(tag nrho cov duab los ntawm Jeny nkauj hnub nraug hli Hernandez-Watson)

Providence (Kaum Ib Hlis Ntuj 16, 2015) — Undefeated featherweight prospect Toka “T-Zoo” Kahn-Clary (16-0, 10 Kos) tej zaum yuav qhov zoo tshaj plaws, kuj “tsis paub hais tias” prizefighter nyob rau hauv lub teb chaws, tsawg kawg sab nraum ntawm tshiab hais.

Ib tug dai kom zoo nkauj American pib xyaum ua uas muaj ib tug 131-11 cov ntaub ntawv, tseem ceeb los ntawm ib tug kub-puav pheej kev ua tau zoo nyob rau 2010 Lub teb chaws Golden Cov hnab looj tes sib tw, Kahn-Clary rov rau lub nplhaib no hnub vas xaum hmo ntuj (Nov. 20) nyob rau hauv The Cosmopolitan ntawm Las Vegas tiv thaiv Mexican tus nrog sib ntaus Sergio “Cuatito” Lopez (19-9-1, 13 Kos) nyob rau hauv dab tsi yog yuav tsum tau Kahn-Clary lub xeem teem yim-round bout ua ntej nws kawm tiav mus rau 10-rounders.

“Nws yog ib tug tawv Mexican fighter uas yuav thawv ib tug me ntsis nyob rau sab nraum,” Kahn-Clary tham txog nws lub tom ntej no tus nrog sib ntaus, “tab sis nws los rau pem hauv ntej, heev. Nws yog tej thiab tau nyob rau hauv nrog ib tug ntau ntawm zoo tw.”

Lopez yog ib tug loj kev kuaj rau tej zeem muag. His last three fights include a loss to 18-0 Alejandro nkauj hnub nraug hli (KO4) no yav dhau los lub yim hli ntuj, 10-puag ncig cais kos nrog 24-7-1 Joksan Hernandez, thiab ib tug stunning thib tsib-round kev knockout ntawm 16-0 Victor Betancourt.

“Lopez yog ib tug gamer,” Kahn-Clary lub taub hau tus kws qhia Peter Manfredo, Sr. ntxiv. 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, tej zaum 8-10 lub hlis. We were offered a big fight but, peb xav tau ib tug 10-round sib ntaus thawj, thiab nws tau hais tias kev sib ntaus thaum ntxov xyoo tom ntej.”

Kahn-Clary, sib ntaus sib tua tawm ntawm Providence, yog los tawm nws feem ntau tseem ceeb yeej raws li ib tug kev xeem rau hli ntuj, nyob rau hauv uas nws tshaj li nyob rau hauv chav kawm mus rau noj nyob rau hauv 33-11 Jonathan Perez, lub qub Colombian super bantamweight thiab ntiaj teb Boxing Council (Qhov) champion. Kahn-Clary stopped Perez in the sixth round of their fight on a card headlined by Timothy Bradley'S nruab nrab ntiaj teb no welterweight title yeej tshaj Jessie Vargas ntawm StubHub Center nyob rau hauv Carson, California.

Lub 23-xyoo-laus, uas twb yug los 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, qhov uas lawv nyob nrog niam qhuav txiv qhuav cov niam txiv uas, frankly, puas tau tsis tu dab tsi tshwm sim rau lawv.

Tag nrho tej yam tshwm sim taw mus rau Toka tau nyob rau hauv cov teeb meem nyob rau hauv cov Providence txoj kev raws li ib tug youngster, tshwj xeeb ntawm lub sij hawm, thaum nws tsis muaj tsev nyob yog. Qhov zoo ces, tab sis yog, ib tug phooj ywg coj nws mus rau Manfredo lub Gym nyob rau hauv Pawtuckert, RI. Boxing truly saved his life. Manfredo, Teb chaws USA Boxing Tshiab hais tus thawj tswj hwm Jim Perella thiab ob peb tias nws thiaj li tau txais nws, Andrea Watson thiab Ron Clary, dramatically hloov nws lub neej.

Kahn-Clary kos npe rau ib daim ntawv cog lus nrog rau sab saum toj promotional nyob qib, uas, nrog rau tus thawj saib xyuas Mike Criscio thiab Manfredo, tau tsiv Kahn-Clary ntawm ib tug neeg twg, upward pace. Kahn-Clary, incidentally, yuav tsum sib ntaus sib tua rau lub sij hawm xyoo no, tom qab muaj tsib xyoo tas los.

“Sab saum toj nyob qib tau ua ib txoj hauj lwm kom kuv tibneeg hu tauj coob,” 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.

“Kuv npaj txhij txoj cai tam sim no rau ib tug 10 los yog 12 puag ncig kev sib ntaus. I’ve done a lot of sparring to help me get ready to step up. I’m excited about fighting 10 thiab 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, (Cawmseejl) Lomachenkothiab (Tsov ntxhuav) Raug Cruz. I have the skills and heart to compete with them.”

Zoo sparring hauv New England yog nyob ib tug nqi, tshwj xeeb tshaj yog rau ib tug me me-ceeb thawj fighter xws li Kahn-Clary, uas muaj gained invaluable kev sparring nrog WBA super featherweightJavier Fortuna (29-0-1, 21 Kos), peb-lub sij hawm US Olympian Rau'shee Warren thiab nws cov kwv Tshiab hais thiab cov phooj ywg, New Haven’s Luis “KO King” Rosa (21-0, 10 Kos).

“Peter (Manfredo) thiab kuv taug kev mus rau Worcester (MA) thiab Connecticut tau zoo ua hauj lwm,” 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. Kuv twb pom lawv cov nplhaib generalship, lawv lub zog, 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, uas yog ib tug kawm kev. Yog hais tias koj tsis paub los ntawm sparring, tag nrho koj yuav puas tau yuav yog ib tug sparring tus khub.”

Manfredo tau nyob ib ncig ntawm thiab nws realizes hais tias nws nqi zog me nyuam kawm ntawv, Kahn-Clary, will need to go away to training camp for good sparring when he starts fighting 10-rounders. “Kuv zoo phooj ywg nrog Freddie Roach thiab peb yuav tsum tawm mus rau California thiab qhia nyob rau qus Card Gym,” Manfredo concluded. “I’m very happy with the way Toka’s been moved. I have faith in Brad Goodman, uas yog ib tug ntawm qhov zoo tshaj plaws, 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. Thawj, tab sis yog, nws muaj los mus tau txais yav tas Lopez no hnub vas xaum hmo ntuj kom nws momentum mus.

Ua raws li Kahn-Clary rau Twitter thiab InstagramTokaKahnClary, los yog phooj ywg nws nyob rau Facebook ntawm www.Facebook.com/tokakahn.