Deatwon Young of Star City Boxing is fighting in his second professional match this Friday at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Young, a welterweight fighter, is coming off his first professional win in April. The 26-year-old secured a first-round knockout against Obed Sepulveda.
“Before the fight, I was feeling nervous, but a good nervous, like I was just ready to fight,” Young said of his professional debut. “Right when I got in the ring, when I stepped up on the canvas, and got in the ring through those ropes, I felt like I was at home. Anything after I stepped in that ring, everything was a pretty, normal feeling.”
Next, Young is set to face Carlos Avelar of Watertown, Connecticut.
Avelar, also 26, holds a professional record of 1–12 since beginning his career in 2019, according to BoxRec.com.
“You can’t really take any opponent lightly. You’ve got to take everybody seriously,” Young said. “This game is a very serious game. I’m going to handle it the same. Warm up the same. I hope I’m just as nervous for the second fight as I was for the first one, because that just lets you know that your body and your mind are ready.”
“His confidence is really high, and we’ve been working extremely hard,” Star City trainer Lindsay Bates said of Young. “He’s known as a puncher, but he has really good skills. I don’t think he gets enough credit for that. He gets more credit for power. But his skills are great, and his IQ is off the hook.”
Before turning pro in April, Young compiled a 28–5 record as an amateur. Now, with that chapter behind him, he’s focused on building his name in the professional ranks.
Over the past six weeks, Young has been training intensively with Bates, Julian Cruz, and Alex Becantes, the owner of Star City Boxing Gym, as he prepares for his upcoming match.
Bates and Cruz have dedicated countless hours to training fighters at Star City, having coached in roughly 300 amateur bouts. It’s safe to say Young is learning from some of the best trainers around.
“More relaxed this time around because he got that first fight through,” Betances said of Young’s training. “Mentally, he’s better and more chill. I think his experience from his first fight is going to elevate him even more. He’s been locked in and focused. Sparring has been going well, and this week is going to be a light week before Friday.”
Young’s training regimen included strength and conditioning three times a week, along with running sessions three times a week as well.
One key change Young made was to incorporate yoga into his training, which boosted his flexibility, strength, balance, and overall mental clarity.
Aside from that, his training camp has been similar to the one leading up to his debut, focused on sharpening his skills, improving his inside and outside fighting, ensuring his punches snap, and fine-tuning the small particulars of boxing.
The Baltimore native has also trained at some of the top boxing gyms in the country, working alongside well-known names in the sport.
“We went down to Lamont Roach’s gym down in DC,” Bates said. “We’ve been down at Bozy Ennis’s gym a couple of times, so we get a lot of really high-quality sparring against a lot of undefeated pros, and we hold our own. This is not coming from me, it’s coming from Bozy Ennis, who is like a brother to me, and I’ve known him for over 25 years.”
Earlier this year, Young sparred with Roach, who holds a professional record of 25-1-2, before Roach’s bout with Gervonta “Tank” Davis on March 1, which ended in a majority draw in favor of Davis.
After this week’s fight, Young will join Roach’s training camp to help him prepare for his August rematch with Tank.
It’s clear Young is no stranger to high-level competition, even early in his professional career, which has shown promising potential so far.
For now, Young is focused on getting his arm raised in Philadelphia Friday night, fully aware of what he needs to do to achieve that.
“The fundamentals, using my jab, making sure my defense is sharp, and my eyes,” Young said. “One thing that I took real notice of is that my eyes were lasers. I pretty much saw everything that was going on inside that ring that he was doing, any move that he made, or some change of body language. Make sure my eyes are laser-focused.”
“Doing a lot of head fakes. Setting up shots with the jab,” Bates added. “You know, being patient, being poised, taking his time, picking his shots and staying behind the jab.”
As Friday night approaches, anticipation for Young’s second professional fight continues to build.
Young sees this fight as another stepping stone toward building his record and getting more experience under his belt.
“I’m preparing for him the best of my abilities, and I’m gonna get the job done like I did the last time.”
On July 19, Star City Boxing will host Bring The Heat, a free community boxing show and block party.
The event kicks off at noon on Saturday at Star City Boxing Gym, located at 1340 Centre Ave, and will feature food, music, and live entertainment for all attendees.
Source: Berkshire mont
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