 – Pictures courtesy of Mikey Williams –
PROVIDENCE (May 18, 2016)) – Undefeated blue-chip featherweight prospect Toka “T-Nice” Kahn-Clary (17-0, 11 KOs) continues to show improvement in each and every fight. Last weekend, the 23-year-old Liberia-native knocked out seasoned veteran Orlando Rizo (19-7) in the fourth round at Sportsman Lodge in Studio City, California.
Kahn-Clary, fighting out of Providence, may still be flying under the radar but he’s getting closer to becoming a breakout star. His most recent fight was his first scheduled 10-rounder.
“I put in a lot of hard roadwork, running seven miles a day, and (his head trainer) Peter (Manfredo, Sr.) really pushed me,” Kahn-Clary talked about preparing for his last fight. I got some good work from Javier Fortuna, sparring him a few times, and he’s a good southpaw.
“I wasn’t looking for a knockout but it just happened. I stepped left and threw a left. I didn’t load up but it was accurate, hitting him right on his chin. I was happy to get the knockout but I was looking forward to getting in some more rounds.”
“Nothing Toka does really surprises me because I’ve known since the beginning that he’s special,” Manfredo commented. “Toka continues to improve with each fight and he’s hungry to get to the next level. There’s no rush, he doesn’t turn 24 to next year. He’s still maturing. The kid he knocked out was Nicolas Walters’ main sparring partner.
“I just don’t want to put him in with the big names just yet. He’s maturing but he’s not all the way there. He’s improving all of the time, putting his combinations together better each fight. I’ve also noticed that he’s nice and relaxed in the ring now. He’s becoming a good boxer who always had power. Top Rank is doing a great job moving him. Everybody’s happy.”
 A decorated American amateur who had a 131-11 record, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the 2010 National Golden Gloves Tournament, Kahn-Clary passed on a shot to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team to turn pro three years ago.
“I’ve been boxing 10 years now,” Kahn-Clary added. “Knowing what I’ve already accomplished, I also realize that I’m still improving. I’ll be back in the gym Monday to get ready for the next call we get about my next fight. (Top Rank’s) Brad Goodman is one of the best matchmakers in boxing. He and everybody at Top Rank are doing a great job positioning me for a big opportunity. That may not happen this year but, hopefully, it will sometime next year. I’m boxing so much better now than I ever did. I used to fight like I was in a fog but, now, my eyes are wide open.”
Not bad for a kid who left his mother and siblings in Liberia when he was six, only to have his father murdered a year after he arrived in the United States. He’s overcome many difficult obstacles in his young life, most of them tougher than any opponents he’ll every fight, including a stretch in which he was homeless. It’s only made him tougher and an even better overall person.
 Follow Kahn-Clary on Twitter and Instagram @TokaKahnClary, or friend him on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/tokakahn.
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Tag Archives: Peter Manfredo Sr.
Undefeated prospect Toka Kahn-Clary Returns to ring this Saturday night vs. Gabino Cota in Studio City, California
CRANSTON, RI(February 8, 2016) – Rising super featherweight star Toka “T-Nice” Kahn-Clary(17-0, 11 KOs) returns to action this Saturday night against Mexican opponent Gabino “Flash” Cota (18-5-1, 16 KOs) at Sportsman Lodge in Studio City, California. A decorated American amateur boxer (131-11 record), his career highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the 2010 National Golden Gloves Tournament, Kahn-Clary is a native of Liberia who passed on a shot to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, turning pro three years ago.
Kahn-Clary’s impressive second-round stoppage of Sergio “Cuatito” Lopez (19-10-1, 13 KOs) last November was supposed to lead him graduating to a 10-round fighter. His promoter Top Rank’s show this Saturday, headlined by Alex Saucedo vs. Clarence Booth, doesn’t have a single 10-round fight, in favor of three 8-rounders including Kahn-Clary vs. Cota.
“That really doesn’t matter to me,” Kahn-Clary said. “I trained to beat this guy, not how many rounds. I’m a lot better fighter than I was a year ago. I’m a lot more relaxed in the ring. I think more as I’m moving in the ring, adjusting a lot better, and my combinations are coming out a lot better.”
A former WBC FECOMBOX and Mexican featherweight champion, Cota is a dangerous opponent who has knocked out 16 of the 18 fighters he’s defeated as a professional.
“Cota may have lost four of his last six but they were all title fights or on television against name opponents,” Kahn-Clary’s head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. noted. “He has some pop, throws a zillion punches and just keeps coming forward. This is a good step up for Toka.
“Toka is ready for this fight. He’s had a lot of good sparring. Toka is aggressive, well-conditioned, a good defensive fighter who can crack. There wasn’t a 10-round fight available on this card but we wanted this fight. Toka’s still only 23 so there’s no reason to rush things.”
Cota is battle tested having fought world title challengerJonathan Oquendo, Puerto Rican Olympian Orlando Cruzand Russian champion Andrey Klimov.
“I like fighting guys that come to me like Cota,” Kahn-Clary remarked. “It makes my job easier. I can setup my punches and fights against guys like this aren’t as much as a chess match. I’ll be landing hard shots and fans like that better than a chess match.”
Follow Kahn-Clary on Twitter and Instagram @TokaKahnClary, or friend him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/tokakahn.
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Undefeated prospect Toka Kahn-Clary Graduates to 10-round fighter
-all pictures courtesy of Mikey Williams / Top Rank-
CRANSTON, RI (November 25, 2015) – After his impressive second-round stoppage of Sergio “Cuatito” Lopez (19-10-1, 13 KOs) last Friday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, undefeated blue-chip featherweight prospect Toka “T-Nice” Kahn-Clary (17-0, 11 KOs) has officially graduated from an eight to ten-round fighter.
“”My performance was good,” Kahn-Clary looked back on his knockout of Lopez. “I didn’t do anything to make it a difficult fight. I was a little concerned that my opponent came in overweight (128 lbs. contract weight but Lopez weighed 132.2 lbs.), but I didn’t think too much of it. I really wanted to go four or five rounds for some more experience, but I put him down in the second round with a right hook, and took him out. (Lopez was unable to answer the bell for the third round.)
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| (L-R) Toka Kahn-Clary and referee Jay Nady |
“I’m definitely ready for 10-rounders. (Head trainer) Peter (Manfredo, Sr.) always has me doing a lot of conditioning work. We sparred a lot of rounds for eight-round fights, so I’ve been ready for 10-round fights. I won’t be fighting again until next year, but I’ll be back in the gym next Monday.”
A decorated American amateur who had a 131-11 record, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the 2010 National Golden Gloves Tournament, Kahn-Clary passed on a shot to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, turning pro three years ago.
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| (L-R) – Head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. & Toka Kahn-Clary |
“I think Toka made a big statement and so did Top Rank (Kahn-Clary’s promoter),” Manfredo added. “They’re so high on him that they want to put him in a big fight. I told them to give us a 10-round fight first, maybe in January or February, and then we can talk about him fighting a top guy. There’s no rush; he’s only 23.
“Toka’s really maturing. He still doesn’t have ‘man strength’ but he’s getting there. He always works hard. He spars hard with bigger guys. He doesn’t just beat up a sparring partner, he beats up the gym, three or four fighters a session. And most of the time he’s sparring bigger guys and using big gloves.”
Born in Liberia, the 23-year-old Kahn-Clary is a rising star with lofty expectations. “I want to compete at the top level,” he explained. “Next year, I will keep working hard and hopefully fight some decent named opponents. I’m not ready for the top guys in my division, not yet, but I’ll be there in another year.”
Follow Kahn-Clary on Twitter and Instagram @TokaKahnClary, or friend him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/tokakahn.
Undefeated blue-chip prospect Toka Kahn-Clary Liberia native making name in America
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To fight Sergio Lopez this Saturday in Las Vegas
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(all pictures by Jeny Luna Hernandez-Watson)
PROVIDENCE (November 16, 2015) — Undefeated featherweight prospect Toka “T-Nice” Kahn-Clary (16-0, 10 KOs) may be the best, relatively “unknown” prizefighter in the country, at least outside of New England.
A decorated American amateur who had a 131-11 record, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the 2010 National Golden Gloves Tournament, Kahn-Clary returns to the ring this Saturday night (Nov. 20) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas against Mexican opponent Sergio “Cuatito” Lopez (19-9-1, 13 KOs) in what is supposed to be Kahn-Clary’s last scheduled eight-round bout before he graduates to 10-rounders.
“He’s a tough Mexican fighter who can box a little on the outside,” Kahn-Clary spoke about his next opponent, “but he comes forward, too. He’s experienced and has been in with a lot of good opponents.”
Lopez is a serious test for any prospect. His last three fights include a loss to 18-0 Alejandro Luna (KO4) this past August, 10-round split draw with 24-7-1 Joksan Hernandez, and a stunning fifth-round technical knockout of 16-0 Victor Betancourt.
“Lopez is a gamer,” Kahn-Clary’s head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. added. He’s tough but our plan is for Toka to take him apart and eventually take him out. Toka’s not far away from a really big fight, maybe 8-10 months. We were offered a big fight but, we need one 10-round fight first, and he get that fight early next year.”
Kahn-Clary, fighting out of Providence, is coming off his most notable victory as a professional last June, in which he stepped up in class to take on 33-11 Jonathan Perez, the former Colombian super bantamweight and World Boxing Council (WBC) champion. Kahn-Clary stopped Perez in the sixth round of their fight on a card headlined by Timothy Bradley‘s interim world welterweight title win over Jessie Vargas at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
The 23-year-old, who was born Toka Kahn, will never face obstacles in the ring more difficult to overcome than his early life experiences. Now a blue-chip prospect, he was born in Liberia and came to America with his younger sister to join their father when he was only six. He lived in Philadelphia only one year before his father was killed in a shooting. Toka’s arduous journey continued as he and his sister moved to Providence, where they lived with foster parents who, frankly, didn’t care what happened to them.
All signs pointed to Toka getting in trouble on the Providence streets as a youngster, particularly at times, when he was homeless. Fortunately, though, a friend brought him to Manfredo’s Gym in Pawtuckert, RI. Boxing truly saved his life. Manfredo, USA Boxing New England president Jim Perella and the couple that eventually adopted him, Andrea Watson and Ron Clary, dramatically changed his life.
Kahn-Clary signed a promotional contract with Top Rank, which, along with manager Mike Criscio and Manfredo, have moved Kahn-Clary at a steady, upward pace. Kahn-Clary, incidentally, will be fighting for the third time this year, after having five last year.
 “Top Rank has done a good job keeping me busy,” southpaw Kahn-Clary commented. “I know that it takes time to climb the ladder and I still need to improve a few things. I need to beat a top fighter to get into the world rankings. I’ll be ready when I get that call.“I’m ready right now for a 10 or 12 round fight. I’ve done a lot of sparring to help me get ready to step up. I’m excited about fighting 10 and 12 round fights because it’ll be a test for me and I love to be test. The top guys in my division are the (Gary) Russell, (Vasyl) Lomachenkoand (Leo) Santa Cruz. I have the skills and heart to compete with them.”
Quality sparring in New England is at a premium, especially for a smaller-weight fighter such as Kahn-Clary, who has gained invaluable experience sparring with WBA super featherweightJavier Fortuna (29-0-1, 21 KOs), three-time US Olympian Rau’shee Warren and his fellow New England and friend, New Haven’s Luis “KO King” Rosa (21-0, 10 KOs).
“Peter (Manfredo) and me travel to Worcester (MA) and Connecticut to get good work,” the gifted boxer-puncher Toka-Kahn explained. “It’s been a great help for me. I’ve gotten a lot of valuable experience in there with fighters like Fortuna and Warren. I’ve seen their ring generalship, their movement, and I’ve learned from them. They’re smart. I’ve learned from them, even try to copy them. It’s not just about sparring, which is a learning experience. If you don’t learn from sparring, all you’ll ever be is a sparring partner.”
Manfredo has been around and he realizes that his prize student, Kahn-Clary, will need to go away to training camp for good sparring when he starts fighting 10-rounders. “I’m good friends with Freddie Roach and we’ll go out to California and train at the Wild Card Gym,” Manfredo concluded. “I’m very happy with the way Toka’s been moved. I have faith in Brad Goodman, who is one of the best, if not the best matchmaker in the world. They’ve moved Toka along at a good pace. They know what they’re doing.”
Meanwhile, Toka Kahn-Clary plans to make his name in boxing next year. First, though, he has to get past Lopez this Saturday night to keep his momentum going.
Follow Kahn-Clary on Twitter and Instagram @TokaKahnClary, or friend him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/tokakahn.
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