FORT MITCHELL, AL. — It’s not easy being #1 at anything. But for the last year we’ve had the number one amateur boxer in Georgia and Alabama right in our backyards.
Money Powell IV is a name that might ring a bell to you. We’ve covered him in his quest for gold in the junior Olympics last year and recently told you that he went pro.
“I went professional April 9th. I had my pro debut in LA and I got a first-round knockout. It was an amazing night, amazing feeling,” says Powell.
I mean you just can’t ask for more than a TKO in your first fight, right? Well what’s even cooler is that his sparring buddy and best friend is also making waves on the boxing scene.
Ray Johnson, a carpentry major at Columbus Technical College, knows how to use his hands.
“So right now, out of the whole region, I am the best in my weight class,” said Johnson.
Ray is the #1 amateur boxer in the state of Georgia. And his coach Jason Jones says Georgia was the hard part.
“As far as the region, they usually dominate. So that right there was the major accomplishment. That took a long time coming because there’s some tough opposition,” said Jones.
And now that Ray’s earned this title, he has to constantly defend it. Amateur boxers can fight every two weeks with a national tournament sprinkled in every couple of months.
The guys say boxing can be a lonely sport so being able to train day in and day out together is an added bonus.
“Money has been my brother my whole life; since I was 10-11. Me and him throughout the whole thing. It’s fun to have him in the gym because when nobody else is there I always have money.”
“Sometimes, you have to hit each other up in the gym. It created a bond and a type of respect you can’t get anywhere else but in the ring. And you know us growing up with each other. He’s my best friend. We’ve been through everything together,” says Powell.
And while they might be on a little different path right now. One thing won’t change. Game Bred boxing is their home and they are family.
These boys have a busy couple of months ahead of them.
Ray will be competing in Paul Murphy, a national tournament in Kissimmee, Florida on June 9th.
As for Money, he will be jetting to Paris to fight the Olympic gold medalist for France on June 2nd.
–Natalie Peluchette, WRBL.com
