together a better game plan.”…

2010 – 7TH NABA, 2ND NABO W TITLE DEFENSE – on 11-13-10 in Arlington, TX, he won a 10 round majority decision against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3): the fight was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito main event at Cowboys Stadium, and it was very close; Mike staggered Soto-Karass with a series of punches in the 2nd round, then went on a nonstop attack that lasted for much of the round – Soto-Karass was rocked several times and cut over his right eye, but survived, rallied later in the round, and Mike was exhausted at the bell; Soto-Karass was cut over his left eye in the 3rd, but pressed forward, kept a busier pace, and landed the harder punches in the middle rounds; Mike appeared to finally get his second-wind around the 7th round – he was cut over his right eye in the 8th, but had some rallies in the late rounds; it looked like the decision could go either way; many observers thought Soto-Karass deserved to win, and the crowd booed the announcement of the scores – 95-94, 97-93 Jones, 94-94; after the fight, Mike said, “I felt I pulled out the victory. I kind of punched myself out in the second round. After that, I had to get my legs back under me. It was all heart after that. He had a real hard head and battled. My legs got weak, but I finished strong because I knew the fight was close.”…

6TH NABA, 1ST NABO W TITLE DEFENSE – on 7-9-10 in Atlantic City, NJ, he knocked out Irving Garcia(17-4-3): the bout headlined at Boardwalk Hall; Garcia gave a good effort and had a few rallies, but Mike dominated most of the fight – he generally outworked Garcia, landed hard body punches, and steadily wore him down; Mike had a small cut under his right eye, but scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 5th round and Garcia was counted out at 1:22; after four rounds, Mike led by scores of 39-37, 39-37, 40-36; after the fight, Mike said, “I saw his legs start to buckle every time I hit him to the body, so I tried to capitalize on that. I stepped it up a little more each round, and I thought I did a good job of breaking him down.”…

5TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE, WON VACANT NABO W TITLE – on 4-17-10 in Atlantic City he TKO’dHector Munoz (18-2-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Sergio Martinez-Kelly Pavlik main event, and Mike dominated; he staggered Munoz in the 1st round, rocked him several more times in the following rounds, and bloodied his mouth; Mike staggered Munoz with a right hand in the 5th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:03; after the fight, Mike said, “He’s a tough guy. I didn’t want to exert myself at the beginning – I wanted to set a good pace because I was a little sluggish my last time out. I could tell he was wearing down, and I tried to counter and make my jab the offense. I wanted to keep the jab to the body. I’d just like to fight every month and half or two months. I’m ready to move.”…

4TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 2-27-10 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Henry Bruseles (28-3-1): the bout headlined at Bally’s and drew a capacity crowd; Mike consistently outboxed and outworked Bruseles and dominated most of the fight; scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-92…

2009 – 3RD NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 11-7-09 in Atlantic City he TKO’d Raul Pinzon (16-3): the fight headlined at Bally’s; Pinzon gave a good effort, but Mike dominated – he consistently outworked Pinzon and landed the harder punches; Mike rocked Pinzon with a series of right hands in the 4th round; he staggered Pinzon with a right hand in the 5th, then scored a knockdown moments later with a series of punches – finished by a left hook to the body – and the referee stopped the fight at 1:40…

2ND NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 8-8-09 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against late substitute Lenin Arroyo (20-9-1): the fight headined at Bally’s, and Mike dominated; he consistently outworked Arroyo, landed the harder punches, and rocked him several times; scored 99-91, 99-91, 98-92…

1ST NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 3-6-09 in Philadelphia he knocked out 1996 Colombian Olympian and late substitute Dairo Esalas (31-15): the fight headlined at the Blue Horizon; Mike scored three knockdowns in the 2nd round – the first with a right hand, the second moments later with a series of punches – and Esalas was penalized one point for spitting out his mouthpiece – and the third with a double left hook to the body and head; the referee stopped the fight at 1:56…

2008 – on 12-5-08 in Reading, PA, he knocked out Luciano Perez (16-8-1): the fight headlined at the Sovereign Center; Perez pressed forward and gave a good effort, but Mike quickly overpowered him; Mike scored a knockdown with a left hook-right hand combination in the 2nd round; he scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 3rd, and Perez was counted out at 1:56…

WON VACANT NABA W TITLE – on 8-29-08 in Philadelphia he knocked out Juliano Ramos (15-1): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he staggered Ramos with a right hand in the 6th round, then staggered him again with series of punches – finished by a left hook – and Ramos dropped to the canvas as the referee stopped the fight at 1:12; after the fight, Mike said, “It’s awesome. This is my first belt ever, amateur or pro.”…

On 5-9-08 in Philadelphia he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Gilbert Venegas (10-5-3): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he consistently outboxed and outworked Venegas, and rocked him several times; Venegas was cut under his right eye in the 6th round; scored 80-72 on all three scorecards…

On 3-28-08 in Salamanca, NY, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against 38 year-old Germaine Sanders (27-5): the fight was co-featured with the Cornelius Bundrage-Kassim Ouma main event; Sanders moved and boxed, but Mike pressed forward, landed the sharper punches, and dominated most of the right; Sanders rocked Mike with a left hook in the 6th round, but Mike finished the fight strongly and won by scores of 78-74 on all three scorecards…

2007 – on 11-9-07 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKO’d 33 year-old former lightweight world title challengerIsrael “Pito” Cardona (36-7): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra and Mike dominated; Cardona pressed forward, but Mike kept him off-balance with movement and scored repeatedly with his jab; he stunned Cardona with a right hand to the body-left hook to the head combination that cut Cardona over his left eye in the 3rd round, then rocked him with an unanswered series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 1:34; after the fight, Mike said, “He was a tough opponent. It took a lot for me to stop him. This was the toughest fight I had so far. I heard he’s only been stopped once. I hurt him with a hook, and everything after that was reaction. Once I saw blood I kept going.”…

On 10-5-07 in Philadelphia he knocked out Richard Hall (10-19-2): Mike hurt Hall with a left hook to the body, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 1st round, and Hall was counted out at 1:38; after the fight, Mike said, “I knew he was ready to go when I landed that shot to ribs. I want the jewelry. [note: championship belt] There’s no stopping me until I get it.”…

On 8-31-07 in Niagara Falls, NY, he TKO’d Martinus Clay (12-16-2): Mike dominated the fight and steadlily wore down Clay; he scored a knockdown with a right hand to the body that dropped Clay to his knees in the 5th round, and he was counted out…

On 7-20-07 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Doel Carrasquillo (10-4-1): Mike boxed and moved effectively, and scored repeatedly with his jab and right hand; he bloodied Carrasquillo’s nose badly in the 2nd round, and Carrasquillo did not continue after the 2nd round; after the fight, Mike said, “I think I answered the question that Mike Jones has a chin. I’m now ready for whoever they put in front of me. They will just be my next victims.”…

On 5-4-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Gilbert Guevara (5-1-1): at 2:46 of the 1st round…

On 3-2-07 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Francisco Maldonado (11-25-4): Mike scored a knockdown with a series of punches late in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown with a series of punches early in the 2nd, and Maldonado was counted out at 0:15…

On 1-15-07 in Airway Heights, WA, he TKO’d Donald Fosmire (10-11-1): Mike dominated the fight and stopped Fosmire at 1:23 of the 3rd round…

2006 – on 11-17-06 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Jason Jordan (2-3-1): Mike scored two knockdowns, both with left hooks, in the 1st round; Jordan got up but was very unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:42…

On 9-29-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Todd Dillon (debut): Mike scored a knockdown with two right hands in the 1st round – Dillon got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:00…

On 8-2-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Ronny Glover (1-1): Mike scored two knockdowns in the 1stround, and Glover was counted out at 2:44..

On 3-3-06 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Chris Gray (1-1): at 2:30 of the 2nd round…

He debuted at the age of 22 on 12-16-05 in Philadelphia and TKO’d Jason Thompson (1-0): Mike staggered Thompson with a right hand-left hook combination that sent him stumbling back across the ring in the 2nd round, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches that dropped him flat on his back and the referee stopped the fight at 0:48…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Mike said, “I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I got one older sister. My mom works at a cleaning business and my dad is a C.O., a correctional officer.

“I was about 14 years old when I started boxing. I always liked the sports. I liked to play basketball, football, physical sports, and I wanted to do something more physical. I decided to check out boxing.

“I had about 70 amateur fights. I was about 60-10. I won a few titles, the Golden Gloves – not the Nationals, but I won the Mid-Atlantic three times and the regional championships three times.

“I’m naturally righthanded. I’m single, but I have two daughters. Myana is six, and Alyza is four. They both live with their mom, but I have them a lot.”…

Co-manager Jim Williams said, “Mike’s a serious guy. He never had anything when he was younger. We signed a contract extension with him about six, eight months ago, and at the same time, signed the papers for his house. Doc Nowicki had a house in the Frankfurt section of Philly, a nice section of town. Originally, we had a few of the Georgians living in there – Koba Gogoladze, Ramazan Paliani, and all. [note: a group of boxers from the Republic of Georgia that were co-managed by Jim and Doc] When they were done, Mike moved in there. He’s been there for  couple of years now. It’s a decent house – semi-detached, a nice backyard, new wall-to-wall carpeting. He always wanted a house of his own, for his kids. So Doc sold it to him on a lease-purchase. He pays Doc so much out of his fights ’till he pays him back. When we left the lawyer’s office after signing the papers that day, Mike was all smiles. I said, “Man, that’s the first time I saw you smile.’ And he said, ‘It’s the first time I’ve been happy.’ Mike’s a proud homeowner now. He just wants roots – his world revolves around his daughters. We had a barbeque for him after one of his fights, and he showed up late. He said he had to get his daughters’ hair done. That came first, before anything else.

“Mike finally traded in his car, the Dodge Charger, the one with the big chrome wheels, and he got like, a soccer mom’s car – nothing like a fighter like him would be driving. But it’s easy for him to put the kids’ stuff in the back. Everything is for his kids.”…

STRENGTHS: Has good skills, speed, and movement…tall and lanky, has good punching power…a hard worker in the gym, is always in top condition…is experienced against good opposition…had a strong amateur background…

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 26 fights…122 total rounds…

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 4.6 rounds…

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 73 %…

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 2 (2-0)…10 rounds – 3 (3-0)…8 rounds – 2 (2-0)…

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