يونيو 4, 2021, فورت سميث, Arkansas—In a year of surprising boxing returns, nothing is more surprising than the return of retired heavyweight contender JD “The Natural” Chapman (29-0).
ولد جون ديفيد تشابمان في مارس 1983, Chapman did not fight as an amateur. بدلا من, بدأ القتال في مسابقات Toughman قبل أن يصبح محترفًا 2002. He chose the name “من الطبيعي” as Chapman hails from Arkansas, “الدولة الطبيعية”.
JD did many of his early professional fights close to home, namely as part of the Slugout Series promoted by Stacy “Goodnight” Goodson. Goodson and Scott Hirsch, who were managing Chapman, built Chapman into a heavyweight contender.
In the process, Chapaman accumulated 29 انتصارات و 26 بالضربة القاضية. He beat several notable contenders and gatekeepers. وكان أبرز خصومه هم إدوارد جوتيريز المقيم في شيكاغو 15-0-1 الدخول في المباراة, New York veteran John Carlo who possessed a 14-1 سجل, and fellow undefeated Mid-West prospect Matt Hicks 7-0.
Chapman also captured several regional heavyweight titles including the IBF Southern Regional title, لقب مجلس أمريكا الشمالية للملاكمة, لقب WBC Latino ولقب ولاية أركنساس. فقط عندما بدا أن تشابمان كان على أعتاب النجومية, علقها كلها وركبها حتى غروب الشمس.
At the time of his retirement Chapman was an up and coming contender, and a darling of the boxing press. He received tremendous coverage and exposure in the boxing press as a heavyweight prospect, and was featured on national television. إضافي, Chapman was rated by just about every major sanctioning body including the lineal sanction body, the WBC, والذي منحه التصنيف العالمي لـ 14.
Chapman will return on an untelevised club show this Saturday, يونيو 5, 2021, and in a fight close to where it all begun in his home state of Arkansas. Chapman was called in as a last minute replacement opponent to fight Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez at the Springdale Convention Center.
It will be a clash of big men. Chapman weighed in at 294 رطل, while his opponent Lopez weighed in at 259. It will be a battle of big men as Chapman is 6’5” while Lopez is 6’6”.
Although he has had only two professional boxing fights, Lopez is a veteran pugilist with nearly a 100 معارك تحت حزامه, spanning multiple combat sports disciplines, فنون الدفاع عن النفس المختلطة, kickboxing and bare knuckle fighting.
Said JD, “I was only offered the fight on Thursday but decided to take it anyway. Even though I’ve been off for so long, I was already training for a July event, and I think I’m ready enough. I accepted the fight with such short notice because I just could not pass on the opportunity to get back in the ring. I did not realize how much I missed fighting.”
In his prime, Chapman had some high profile trainers, بما فيه مايكل مورر, Jeff Mayweather and Norman Wilson. حاليا, he is trained by former MMA fighter Brian Foster and Chapman’s return is being guided by Edward Mendy of Lion Heart Boxing Productions.