If you are a boxing fan from Philadelphia or have read anything I have written in the past year, you probably know the name Mike Jones. If not, I think you will be hearing the name Mike Jones soon. He has created a lot of excitement in Philadelphia, and he is ready to do the same outside of Philadelphia. I recently caught up with Mike and trainer Vaughn Jackson at the Martin Luther King, Jr recreational center in North Philadelphia. Mike was there to spar with Latif Mundy in the basement, where they have a boxing ring, several heavy bags, and speed bags.

Vaughn Jackson looked on from the corner of the ring as Mike sparred, yelling out commands when needed. Judging by the look on his face, he was happy with what he was seeing. Vaughn has been with Mike for the past five years, ever since Mike turned professional. When speaking of how they came together, Vaughn said, “I always thought Mike would be a great pro. It was like we just bumped heads. It was like destiny, you know. It wasn’t like he approached me, or I approached him. He wasn’t comfortable with the Fraziers turning pro. He knew I was doing a good job. We just bumped heads, and here we go.” Together they have turned Mike into an undefeated boxer, with a record of 18-0 with 15 KO’s.

It is easy to see that Vaughn has a high opinion of Mike. I asked Vaughn about Mike’s work ethic, and he was quick to answer, “If I had to give him a grade, I’d give him an A++.” Not only is Vaughn’s opinion of Mike high but also Mike’s opinion of Vaughn. Mike, speaking about Vaughn, told me, “He’s perfect. He always wants to learn. He’s not the type of guy who knows every single thing. He’s learning as much as I am learning in there, and we put our minds together and we create good things in there.” Vaughn plays an important part in training and in the fight. As Mike said, “During the fight I’m always listening to Vaughn. He gives me a lot of advice. Sometimes I probably air it out. In my mind, I be going crazy in there. When I settle down, I listen and it works.”

On this particular day, Vaughn is getting Mike ready to fight Raul Pinzon. Originally, Mike was to fight Richard Gutierrez, but an injury during training has forced Gutierrez out. This is nothing new for Mike. His two last opponents were replacements too. Mike says that he is used to the changes in opponents. Vaughn also treats it as though it is no big deal. “It affected us a little bit. Richard Gutierrez could do a lot of things. He’s a counter puncher, a matador. He likes to move around sometimes and box, versus this guy. To my understanding, he just wants to come straight forward. He wants to bang. We just got to make some small adjustments, not too much.”

According to Vaughn, training does not change much from opponent to opponent. “We treat every opponent the same. There is nothing different. We work hard, and I try to prepare him the best way I can. I look at the film of the guy, and I come up with a game plan. Mike doesn’t really like to take a look at the guys, so I take a look at them.” I thought that maybe Mike didn’t like to take a look at them because of all the changes in opponents. However, Mike has a bigger reason for not looking at them. “Everybody fights everybody different,” Mike told me. “They might change up. I learned that from the amateurs. You look at the way somebody fight some other guy, and they come in and fight me totally different. So I don’t really pay too much attention to the tape.”

Changes in opponents haven’t been the only thing that Mike and Vaughn have had to deal with this year. Mike has also been fighting several injuries. “It threw us off a lot,” Vaughn explained. “We couldn’t prepare ourselves as much as we wanted to, but we had to do what we had to do. I just had to monitor his arm, his hands. He had a pinched nerve too. I just got to stay on top of it. But it affected us a lot though.” This has led to some changes in the training. Vaughn told me about them too. “We slowed down our work ethic. I give him a day off during the week; whereas, before, we were going seven days a week, non-stop. Now I give him a days rest.” Mike has noticed a difference since they have made the changes. “The one day rest has been helping me, helps my muscles regroup and not just going full blast every single day. I feel a lot stronger and in better shape.”

Watching him this day, I can see that Mike is ready for this fight. I have seen him train on several occasions, and he always trains hard. Mike fights hard too. I have seen too many fighters slack off when fighting what they believe is an easy opponent. Not Mike. If his opponent is not up to the challenge, he is usually out of the ring before the end of the second round. I asked Mike if he thinks that he does not get the credit he deserves. “I feel like that but what can I do. I just got to keep going hard at what I do, and maybe one day they will notice me.” Vaughn also believes that Mike has not received the recognition he deserves and issued this challenge. “Champions, why don’t you give Mike Jones a shot. He’s ready. He deserves it. And I guarantee he won’t disappoint no one.”

Mike also had a word for those who don’t believe in him. “I am going to be the best. There are a lot of doubters, and I want to thank you for all your hate.”