British boxing youngster Tony Curtis made waves for making his professional debut at 16 years old despite the fact the Roy Jones Jr. trained fighter lost.
Upon being featured on the September 23 Pro Box TV card before he could claim a driving license, his child-like looks caught the attention of fans and media.
Trained by Roy Jones Jr.
Curtis, who has been training with Jones Jr. in his gym for the last few months, got thrust into the spotlight despite his tender years.
Sanctioned in a four-round contest against 18-year-old Mexican Javier Perez Calderon, Curtis got off to a bad start.
Fighting on the undercard of Cristopher Rodriguez vs Alejandro Gonzalez in Cancun, the minimumweight suffered a debut defeat.
Little is known about “Lightning Junior,” who hails from the UK, apart from the fact he has a decent social media following and likes to show off his bling.
His bio states he’s a two-time schoolboy champion and a “Junior Cadet” champion. It also outlines that he won the “British BoxCup” and is the “Southern Counties” champion.
What a lot of that means is Curtis had some experience before embarking on the American dream. However, looking at his Instagram and TikTok, it seems Curtis may have bitten off more than he can chew in the ring.
Tony Curtis looks younger than his years
He doesn’t look a day over twelve. However, others on social media went as far as ten when taken back by his appearance on a pro boxing bill.
Even Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella was surprised.
DiBella asked: “Who’s child is this, Junior?”
Others stated: “He looks like a baby” and “He looks ten years old.”
Another said: “Tony Curtis is about 16 years old from the UK. I don’t really know what is going on. He got beat. The boy shouldn’t even be there.”
DiBella responded to the latter comment: “I heard he gave a decent account of himself.
“Was he just too young to be there? Who did he lose to?”
The second description of his effort outlined: “He got pressured and hit clean a lot.”
Another who witnessed the fight added: “He went all four pretty easily. But just wasn’t seasoned enough for a pro bout.”
Lessons to be learned
Not the best start to a pro career that may need to marinate a few more years before making a serious comeback.
Yet another case of social media pressuring a young fighter to go pro points to the recent surge in influencer, YouTube, and TikTok boxing.
Judging by his activity on those platforms, Tony Curtis is portraying himself ahead of his time. Maybe he should enjoy being a child more.
Unless you’re Canelo Alvarez, entering the paid ranks at the right time is key to the future of your career. It’s much harder trying to restart with a loss.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
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