Welterweight prospect Demontaze Duncan is looking to storm the boxing world!
In the sport of boxing, more often than not, the fighters emerge from transformative but difficult life circumstances. This is certainly the case for rising young welterweight talent Demontaze “Juicy” Duncan (5-0, 5 KO’s). Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, the home of “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, Duncan was saddled with adversity early in life. With his father in jail, Duncan was made an orphan when his mother died when he was only the tender age of five. Unsurprisingly, Juicy found enjoyment frequently fighting other kids in his Beecher Terrace housing project.
If left to his own devices, there was the superb probability that Duncan would have eventually been condemned to jail or left dead by the streets. Thankfully, the hands of fate directed the youth to a boxing gym. Rather early in his development, Juicy would meet boxing coach Nicholas Bareis. Despite being extremely new and green to coaching at the time, Bareis and Duncan made a fairly instant connection. Quickly seeing the talent and potential in the gifted kid, Bareis took the young man under his wing. Not only did he begin training him, Bareis would go on to become Duncan’s official legal guardian.
[when asked what motivates him to box] “It’s a sport that I can fight without getting in trouble! I can make money for fighting, that’s what motivates me.”
FROM THE MUD
Together, the two compiled an amateur career of around seventy or so bouts. Within those dustups, Juicy developed into a nationally known and respected fighter. In fact, Duncan was seriously flirting with the idea of competing in the 2020 Olympic Games. Unfortunately for Juicy, who is 19 now, he was too young for the team and decided to go pro. Even better, to accompany his in-ring dominance, Duncan was an evolving young man outside of the ring. With boxing serving as a much needed stabilizing force in his life, Duncan transformed into a model student who excelled in his studies.
“I constantly watch my film, I watched my film over one hundred times to make sure I am not making no mistakes. Or, if I make a mistake, I can capitalize on it because when I am fighting those bigger fighters I don’t want to make no mistakes. So yeah, I constantly watch my film and constantly working in my craft.”
As a pro, Team Duncan has hit the ground running! With 2021 being his debut year as a professional, Juicy already has five bouts under his belt and there is a sixth on the way. Ideally, the next bout will end in the first round, like all the rest. While there is no question that the young man is talented, neither Duncan nor his coach suffer from any major delusions. They realize that he is still new to the pro ranks and want to take their time developing him. This is why Bareis minces no words when admitting that they are running through the “bum of the month” circuit. Yet, that is only for the time being. If everything continues to progress as they like, then Team Duncan is hopeful to have a breakout year in 2022 that will see them competing on television.
CREEPIN ON A COME UP!
Despite debuting and holding his first five fights at welterweight, the next major goal is to drop Juicy down to 140. Throughout his amateur days, Duncan simply competed at whatever weight he was walking around at. Now that he is a professional and getting ever more serious about his diet and training, fighting at super lightweight is looking very favorable. Bareis and Duncan are confident that neither his power nor performance will be diminished by the dip. If that proves to be the case, Team Duncan is very confident that Juicy can become a multi-division world champion.
For the time being though, the main focus is just on improving Juicy as a fighter and man. While committed his to fistic objectives, Duncan is still captivated by the simple joy of knuckling up itself. All the money, fame and accolades merely serve as the cherry atop an already scrumptious sundae. In fact, being paid to fight without consequence is nearly enough reward for the ambitious young man.
Certainly it will take time and notable effort to mold Duncan in the desired fight form they are seeking. Yet, watching this professional pain server ply his brutal trade will be a most enjoyable experience. So, now that you know, do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for the multifaceted talent known as Demontaze “Juicy” Duncan!
By: Bakari Simpson
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