Miami (Lub yim hli ntuj 19, 2015) – Perennial middleweight/super middleweight gatekeeper Marcus Upshaw thaum kawg qhib lub rooj vag mus rau lub tom ntej no tshooj ntawm nws cov hauj lwm tas hnub Saturday, khob tawm yav tas los undefeated Turkish prospect Bugra Oener ntawm chaw ntau pob nyob rau hauv Wynwood Miami, mus ntes tus tsis muaj lub ntiaj teb no Boxing Council (Qhov) ntus Mediterranean super middleweight title.

Lub 35-xyoo-laus Upshaw (18-4-4, 9 Kos) tiv thaiv nyob rau hauv nws lub tsev lub xeev rau cov thawj lub sij hawm nyob rau hauv 2 ½ xyoo. He was on a seek-and-destroy mission against reigning WBC Youth super middleweight champion Oener (9-1, 3 Kos).

Upshaw txais xav tias cov laus tom qab nws tau ua yav sib ntaus, nyob rau hauv uas nws poob Las Vegas hometown nyiam Lanell bellows (12-1-1) peb lub sij hawm tsis tau poob ib yim-round kev txiav txim siab.

“Kuv twb tau lub gatekeeper ntev ua luaj li tab sis kuv thaum kawg qhib lub rooj vag,” Upshaw hais tias. “Qhov no sib ntaus muaj txaus, tshwj xeeb tshaj yog tom qab kuv ntev, long journey. I was stressed out after my last fight. I beat myself up and felt there was no reason for me to continue my boxing career. I felt used and was ready to quit, tab sis kuv twb ntxias kom muab nws ib tug ntau txhaj tshuaj. Kuv yeej npaj txhij rau muab tso rau kuv lub neej nyob rau txoj kab, mus rau nws thiab tsis worrying txog tau ntaus los yog raug mob.

“I knew that I had to finish this time. My opponent was related to one of the promoters and, nrog rau kuv cov keeb kwm, I knew that I had to keep going to finish the job. I knew I had to knock him out and I trained hard to do just that. I’ve put the past behind me. The problem was always me. This fight was fun. I stepped into the devil’s playground and that brought out the ugly in me to get the job done.”

Nws kuj zoo li coj txawv txawv hais tias ib tug lub neej-ntev Floridian zoo li Upshaw yog lub ntus WBC Mediterranean super middleweight yeej, tab sis nws tau hais khov kho qhia nws ob title siv (saib nrog daim duab nrog Upshaw thiab saib xyuas Si Nyaum), mus nrog rau cov Florida lub xeev middleweight pluaj nws yeej nyob rau hauv 2009, thaum nws khob qhov rooj tawm rau lwm tus unbeaten prospect thaum lub sij hawm, Ahsandi Gibbs (10-0). Attendance coj txawv txawv yog cov cheers nws hnov ​​los ntawm cov neeg coob coob uas serenaded nws nrog chants ntawm “TEB CHAWS USA, TEB CHAWS USA” raws li nws nkag mus hauv lub nplhaib nrog Florida pab txhawb Dave Johnson waving ib tug American chij raws li nws coj pab neeg taug kev mus rau Upshaw lub ces kaum.

“Rau ib tug hloov kuv twb sib ntaus sib tua nyob rau hauv kuv qab tsib taug thiab hnov ​​tus kiv cua qw, 'Teb chaws USA, TEB CHAWS USA’ kev mob siab rau kuv ib tug ntau,” Upshaw sau tseg. “They had my back. I was honored and it got me extra psyched for the fight. I knew had to prove myself. I’m really a middleweight but I took this fight at super middleweight because it was a good opportunity for me.”

Upshaw yeej ib txwm paub txog nws toughness, yuav qhov kev ncua deb, albeit nyob rau hauv losses, nrog champions, contenders thiab zeem muag xws li Mario Antonio Rubio,David Lemieux, Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, Edwin Rodriguez, Patrick Majewski thiab Tarvis Simms.

“Kuv zoo siab heev rau Marcus tom qab tag nrho cov nws tau los ntawm,” Upshaw tus neeg uas coj saib xyuasSi Star (SHS Boxing Management) ntxiv. “Marcus yog ib tug txawv fighter nyob rau hauv lub nplhaib no lub sij hawm….zoo li nws yog ib tug txawv kiag li txiv leej tub,” “Marcus tau raug tej kev phem los ntawm cov neeg nyob rau hauv thaum ntxov ib feem ntawm nws cov hauj lwm uas muab nws nyob rau hauv tiv thaiv hais mav uas mus txog 175 phaus, sib ntaus sib tua lawv nyob rau lig daim ntawv ceeb toom nyob rau hauv lawv cov backyards, thiab ib tug ntau ntawm nws losses nyob rau lub ntiaj teb no champions.

“Marcus tau yeej ib txwm muaj lub hwj chim nws tau qhia tiv thaiv Oner, tab sis nws twb tsis qhia yuav ua li cas kom siv nws lub hwj chim kom txog rau thaum nws pib ua hauj lwm nrog (lub taub hau tus kws qhia) Orlando(Cuellar). Marcus is very, muaj zog heev thiab nws yeej tsis tau nyob rau hauv ib tug phem sib ntaus. Nws poob tej fights nws yuav tsum muaj yeej, but that’s all behind him now. Coming off this fight, Kuv ntseeg hais tias peb muaj peev xwm tau txais nws mus tua rau ib cheeb tsam title, thiab ces peb mam li mus los ntawm muaj”

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