Junior “The Young God” Younan to be showcased in “KO Night Boxing: Rumble on the Water 2” co-feature
(July 24, 2017) – Former junior boxing prodigy and undefeated professional prospect, undefeated Junior “The Young God” Younan, will be showcased in the “KO Night Boxing: Rumble on the Water 2” co-feature this Saturday (July 29), airing (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT) on CBS Sports Network, live from The Queen Mary’s outdoor venue in Long Beach, California. The Queen Mary will be hosting its first pro boxing show.
The 21-year-old Younan (12-0, 9 KOs), fighting out of Brooklyn, takes on former USA California super middleweight champion Mike Guy (9-2-1, 5 KOs), of Sacramento (CA), in the eight-round co-featured event.
“This will be a coming out party for me,” Younan said. “I’m going to go out there and try to make a statement. It’s been a great start to the year – it’s my third fight this year – and I feel like I’m getting better and better each one.”
In the night’s 10-round main event, undefeated featherweight prospect Tramaine “The Mighty Midget” Williams (11-0, 4 KOs), of New Haven (CT), squares off against former world title challenger William “Chirizo” Gonzalez (30-7, 26 KOs), of Nicaragua.
“KO Night Boxing: Rumble on the Water 2”, presented by Black Tree, is promoted by Roy Englebrecht Promotions, in association with KO Night Boxing LLC and Roc Nation Sports.
Fighting under the Roc Nation banner, Younan was a highly-decorated amateur boxer, compiling an outstanding 90-5 record. Given his success, Younan elected to turn pro in 2013 as an 18-year-old, rather than wait several years for an opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team.
Younan started boxing competitively as an eight-year-old and, only two years later, The New York Times crowned him a “boxing prodigy”. During his impressive amateur career, he collected several belts, medals and awards, including nine championship performances in the Junior Olympics as well as the Junior Metros, eight in the New York State Silver Gloves, and five more in the Regional Silver Gloves. He was also a four-time National Silver Gloves recipient, three-time Ringside World winner, three-time National PAL, and two-time National Junior Golden Gloves champion. In 2011, he was crowned the National Junior Golden Gloves champion, in addition to being USA Boxing’s No. 1-rated junior boxer in his weight class.
Nagging injuries somewhat curtailed Younan’s development, limiting him to one fight in 2015. After a nine-month layoff, he returned triumphantly on March 26, 2016 to defeat Cristian Solorzano, of Sonora, Mexico, on the Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera undercard at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. With a win by way of a four-round unanimous decision, Younan improved his unblemished record to 8-0.
Three of Younan’s last four fights have ended in the opening round, including his most recent on June 17 on the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev 2 undercard at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The Brooklyn bomber made quick work of the Hungarian veteran Zoltan Sera (28-14, 20 KOs) at the 1:39 mark.
“It was an amazing experience for me as a 21-year-old to fight in Vegas on Andre Ward’s card,” Younan added. “Coming off that knockout, I have great momentum and confidence heading into this fight. I can’t wait.”
California heavyweights Rodney Hernandez (10-5-2, 2 KOs), of Modesto, and Los Angeles’ Jonnie Rice (6-2-1, 4 KOs), a former Winthrop College (SC) basketball player, will open the televised segment of the card in a six-round bout.
Fighting on the undercard in four-round matches are Los Angeles featherweight Sergio “El Nino” Quiroz (3-0) vs. Lupe Arroyo (2-0), of Huntington Beach (CA), Whittier (CA) lightweight George Acosta (2-0), and pro-debuting welterweights Eric Gomez, of Santa Ana (CA), and Long Beach’s Raul Calderon.
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
All tickets are priced at $60.00 and on sale to purchase by calling 949.760.3131.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. PT with the opening bout scheduled at 6:30 p.m. PT.