Friday night in California, Pearson will become the first pro boxer from the Miami Valley in 54 years to fight for a title of real consequence when he meets Justin DeLoach for the vacant USBA junior middleweight (154 pound) title.
The 10-round bout at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, north of San Diego, is being promoted by Floyd Mayweather Promotions and broadcast live on Showtime (10 p.m.)
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The last Miami Valley pro in a prominent title fight was Springfield featherweight Davey Moore, who defended his crown against Sugar Ramos in a nationally televised bout that was also in California.
In that ill-fated affair at Dodger Stadium, Moore was stopped in the 10th round. When he fell, the back of his head and neck bounced off the bottom ring rope – actually, a steel cable covered by rubber– and the whiplash caused a brain stem injury from which Moore died four days later. He was just 29.
Today, Moore is remembered with a towering bronze statue by nationally acclaimed Urbana sculptor Mike Major that stands in Gateway Wedge Park in Springfield.
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Now Pearson is trying to attain lofty status in his hometown.
“Friday night I’m hoping to give a great performance for all of Dayton,” the 26-year-old southpaw said. “I feel like LeBron James in Cleveland. Cleveland hadn’t had a champion in over 50 years until he and the Cavs won the NBA title last year.”
“I feel like I could be Dayton’s version of LeBron. I’m hoping to bring the first of several boxing titles home to Dayton.”
The USBA gave birth to the International Boxing Federation and each of its champions now, Pearson claimed, soon finds himself in line for an IBF world title fight.
At present, the 14-1 Pearson is ranked No. 8 by the USBA and DeLoach, a 23-year-old from Augusta, Georgia with a 16-1 record, is rated No. 6.
“All the little setbacks he’s had can be erased with his fight right here,” said Milt Pearson,” Chris’s dad. “This fight can change the whole game for him.”
Pearson’s trainer Al Mitchell — who has guided world champions, Olympic gold medalists and several national champions in his 5 ½ decades as a trainer — agreed:
“Any bout at this level is your future. I hate to say it that way, but if he wins this – and he should if he listens – it will be pivotal to him fighting for a world title.”
Staying in shape
When it comes to this bout and father and son Pearson, one of them is striving for a much bigger presence and the other is sweating to make his smaller.
I spoke to both Chris and Milt while each was in training Sunday.
Chris had just gotten off the treadmill at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas and Milt was still astride the stationary bike in the gym he has in his Trotwood home.
“I’m about three pounds from my fighting weight,” Chris said proudly. “This time around I haven’t put my body through the stress I have in the past.
“Even though I haven’t fought since last April, I didn’t get too heavy in the layoff like I normally do. This time I never let myself get over 175 and had times where I got down in the mid-160s. In the past I’ve gone up to 185, sometimes close to 190.
“This time, I didn’t drain myself so crazy. I’ll be fresh and strong and hydrated.”
Back in Trotwood, Milt was paring himself down, as well.
“When one of Chris’s fights is confirmed, I start working out, too,” he said. “Whatever fighting weight he has to get down to, I get down to the same thing – plus 100 pounds.
“This time he has to make 154, so I have to hit 254. I started out in January. My top weight was 283 and yesterday I was down to 259. By the time Chris weighs in, I think I’ll make 248.”
Milt said he works out three times a day now:
“I’ve got a gym in my house and I do cardio twice a day and lift weights. I’ll do some shadow boxing, too, and hit the heavy bag.
“We’ve got a Five Rivers Metro trail from Trotwood to Bellbrook and I’ll walk and run out two miles and then come back two. Then I’ll go to the other end and do the same.
“I’ve really changed my diet, too. I’ve cut out sweet drinks and I’ve got a juicer and make my own juices. I cut out fast food and use my crock pot and broil and bake a lot. Mainly, I’ve just cut down on my eating…. I feel good.”
Chris felt the same Sunday and said he doesn't think he'll show rust even though his last fight was an April 30th decision over Joshua Okine in Washington, D.C..
The layoff came because of two fight cancellations. First an opponent backed out of a bout and then – when he was to fight DeLoach in September – he suffered a cut when he was head-butted during a sparring session in Los Angeles.
Because he kept himself fit in the layoff – training off and on at Mitchell’s camp in Marquette, Michigan, at Ignition Athletics in Mason and now in Vegas – Pearson has gotten some hard-earned praise from Mitchell:
“He got smart this time and he’s listening more. His training has been good. He’s ready.”
A big opportunity
Chris appreciates Mitchell’s no frill assessments:
“Yes he’s an outstanding teacher, but more importantly he helps me stay accountable to myself.”
Mitchell said when he began to train Chris after he’d graduated from Trotwood Madison High School, he found himself with an already well-schooled boxer, thanks to the efforts of his Dayton trainers, especially Ron Daniels.
“When his coach sent him to me, he already was a good boxer,” Mitchell said. “Very rarely do I get a boxer that has real good skills, but he did. All I had to do was get him in good condition, add a couple of little pieces and get him to relax.”
And listen, both men said.
“These young guys today don’t have good listening skills” Mitchell said. “They want to do things the way they want to.”
Chris didn’t argue:
“On paper I’ve got everything you can think of, but a lot of times I shoot myself in the foot by not necessarily following the game plan or because I done let myself get too heavy before a fight.
“Al says, ‘You’re in control of yourself. You have the tools to be a world champion, but the only person who can keep you from that is yourself.’
“Because I’m a young, hungry guy who will gamble to impress the fans and try to give them their money’s worth, sometimes I throw my skills out the window and instead just trade blows and go tit-for-tat with a guy. I believe I can take your punishment better than you can take mine.
“But Al says, ‘Hey! Hey! Hey! Stay behind your jab. Use your skills. Make it easy. Don’t take punishment. Don’t worry about the crowd. Don’t care if the fight is boring.
“’You lose a fight, they’ll write you off. You continue to win, boring or not, you’re gonna be around. You’ll make money and you’ll win a title.’”
And that’s the mindset Chris plans to hold onto Friday night:
“The next three to five years of my life are monumental to my boxing. They’ll decide how successful my career is … and I want to win a world title and make millions.
“And this fight here can be the springboard to all that. I won’t take anything away from the guy I’m fighting – he’s a good opponent – but I perform best when I fighting against a guy who requires me to come out on the top of my game.
“I think I’ll look good Friday.”
Back in Trotwood, Milt thinks he’ll look good, as well.
As he was about to pack for his trip, he’d already made a decision:
“Believe it or not, I’ve been doing this so long that I’ve got two sets of clothes. I’ve got fat man clothes and I’ve got skinny man clothes.
“My fat man clothes aren’t going on this trip.”
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