Earlier this month, Roc Nation Sports rolled out their inaugural “throne boxing” event with everyone from Rihannato their newly signed 27-0 super middleweight champion — Andre Ward — seated in the front row of Madison Square Garden.
They were all there to see the company’s 20-year-old welterweight — Dusty Hernandez-Harrison — pull off his 25th straight victory. But what many people did not notice was Roc Nation’s 6-foot-2 heavyweight contender who seemed to blend in with the crowd.
Whether they knew it or not, 19-0 Philadelphia boxer Bryant Jennings was weeks away from inking a deal to try to become the second American heavyweight to win a world title since Shannon Briggs in nearly nine years. It won’t come easy though.
Instead of going toe-to-toe with new champ Deontay Wilder – for the WBC strap — Jennings chose to face IBF, WBO and WBA titleholder Wladimir Klitschko — the same Klitschko who has held the belts for almost four years after 17 consecutive title defenses. But why not become the next Philly fighter chasing history, right?
That’s something he clearly wants:
“This is what I fight for. We are not planning on losing. We are talking about bringing that belt home. Nothing against Deontay, but I figure a heavyweight champion from Philly is bigger than a heavyweight champion from Alabama.” (ESPN)
With the Jay Z behind him, HBO televising him and the Garden housing him, Jennings is in position for a clear win-win. If he loses the fight, he will simply be seen as the overachieving underdog who was unable to do what 63 other opponents have not. But if he defeats Klitschko, he gains the notoriety of the sport’s latest giant killer.
Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.
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