I don't know if you guys remember back in '06, my boy Marcus Upshaw had his pro debut in Orlando, Florida at Olympia High School. I think I may have mentioned it to Jake, but I do believe I made a thread. Anyway, it looks like Marcus has a little tile shot coming up in the Chicago area on March 25th. He'll be fighting Osumano Adama (aka, Ozzie Adams) for the International Boxing Organization Inter-Continental Middleweight Title; it's also an eliminator for the IBO Middleweight title. Marcus has been on the rise ever since he changed managers. In fact, he went to Canada and beat Renan St. Juste as a Co-feature on ESPN's Friday night fights just last year. Furthermore, he fought to a majority draw against James McGirt (Buddy's son), in James' backyard, so you know who really won! He hasn't had a whole lot of pro fights but he has been in very tough and he's a very fast, tough fighter. My problem to this day is I believe he has a suspect chin. I've watched him in his amateur days and even worked the corner against him at one time, and the guy I worked with put him down in the final round of their match. Obviously, this guy has gotten a hell of a lot better as of late, especially since he finally realized that he is a middlewieght and not super middle or light heavy! He is now working with John David Jackson as well, so he's learning from a very good and respected pro's pro. I really believe that someone is going to give him a title shot based on his record and really get their ass kicked! This is a bad dude; even if he is still a bit chinny, someone who is sleeping on him will be in for a rude awakening. This is just a heads up. Check out his fight against Phil "The Drill" Wiliams on youtube. That was the first and last time he was knocked out. Also, check out subsequent fights of his to see his immense improvement, too.
My boy Jamie Kang was the first to beat him, though not the most inspiring performance for either of them that night. He showed me something winning the way he did on ESPN2 last year - forget against who, some Canadian cat. Anyway, glad to hear he's working with JDJ and that his career has taken a turn for the better.
