Rolando Romero: ‘I became a better fighter’ as result of loss to Gervonta Davis

Rolando Romero said that “I became a better fighter” as result of his knokckout loss to Gervonta Davis last year.

Rolando Romero doesn’t view his fate against Gervonta Davis as a total loss.

Yes, the powerful Davis caught him with a big left hand and knocked him out in the sixth round of their 135-pound fight last May. That’s a matter of record.

At the same time, the fact he fought Davis on roughly even terms until the stoppage and the experience he gained left him with a positive outlook going into his fight with Ismael Barroso on Saturday night in Las Vegas (Showtime).

Romero will be fighting as a full-fledged 140-pounder for the first time. The vacant WBA title reportedly will be at stake.

“Gervonta Davis didn’t win that fight, I lost that fight,” Romero told Boxing Junkie. “I can say it like that. It was a reflection of a mistake I made more than him being great. Before that, the person being great was me.

“… Regardless, I’m forever grateful for that opportunity. I became smarter, I became a better fighter.”

The fight Saturday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is another significant opportunity.

Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) had been scheduled to challenge WBA beltholder Alberto Puello but Puello was pulled from the card after allegedly testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He reportedly was stripped of his title.

Barroso, a 40-year-old slugger from Venezuela, agreed to step in about three weeks before the fight.

Romero is perfectly happy fighting Barroso – particularly because the full title will be on the line – but he was outraged when he heard about the doping allegation of his original opponent.

“It’s just disgusting,” he said. “Testing positive for banned substances is f—ed up. Our health is at stake. It’s not like every other sport. Boxers die all the time. … I think anyone who gets caught with that should be permanently banned from boxing.”

The positive drug test opened a door for Barroso, who Romero believes could pose a stiffer challenge than Puello would have.

Puello is an athletic, slick technician. Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs) is known more for his punching power than his boxing ability, although he has solid skills. He was stopped by then 135-pound beltholder Anthony Crolla in 2016, his only title shot.

Both Puello and Barroso are left-handed, which will have made the transition easier for Romero in one sense.

Romero was asked about Barroso’s knockout record.

“Oh, he can punch,” he said. “He’s one of those guys with heavy hands. And he’s tricky, experienced. Is this a step down? I think it’s a step up. Puello can’t punch. This dude can punch.

“I can’t fall asleep on this guy. You can’t even compare the two on that.”

You also can’t compare Barroso to Romero’s previous opponent, Davis. That could bode well for him, as he can box and punch hard, too. The glory that eluded him against one of the best in the business last year could come one fight later.

“I’ll be excited to be champion,” he said, “and to put on a show for my hometown fans in Las Vegas. I’m just excited to be back.”

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Gervonta Davis receives 90 days of home detention for hit-and-run in 2020

Gervonta Davis on Friday received 90 days of home detention and 200 hours of community service for a hit-and-run conviction in 2020.

Gervonta Davis will have to serve 90 days of home detention for a 2020 hit-and-run in his hometown of Baltimore, according to multiple reports.

The lightweight contender received a prison sentence of two-plus years on Friday but the sentence was suspended, meaning he won’t have to spend time behind bars if he fulfills other requirements. He also received 200 hours of community service and three years probation from Judge Althea M. Handy in Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

Handy allowed Davis to avoid jailtime even though she was critical of his refusal to apologize to one of those injured in the crash.

“Three words: ‘I am sorry.’” she said, according to The Baltimore Banner. “And he was not man enough to do that. … He’s shown absolutely no remorse.”

Davis reportedly will serve his detention at the home of his trainer, Calvin Ford.

The unbeaten fighter pleaded guilty last February to four of the 14 misdemeanor counts for which he was indicted, which allowed him to avoid a trial.

The four counts were leaving the scene of an accident in which someone was injured, failure to report property damage, driving without a valid license and running a red light, according to ESPN.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2020.

Davis reportedly left a restaurant in downtown Baltimore in a Lamborghini Urus SUV, following a police escort. However, he split from the escort, ran a red light on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and struck a Toyota Solara, which a report says was “destroyed.”

The two people in the Lamborghini, which struck a fence after the collision and was disabled, allegedly fled the scene on foot. Police later determined that Davis was driving, citing witnesses and surveillance videos.

Four adults were in the Toyota, all of whom were transported to a nearby hospital. The driver evidently suffered the most-serious injuries, although not to the level required for Davis to be charged with a felony.

The woman’s attorney, Gil Amaral, told the Baltimore Sun that she suffered “fairly serious injuries” and has had complications in her recovery.

“Fortunately, the victims in this case were able to survive this alleged hit-and-run collision with recoverable injuries despite the potential for a far worst scenario,” State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement at the time of the indictment.

“My office will continue to do our part to hold reckless drivers accountable when their harmful actions put innocent lives in jeopardy.”

Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) had knocked out Leo Santa Cruz in the sixth round only a few days before the accident. He has fought five times since, including a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia in a high-profile fight on April 22.

Davis has had a number of brushes with the law. Here’s a timeline:

2017 — Arrested for assaulting a childhood friend but charges were later dropped.

2018 — Arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for his role in an alleged street fight.

2019 — Arrested and charged with simple battery-domestic violence after allegedly assaulting the mother of his child in Florida. She later recanted her story.

Gervonta Davis receives 90 days of home detention for hit-and-run in 2020

Gervonta Davis on Friday received 90 days of home detention and 200 hours of community service for a hit-and-run conviction in 2020.

Gervonta Davis will have to serve 90 days of home detention for a 2020 hit-and-run in his hometown of Baltimore, according to multiple reports.

The lightweight contender received a prison sentence of two-plus years on Friday but the sentence was suspended, meaning he won’t have to spend time behind bars if he fulfills other requirements. He also received 200 hours of community service and three years probation from Judge Althea M. Handy in Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

Handy allowed Davis to avoid jailtime even though she was critical of his refusal to apologize to one of those injured in the crash.

“Three words: ‘I am sorry.’” she said, according to The Baltimore Banner. “And he was not man enough to do that. … He’s shown absolutely no remorse.”

Davis reportedly will serve his detention at the home of his trainer, Calvin Ford.

The unbeaten fighter pleaded guilty last February to four of the 14 misdemeanor counts for which he was indicted, which allowed him to avoid a trial.

The four counts were leaving the scene of an accident in which someone was injured, failure to report property damage, driving without a valid license and running a red light, according to ESPN.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2020.

Davis reportedly left a restaurant in downtown Baltimore in a Lamborghini Urus SUV, following a police escort. However, he split from the escort, ran a red light on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and struck a Toyota Solara, which a report says was “destroyed.”

The two people in the Lamborghini, which struck a fence after the collision and was disabled, allegedly fled the scene on foot. Police later determined that Davis was driving, citing witnesses and surveillance videos.

Four adults were in the Toyota, all of whom were transported to a nearby hospital. The driver evidently suffered the most-serious injuries, although not to the level required for Davis to be charged with a felony.

The woman’s attorney, Gil Amaral, told the Baltimore Sun that she suffered “fairly serious injuries” and has had complications in her recovery.

“Fortunately, the victims in this case were able to survive this alleged hit-and-run collision with recoverable injuries despite the potential for a far worst scenario,” State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement at the time of the indictment.

“My office will continue to do our part to hold reckless drivers accountable when their harmful actions put innocent lives in jeopardy.”

Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) had knocked out Leo Santa Cruz in the sixth round only a few days before the accident. He has fought five times since, including a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia in a high-profile fight on April 22.

Davis has had a number of brushes with the law. Here’s a timeline:

2017 — Arrested for assaulting a childhood friend but charges were later dropped.

2018 — Arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for his role in an alleged street fight.

2019 — Arrested and charged with simple battery-domestic violence after allegedly assaulting the mother of his child in Florida. She later recanted her story.

Gervonta Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford: Tank must ‘continue to do what got you there’

Gervonta Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford: “Tank” must continue to do what got him here if he hopes to realize his full potential.

Trainer Calvin Ford doesn’t take protégé Gervonta Davis’ rise to greatness for granted.

Ford, speaking to Boxing Junkie like a true mentor, said “Tank” must stay the course – remain focused, continue to work hard, stay humble – for the skillful puncher to realize what appears to be vast potential.

If Davis gets too caught up in the hype, he implied, everything could come crashing down. So far, so good. Ford made it clear that Davis is doing the right things as of now, saying “he has become a real student of the game.”

“When you get to this level the question is do you continue to [do] what got your there?” said Ford, who was then asked whether he agrees that Davis has no obvious weaknesses. “As a person looking in you can say that but as coaches who have been with him for years we [can’t].

“We have to continue to evaluate … what we have to do to accomplish the task.”

Ford hesitated even to join in the accolades following Davis’ one-punch knockout of Ryan Garcia last Saturday in Las Vegas.

Boxing Junkie asked him whether the 28-year-old from Baltimore is better than 135-pound rivals Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

We expected him to say, “Hell yeah.” Instead, evidently wanting to keep Davis’ feet on the ground, he said that no one knows yet.

“So far we can see that but I don’t want that in my head,” Ford said. “We still have more that we have to prove. … Only three are considered that good, Devin, Shakur and Lomachenko.

“Who’s the best one? We won’t know until they’re standing in front of each other.”

Ford does make it clear that he believes in Davis, however.

Everyone talks about Tank’s undeniable punching power, almost relegating his boxing ability to an afterthought. Ford was asked whether people give him enough credit for his skill level.

“They don’t,” he said. “That’s the part that they miss. How does he deliver his punches to be so precise? It’s like a marksman shooting at a target. They’re like, ‘Oh, you ain’t going to hit that target from that distance. And he hits it, DING! Damn, how did he do that? That’s the difference.”

And while he didn’t say it directly, he implied that Stevenson – perhaps his most gifted rival – doesn’t have the resume Davis has.

Stevenson delivered a dominating break-through victory over Oscar Valdez in April of last year but he believes Davis is farther along in terms of quality opposition over a longer period of time.

“Shakur is good [against] the guys he’s been in front of,” Ford said. “Tank has been doing it against guys that people think he shouldn’t have been able to do it and he makes it look easy. That’s your stepping stone, how good you look in front of certain guys.

“Stevenson, no question, has the pedigree but it’s how you look against a guy when you have the same pedigree.”

That concept, Ford hopes, will lead us to showdowns between the aforementioned lightweights.

He won’t say who he’d like to see Davis fight next. That, he said, is up to the fighter. However, he believes those matchups are coming soon. Then we’ll know for sure who is the best.

“The time is now,” he said. “And time will tell. Tank has to ask himself, ‘Do you want to be an all-time great?’ These are the guys you have to knock off to be an all-time great.”

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Gervonta Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford: Tank must ‘continue to do what got you there’

Gervonta Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford: “Tank” must continue to do what got him here if he hopes to realize his full potential.

Trainer Calvin Ford doesn’t take protégé Gervonta Davis’ rise to greatness for granted.

Ford, speaking to Boxing Junkie like a true mentor, said “Tank” must stay the course – remain focused, continue to work hard, stay humble – for the skillful puncher to realize what appears to be vast potential.

If Davis gets too caught up in the hype, he implied, everything could come crashing down. So far, so good. Ford made it clear that Davis is doing the right things as of now, saying “he has become a real student of the game.”

“When you get to this level the question is do you continue to [do] what got your there?” said Ford, who was then asked whether he agrees that Davis has no obvious weaknesses. “As a person looking in you can say that but as coaches who have been with him for years we [can’t].

“We have to continue to evaluate … what we have to do to accomplish the task.”

Ford hesitated even to join in the accolades following Davis’ one-punch knockout of Ryan Garcia last Saturday in Las Vegas.

Boxing Junkie asked him whether the 28-year-old from Baltimore is better than 135-pound rivals Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

We expected him to say, “Hell yeah.” Instead, evidently wanting to keep Davis’ feet on the ground, he said that no one knows yet.

“So far we can see that but I don’t want that in my head,” Ford said. “We still have more that we have to prove. … Only three are considered that good, Devin, Shakur and Lomachenko.

“Who’s the best one? We won’t know until they’re standing in front of each other.”

Ford does make it clear that he believes in Davis, however.

Everyone talks about Tank’s undeniable punching power, almost relegating his boxing ability to an afterthought. Ford was asked whether people give him enough credit for his skill level.

“They don’t,” he said. “That’s the part that they miss. How does he deliver his punches to be so precise? It’s like a marksman shooting at a target. They’re like, ‘Oh, you ain’t going to hit that target from that distance. And he hits it, DING! Damn, how did he do that? That’s the difference.”

And while he didn’t say it directly, he implied that Stevenson – perhaps his most gifted rival – doesn’t have the resume Davis has.

Stevenson delivered a dominating break-through victory over Oscar Valdez in April of last year but he believes Davis is farther along in terms of quality opposition over a longer period of time.

“Shakur is good [against] the guys he’s been in front of,” Ford said. “Tank has been doing it against guys that people think he shouldn’t have been able to do it and he makes it look easy. That’s your stepping stone, how good you look in front of certain guys.

“Stevenson, no question, has the pedigree but it’s how you look against a guy when you have the same pedigree.”

That concept, Ford hopes, will lead us to showdowns between the aforementioned lightweights.

He won’t say who he’d like to see Davis fight next. That, he said, is up to the fighter. However, he believes those matchups are coming soon. Then we’ll know for sure who is the best.

“The time is now,” he said. “And time will tell. Tank has to ask himself, ‘Do you want to be an all-time great?’ These are the guys you have to knock off to be an all-time great.”

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Photos: Gervonta Davis’ seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia

Gervonta Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body shot in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round 136-pound fight Saturday at a packed T-Mobile in Las Vegas. Here are images of the fight. All photos by Al Bello of Getty Images.

Gervonta Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body shot in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round 136-pound fight Saturday at a packed T-Mobile in Las Vegas.

Here are images of the fight. All photos by Al Bello of Getty Images.

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Photos: Gervonta Davis’ seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia

Gervonta Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body shot in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round 136-pound fight Saturday at a packed T-Mobile in Las Vegas. Here are images of the fight. All photos by Al Bello of Getty Images.

Gervonta Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body shot in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round 136-pound fight Saturday at a packed T-Mobile in Las Vegas.

Here are images of the fight. All photos by Al Bello of Getty Images.

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Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia with body shot to cap another brilliant performance

Gervonta Davis stopped Ryan Garcia with body shot in the seventh round in another brilliant performance Saturday in Las Vegas.

Can anyone beat Gervonta Davis?

Ryan Garcia is a damn good fighter and he didn’t even come close Saturday night before 20,842 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, taking a vicious left to the body that forced him to quit on one knee in the seventh round.

The dramatic ending – Davis’ 27th knockout in 29 victories – was only the punctuation mark on another superb all-around performance by Tank.

Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) isn’t as established as some elite fighters near his weight but he’s a well-schooled, terrific athlete with one-punch knockout power. And Davis defused almost everything he tried to do.

The 24-year-old from California attacked Davis aggressively several times in Round 2 in an attempt take charge, only to have Davis tie him up in each instance. Then a short left from Davis put Garcia down.

Garcia landed a few nice right hands in Round 6, which was perhaps his best round and gave him hope of turning the momentum. Then, in the next round, the fight was over.

Garcia’s vaunted left hook? It was as if it didn’t exist.

Davis didn’t beat up Garcia but he beat him convincingly. He outboxed him from the second round on, did enough to win the rounds, put Garcia down twice and scored a highlight reel knockout while taking almost no punishment himself.

The scores – 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56 – might seem to indicate that the fight was close. It wasn’t. It was another dominating performance by Davis, who continues to build a case that he’s the best boxer in the world.

“You really don’t know until you actually get in with an opponent,” Davis said in the ring afterward. “Once I got in there with him, I felt, skill wise, it was [not a good match].”

The knockout was painful to watch.

Davis and Garcia were in close quarters when Davis, in a crouching position, lifted up his head and poked a straight left hand into the right side of Garcia.

Garcia took a step back and turned slightly but it didn’t seem to be a fight-ending shot. Then he winced and dropped to a knee in obvious pain. And that’s where he stayed when referee Thomas Taylor reached the count of 10.

Garcia was gutted in more ways than one.

“He just caught me with a good shot,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to make excuses. He caught me with a good shot and I just couldn’t recover. That’s it, all I want to say.”

Davis said that he wasn’t sure whether he had landed the decisive blow.

“I thought he was going to get up,” Davis said and then described eye contact between the rivals. “I like to play mind games. When he looked at me, I looked at him like I was saying, ‘Get up.’ He shook his head, saying, ‘no.’”

Where does the victory leave Davis?

The obvious next step is to pursue one of the top 135-pounders next, undisputed champion Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko or Shakur Stevenson, all of whom have a stronger resume than Garcia.

It’s not clear how the matchmaking will play out. Haney is scheduled to defend against Lomachenko on May 20. And Stevenson fights for a rival outfit, Top Rank.

The big fights will come, though. Davis is too good, too popular to avoid if anyone has a mind to do so.

How popular is he? The organizers of the event on Saturday declared repeatedly that the winner would become the face of boxing because of the fighters’ combination of ability, massive social media following and, in Davis’ case, the ability to pack arenas.

That might be an overstatement with Canelo Alvarez still active. Then again, maybe Davis has already overtaken the Mexican star, who might be in decline.

Tank was asked afterward whether he’s now the face of the sport. He didn’t hesitate when he responded.

“I’m definitely the face of boxing,” he said. “Abso-f—ing-lutely.”

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Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia with body shot to cap another brilliant performance

Gervonta Davis stopped Ryan Garcia with body shot in the seventh round in another brilliant performance Saturday in Las Vegas.

Can anyone beat Gervonta Davis?

Ryan Garcia is a damn good fighter and he didn’t even come close Saturday night before 20,842 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, taking a vicious left to the body that forced him to quit on one knee in the seventh round.

The dramatic ending – Davis’ 27th knockout in 29 victories – was only the punctuation mark on another superb all-around performance by Tank.

Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) isn’t as established as some elite fighters near his weight but he’s a well-schooled, terrific athlete with one-punch knockout power. And Davis defused almost everything he tried to do.

The 24-year-old from California attacked Davis aggressively several times in Round 2 in an attempt take charge, only to have Davis tie him up in each instance. Then a short left from Davis put Garcia down.

Garcia landed a few nice right hands in Round 6, which was perhaps his best round and gave him hope of turning the momentum. Then, in the next round, the fight was over.

Garcia’s vaunted left hook? It was as if it didn’t exist.

Davis didn’t beat up Garcia but he beat him convincingly. He outboxed him from the second round on, did enough to win the rounds, put Garcia down twice and scored a highlight reel knockout while taking almost no punishment himself.

The scores – 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56 – might seem to indicate that the fight was close. It wasn’t. It was another dominating performance by Davis, who continues to build a case that he’s the best boxer in the world.

“You really don’t know until you actually get in with an opponent,” Davis said in the ring afterward. “Once I got in there with him, I felt, skill wise, it was [not a good match].”

The knockout was painful to watch.

Davis and Garcia were in close quarters when Davis, in a crouching position, lifted up his head and poked a straight left hand into the right side of Garcia.

Garcia took a step back and turned slightly but it didn’t seem to be a fight-ending shot. Then he winced and dropped to a knee in obvious pain. And that’s where he stayed when referee Thomas Taylor reached the count of 10.

Garcia was gutted in more ways than one.

“He just caught me with a good shot,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to make excuses. He caught me with a good shot and I just couldn’t recover. That’s it, all I want to say.”

Davis said that he wasn’t sure whether he had landed the decisive blow.

“I thought he was going to get up,” Davis said and then described eye contact between the rivals. “I like to play mind games. When he looked at me, I looked at him like I was saying, ‘Get up.’ He shook his head, saying, ‘no.’”

Where does the victory leave Davis?

The obvious next step is to pursue one of the top 135-pounders next, undisputed champion Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko or Shakur Stevenson, all of whom have a stronger resume than Garcia.

It’s not clear how the matchmaking will play out. Haney is scheduled to defend against Lomachenko on May 20. And Stevenson fights for a rival outfit, Top Rank.

The big fights will come, though. Davis is too good, too popular to avoid if anyone has a mind to do so.

How popular is he? The organizers of the event on Saturday declared repeatedly that the winner would become the face of boxing because of the fighters’ combination of ability, massive social media following and, in Davis’ case, the ability to pack arenas.

That might be an overstatement with Canelo Alvarez still active. Then again, maybe Davis has already overtaken the Mexican star, who might be in decline.

Tank was asked afterward whether he’s now the face of the sport. He didn’t hesitate when he responded.

“I’m definitely the face of boxing,” he said. “Abso-f—ing-lutely.”

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Ryan Garcia on showdown with Gervonta Davis: ‘I am going to knock Tank out’

Ryan Garcia on upcoming showdown: “I am going to knock Tank (Davis) out.”

Let the trash talk begin.

Ryan Garcia wasted no time predicting what will happen when he meets rival Gervonta Davis in the spring in Las Vegas, assuming both fighters win interim fights and Davis overcomes legal issues.

Garcia is excited to be part of the event. And he couldn’t have more confidence.

“This is the fight I want and this is the fight boxing needs,” he said. “The hype, the storylines, the two athletes defining their sport inside the ring and out. I am going to knock Tank out and take my place as the face of our incredible sport, and I’m bringing a new generation of boxing fans with me.

“I appreciate Tank volunteering to get beat so that I can get to work.”

Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) intend to meet in a non-title bout at a catch weight of 136 pounds, reportedly in April, if Davis defeats 130-pound titleholder Hector Garcia on Jan. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. and Garcia wins a fight that has yet to be announced.

Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing hot prospect Chris Colbert in February and following that by taking Roger Gutierrez’s WBA belt by a one-sided decision in August.

However, moving up in weight to face a fighter of Davis’ ability will be a daunting challenge for the 31-year-old Dominican.

Davis also is scheduled to be tried on Dec. 12 for an alleged hit-and-run incident in November 2020.

The 28-year-old from Baltimore is a former two-time 130-pound titleholder who also won secondary titles at 135 and 140, going 5-0 (5 KOs) in championship fights. He gave up all of his belts.

He’s coming off a sixth-round knockout of Rolando Romero at 135 this past May. That followed a unanimous decision over stubborn Isaac Cruz in December, a bout in which Davis said he fought with an injured hand.

Garcia, 24, took a break from boxing last year to deal with his mental health but returned to defeat Emmanuel Tagoe (UD) and formidable Javier Fortuna (KO 6) in April and July in 140-pound bouts, respectively.

The Los Angeles-area fighter’s biggest victory came in January of last year, when he knocked out 2012 Olympic champion Luke Campbell in seven round at 135.