Minnesota Fight Night

For the first time since the COVID-19-induced hiatus, professional boxing returns to the Minneapolis Armory on Sunday, June 27. Headlining the nationally televised card is today's guest on the podcast, David Morrell Jr. A native of Cuba now fighting out of the Circle of Discipline gym in Minneapolis, Morrell turned pro in 2019 after a stellar amateur career. Fighting on the iconic Cuban national team, Morrell won multiple world amateur championships while compiling an eye-popping record of 130 wins and just two losses. Without missing a beat, Morrell won a WBA world title in just his third professional fight, a one-sided decision win over previously unbeaten Lennox Allen. He followed that up with a dominant KO victory over veteran Mike Gavronski of Lockport, Illinois. On June 27, he faces another tough test in the form of Mario Cazares, who is unbeaten in 12 pro fights, including an upset win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. In the following interview, Morrell discusses his upcoming fight at the Armory, his preparation for the fight, and how he ended up in Minnesota after defecting from Cuba, among other topics. The Minnesota Fight Night podcast would also like to give a special shoutout to our interpreter for this interview, Ana Maria Campoalegre. Great job, Ana. We appreciate your help. And we hope you enjoy the interview.

Local boxing gym owner Michael Lewis has worked with former world champion Rob Brant and other notable professional boxers, but he's not necessarily out to discover the next Canelo Alvarez or Manny Pacquiao. Rather, at his 3PBoxing 24/7 gym in Woodbury, Lewis is dedicated to teaching boxing as a martial art, a form of self-defense and a great workout routine. As noted on the gym's website, 3PBoxing 24/7 is "a full-body boxing fitness center available on demand" with "state-of-the-art training equipment and programs for all fitness levels and ages." In the following interview, Lewis talks about how he was inspired to open the gym, his training philosophy, his experience working with Rob Brant and more. https://www.3pboxing247.com/about-us.

The Minnesota Fight Night podcast has featured interviews with past and current world champions, Minnesota boxing hall-of-famers, promoters and managers, media personalities, historians and up-and-coming fighters. Tony Woods, a 26-year-old super middleweight, fits in that last category. A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Woods is in the Twin Cities-based One-Two Boxing LLC stable of fighters. Before signing on with One-Two Boxing, Woods was a decorated amateur. His 75-fight amateur career includes state championships in 2013 and 2014. A two-time Olympic qualifying participant, he also won regional Golden Gloves championships in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. At one point he cracked USA Boxing's Top 10 in the 165-pound weight class. Woods is now 6-0 in the punch-for-pay ranks after a hard-fought win in Missouri. In this episode, Woods talks about his amateur career, his transition to the pros, his aspirations for the future, and much more.

During a long and successful career in the squared circle, Minnesota boxing Hall-of-Famer Anthony Bonsante established himself as a blue collar hero in the world of combat sports. Most famously, in 2005, Bonsante took his working man/family man persona to The Contender, an NBC TV reality series featuring 16 boxers fighting for a chance to win $1 million. Though the "No. 1 Daddy," as Bonsante was known on the show, didn't win the big prize, he got a lot of face time and represented Minnesota well. 

Before The Contender, Bonsante was already a well-established professional boxer. The native of Crosby-Ironton, Minnesota, finished with a 34-13-3 record in a 20-year pro boxing career that spanned from 1996 to 2016. Among his big wins was a nationally televised bout against Tony Ayala in a clash for the IBA world super-middleweight title. Bonsante was a big underdog, but he walked away with the belt after finishing off Ayala with an 11th round TKO. 

Bonsante is also well known for his Jan. 12, 2007, bout with St. Paul's Matt Vanda -- one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent Minnesota boxing history. With the USA Minnesota State Middleweight title on the line, the two local rivals clashed in front of a packed house at Target Center. Bonsante's hand was raised after 10 entertaining rounds of boxing.

Prior to turning pro, Bonsante won five Upper Midwest Golden Gloves titles in a stellar amateur career. 

In the following interview, Bonsante talks freely about his experiences on The Contender, including the time Sly Stallone invited the Minnesota boxer to his office for a cold beer, and an impromptu, early-morning sparring session with the great Sugar Ray Leonard. He also talks about working with legendary Minnesota boxing trainer Bill Kaehn, gives his thoughts on the current state of boxing in Minnesota, and much more.

Sean Clerkin is a legendary figure in the world of Minnesota amateur boxing. Sean did some amateur boxing as a young man in Ireland before making his way to the U.S. in 1963. For nearly a half-century, he has held leadership positions with the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves. He is the longtime president of the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves Board of Directors and he also serves on the national board. Closer to home, he runs the Golden Gloves Firehouse Gym and boxing museum at 555 Mill St. NE in Columbia Heights. The museum is a must-see for fans of Minnesota boxing. In the following interview, Sean talks about his life in boxing, the current state of amateur boxing in Minnesota, and much more.

"Sir" Cerresso Fort is a big name in recent Minnesota boxing history. As an amateur, Cerresso took on all comers and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation among middleweights. He went on to post an impressive 18-4-1 record in the professional ranks. As a pro, he scored big wins over the likes of Andy Kolle, Dave Peterson and Lamar Harris. In his capacity as owner and operator of Sir Boxing Club on Arcade Street in St. Paul, he's still giving back as a coach and mentor to young fighters. In the following interview, Cerresso talks about his life in boxing, his gym, and his early days in Chicago. He also shares some thoughts on the likes of Terence Crawford, Gary Russell Jr., Floyd Mayweather and the late, great Marvin Hagler.

Robb Leer was a broadcast journalist at KSTP-TV for more than 23 years. During that time, Robb covered all the major league sports in town, plus special events such as the 1980, 1984, and 1988 Olympic Games. As a young reporter in 1980, Robb had a front row seat for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team's improbable "Miracle On Ice" gold medal run. 

Robb, who also had a 10-year run as a senior investigative reporter for KSTP TV, has long been plugged into the local boxing scene. A passionate fan of the Sweet Science, Robb covered the 1980 heavyweight championship bout between Scott LeDoux and Larry Holmes at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, among other big fights. 

Robb is currently the owner of Leer Communications, a Minneapolis-based provider of a wide range of media relations services. In that capacity, he serves as the boxing publicist for the historic Minneapolis Armory. Rich in boxing history, the Armory has hosted fights featuring all-time boxing greats such as Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong. More recently, it has been the scene of multiple nationally televised fights featuring top local, national and international fistic talent.  

In this interview, Robb talks about his broadcast journalism career, shares stories about Minnesota boxing greats such as Scott LeDoux, and explains what it's like to put on a major boxing event.

Minnesota boxer Caleb Truax shocked the boxing world in December 2017 when he defeated James DeGale for the IBF world super middleweight championship. He lost the title back to DeGale in a tightly contested rematch. On Jan. 30, Truax will attempt to regain his old title -- and pull off another upset -- when he challenges current champion Caleb Plant, a native of Tennessee now fighting out of Las Vegas. The Minnesota Fight Night podcast caught up with Truax just before Christmas to get his thoughts on the big fight.