Philadelphia, PA–Cruiserweight contender Garrett Wilson is the poster boy for first-rate fighters with second-rate records. In an era where you can find more undefeated boxers than ever before, Wilson shines like a lighthouse in the fog.
A pro since 2008, Wilson is 10-5-1, 4 K0s. He is the USBA cruiserweight champion and is ranked No. 12 in the world by the IBF. He defends his belt against Chuck Mussachio, of Wildwood, NJ, on Nov. 19 at Bally’s Atlantic City. Mussachio is 17-1-2, 5 K0s.
How can this happen at a time where fighters fear that a single setback will cause them to drop to the bottom on the pecking order?
“I don’t believe in padded records,” says the 29-year-old Philadelphian. “What does it prove other than your manager has connections? Who cares? I am my own manager and I want to find out if I can fight. I want to know how good I am. I don’t have time to waste. I want to fight the best out there.”
Wilson has moved between super middleweight, light-heavyweight and cruiserweight and he feels most comfortable right now between 185 and 195 pounds. He calls himself The Ultimate Warrior.
The combined records of Wilson’s 16 opponents is an imposing 143-36-5. He has boxed only one man with a losing record. Not one of his fights has ever been televised by any cable TV network.
“I took anything I could get when I turned pro,” Wilson said. “I only had 11 amateur fights. I was with Elvin Thompson when I turned pro. We’d get a call for a fight and we’d take it. Simple as that! I had to make 169 pounds to fight Dennis Hasson in 2009. He was 6-0 and I was 3-1 and I had no strength and I lost a (six-round) decision. I went back to my amateur coach, Eugene Pearson, but something still was missing.”
Wilson’s long and winding road to the Top 15 began March 26, 2010, when he took on former world-title challenger Omar Sheika in Hamilton Township, NJ. It was a scheduled eight-round main event, a fight Wilson’s new promoter, Hall-of-Famer J Russell Peltz, felt was an opportunity to sneak one over, given that Wilson was 7-3 at the time and coming off a lopsided loss to Puerto Rican Olympic team member Carlos Negron in Madison Square Garden.
Against Sheika, Wilson scored early and often, pumping lefts and rights through Sheika’s defense. Overconfident and playing to the crowd, Wilson began clowning, dancing in his corner between rounds, losing focus. When Wilson got hit in the throat by a right hand in the fourth round, the fight turned. Sheika rallied and Wilson was rescued by the referee.
“I read Garrett the riot act after that fight,” Peltz said. “I reminded him that fighters like him do not often get those kinds of opportunities and he had just foolishly kissed it goodbye.”
Wilson: “Inexperience hurt me the first time against Sheika. Things were so easy at the beginning, I couldn’t believe it. I just got carried away.”
Three months later, on his own, Wilson accepted a six-round fight with unbeaten lefty—there we go again–Julio Cesar Matthews, of Reading, PA, in Philadelphia, losing on points and getting knocked down along the way.
“I needed money so I took what I could get,” Wilson said. “I went to Simon Gratz High School, but I’m not built (mentally) for a 9-to-5 job. I have four kids to support (10 months to 10 years) and my wife (Janae) and I try to make ends meet. When I turned pro in 2008, I was working as a bathroom attendant at the Cebu Club in center city. Then the club went out of business. Boxing is a full-time thing for me.”
After losing the six-rounder to Matthews, Wilson rebounded with a one-round knockout over fellow-Philadelphian Reshawn Scott.
“In early September, I got a call for Garrett to fill in on 48 hours’ notice against Andres Taylor in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,” Peltz said. “Taylor was 16-1-1 at the time and he is from Johnstown. I told the matchmaker it wouldn’t work since there was not enough time. Next thing I know Garrett calls me and he had heard about the fight and he wanted it.
“So he got in his car the next morning and drove four hours to Johnstown with his new trainer, Rodney Rice. The fight was the next night and it was outdoors and Garrett was doing fine. After the fifth round it began to rain and the fight was delayed 30 minutes until the rain stopped. After the delay, Garrett continued to give as good as he got and he earned an eight-round draw in a fight which most people thought he won.”
Two months later, Wilson flew to Mayfield Heights, OH, a Cleveland suburb, to box Aaron Williams, who was living in Las Vegas but originally came from Cleveland. Williams was 20-2-1 and world-rated. Wilson started slowly in the scheduled eight-rounder, but began to rally in the sixth round. In the seventh, he knocked Williams down. When Williams got up he was wobbly and the referee stopped the fight.
At that point, a group of unruly fans—friends and supporters of Williams—stormed the ring, verbally abused the referee and made threatening gestures toward the Wilson camp. Wilson, Rice and matchmaker Chuck Bailey jumped out of the ring and bolted for the dressing room, where they barricaded the door. The mob tried to break down the door while Bailey called 911 on his cell phone. Eventually, the police arrived, cleared out the place, arrested the troublemakers and Wilson was allowed to leave.
A rematch with Sheika (30-9 at the time) for the vacant USBA cruiserweight title took place last April 23 at Caesars Atlantic City. Wilson did not lose focus this time, pounding Sheika relentlessly for 12 one-sided rounds, gaining a unanimous decision, the USBA belt and a world ranking.
During the summer, after highly rated Lateef Kayode, of Hollywood, CA, backed out of a fight with Wilson for the No. 1 slot in the IBF ratings, Wilson and Peltz tore up their old promotional contract and signed a new one.
“Garrett is my kind of fighter,” said Peltz, who has been promoting fights since 1969. “He’ll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. He’s got a great story and it sends a message to managers and promoters who only want their fighters to be 20-0 or 25-0 and fight on HBO or Showtime.
“Boxing people have lost focus in recent years. Everything is built around unbeaten records and TV appearances. Very few promoters want to get in the trenches and work. They won’t promote without television or casino backing. Garrett’s story proves that you still can make it without a glittering record if you believe in yourself and you have others who believe in you.
“That’s where his trainer, Rodney Rice, comes in. Rodney has been with Garrett for a little more than one year, beginning with the knockout over Scott. He’s an ex-Army guy, very dedicated to Garrett. He’s relatively new to boxing but he understands things that most people with far greater experience simply cannot grasp. We worked together on the new promotional contract and we got along fine.”
ABOUT NOV. 19
The Wilson-Skeika fight tops a seven-bout card at Bally’s Atlantic City. First fight is 7.30 pm. Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000). Tickets also are on sale at www.peltzboxing.com and www.ticketmaster.com. Gofightlive.tv will televise the card on the internet. The card is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Bally’s Atlantic City.
