During a quiet Thursday afternoon workout inside of Las Vegas’ H.I.T. Factory an upbeat young fighter wears an infectious smile as he carries out the final part of his training session. He is rising prospect J’leon Love, a 10-0 middleweight who hails from Dearborn Heights, Michigan and walks with a demeanor that makes it clear, he’s excited to be here, and after spending ten minutes with him you’ll find yourself excited about him.
In a sport that serves as something of a way out for troubled youth, or an outlet of pent up aggression, Love’s mindset seems to be in a different place from other young fighter’s in his situation, he’s having fun. Dubbing himself the gym’s resident prankster, Love carries out his training routines with all the pride and craft of a world class athlete, but what makes him endearing, and dangerous, is that he has not forgotten to enjoy the sport.
Fans will have an opportunity to watch J’leon in action on the Berto-Ortiz undercard February 11th, where his bout will be broadcasted along with the rest of the undercard on Showtime Extreme, but before he steps into the ring Love offers up a chance for fans to get to know him a little better.
On what he hopes to accomplish on February 11th “Whatever comes, a knockout would be great. I’d love to get some rounds and look good. Whatever comes really.”
On his favorite weapon in the ring “Body shots man. I love to go to the body, and jab. I think those are important tools in the professional game, and you don’t see a lot of young fighters working enough on those things. One of my advantages is the sparring I get around the country, and advice from these top notch trainers, and that’s what sets me apart.”
On his favorite boxing memories “I don’t really have one that stands out. I’m blessed to have so many experiences, but I think coming up in Detroit is where a lot of my memories are. Detroit is home for me and that’s where I learned it all. I’m blessed and have a great family.”
On living and training in Las Vegas “I love it, I love the lights. I’ll be running in the desert and you can see the lights from a distance, there’s nothing like it. I don’t gamble, I like to keep my money. I don’t drink, but I love to get out and have a good time. I’ll go out and get a water and that’ll be my champagne, and I’ll have just as much fun as everyone else.”
On his future in the middleweight division “I’ll fight anyone, and I know a lot of times that isn’t the smartest thing a fighter can do, but I’m all about the fans. In the amateurs me and Dennis Douglin had our rivalry, Shawn Porter gave me a good fight, I’d love to see those guys again in the future. Ideally in the next few years I’d like to fight Jermain Taylor, who wouldn’t want an opportunity like that? Chavez would be great, I just want to end up fighting the best.”
On the next 12 months “Just continuing to come up and get better. I want to be a world champion eventually, and I see that happening in the near future. I just want to continue to take better fights and keep coming up.”
On dreams outside of boxing “Boxing is number one, that’s what I do, but I think people should use every attribute they have. I’ve modeled and it was a blast(Love has modeled with the likes of Kate Moss). I’d love to model again, I’d love to find myself in front of a camera, on a movie screen. You never know, boxing is number one, but I don’t rule out anything.”
On what fans should know about him “I’m a prankster man, I love to have fun. If you ever see me out come holler at me, because I love to talk. I love to meet boxing fans, and to be in a situation where people would want to take a picture with me, or get an autograph, I’m truly blessed. “
