by Francisco Salazar |
Chordale Booker will take his talents to a recent weight class.
Booker will make his middleweight debut on Saturday night, defeating Brian Chavez of Argentina at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 10-round fight will be the main attraction of the Championship Boxing 2024 card, which will be promoted by longtime promoter Jimmy Burchfield.
The 33-year-old Booker (22-1, 10 knockouts), who lives in nearby Stamford, has fought several times at 160 pounds, but has recently been campaigning at junior middleweight, even winning the WBC’s 154-pound regional title belt.
In his last fight on February 3, Booker won a unanimous decision over Greg Vendetti. Booker failed to make weight, being a pound over the junior middleweight limit, and was stripped of his WBC regional title. It was then that Booker and his team believed that the right move was to move up in weight and compete at 160 pounds.
“It was a really tough fight stylistically,” said Booker, whose manager is Paul Guarino. “Vendetti is a bit like an old-school fighter in that he tilts his head and sits low, a bit like Jack Dempsey. This made it arduous to land punches exactly where he was supposed to be, but after the rounds I realized it was possible and started taking a few shots and catching him as he ducked.
While Vendetti is a high-pressure fighter who takes advantage of his awkwardness, Booker will face a completely different fighter in Chavez (14-4, 5 KO).
Southpaw Booker, a standout amateur who was runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, has enlisted the aid of IBF welterweight world champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis to train with him in preparation for this fight. Booker traveled to Ennis’ hometown of Philadelphia to train with him.
The amount of time spent training with Ennis has boosted Booker’s confidence heading into the Chavez fight.
“I’m going to show that (Chavez) doesn’t belong in my ring,” said Booker, who also made his professional debut in 2016. “From the videos I’ve seen, he’s more of a boxer. He wants to try to move his feet, move his head. I’ve had 137 amateur fights and he’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. There’s nothing special about it that stands out to me, so I’ll go in there and do whatever I want. I’ll see what he can do, what punches he’s looking for, and then I’ll take him down.
“I came up with (Ennie) amateurs and I knew it would be the best job. “Boots” is the ultimate talent. I have the best lefty in front of me and I’m preparing for the best version of Chavez, so a little (this Saturday), if this guy isn’t ‘Boots,’ I should win large.”
Booker has won his last five fights since suffering his only loss to then-undefeated middleweight prospect Austin Williams in April 2022. Williams stopped Booker in the opening round.
Williams suffered his first loss as a professional in his last fight on June 1, losing by knockout to Hamsah Sheeraz in a clash of undefeated middleweights.
Booker hopes to redeem himself and looks forward to a rematch with Williams in the future. He feels that the first fight with Williams did not show what type of fighter he really is, and he is confident that he can win the rematch with Williams.
“I’m watching every ‘Ammo’ fight,” Booker said. “I definitely want that back as a competitor, not anything malicious towards him as a person. Hamzah Sheeraz saw the same thing in “Ammo” as every other fighter: he’s primarily an athlete who can punch. Sometimes that’s not enough, someone figures out that you’re a one-trick pony and if they manage to avoid getting hurt, you’ve got a problem.
“I got injured in the fight with Williams and I couldn’t cope with it. Sheeraz got injured in their fight and he dealt with it and thought, “Okay, I just have to watch out for his left hand and I’ll be able to wear him out,” because usually guys who have power don’t do that. have the same amount of boxing skills.
With the 160-pound division wide open, Booker could emerge as a contender if he makes a statement at Chavez’s expense.
Booker hopes to challenge for the higher leagues later this year and in 2025. Booker, who has stopped opponents in three of his last five victories, believes his evolving skill set will make it harder for others in the division to prepare for the fight.
“I would like to fight (WBA world champion) Erislandy Lara, (WBC world champion) Carlos Adames or (WBA world title holder) Janibek Alimkhanuly. A fight between me and Adames would be action-packed, but I think Janibek is the toughest opponent out of them and I’m all for fighting the best. For me, it’s not just about winning the championship. What I really want to know is if I’m the best, how close I am, and what I need to do to be the best. I wish more fighters would do this so we can get the fights and opportunities we want, so there is no preference as to who I would fight.
“The fight (Saturday) will answer some questions about what I can do against a guy I feel superior to in terms of boxing skills. I can say all I want about him and any other fighter, but until I get in the ring with them, see what they have and if I win, the fight will tell me everything I really need to know about them, which is me, and what I have to work.
“I prepare for the best version of him by putting myself in uncomfortable situations, going to other people’s gyms and trying to box the best fighters. I put it all on the line so that one day I could hang it on a hanger and make sure I did everything I could.
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