Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

David Benavidez’s father, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he wants undisputed lightweight heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev if he can defeat “regular” WBA champion David Morrell in a Jan. 25 fight.

Jose Senior believes Beterbiew would be a good fight for Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO). He would also like his son to have Dmitry Bivol because it would give him a chance to beat someone who beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022.

Jose Sr. is still bitter that Canelo chose not to fight Benavidez all these years, and recently mentioned a $200 million asking price to fight him. If Bivol loses the rematch with Beterbiev, it is not worth fighting him.

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) will be the guy Benavidez fights if he defeats Bivol in a rematch in 2025. The second fight is still not confirmed, but it is likely.

Benavidez’s worst nightmare would be if Beterbiev lost his rematch with Bivol and then the two fighters met in a trilogy fight. Benavidez will have to wait until the third fight between these fighters takes place before he can claim the belts.

“David’s next fight will be David Morrell. Everyone is very excited about it. We tried to make this fight for three years, but I think David Morrell needed a little more experience to show the world that he deserves this fight,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. Probox TV David Benavidez’s next fight with Cuban David Morrell will take place on January 25.

Of course, Team Benavidez hasn’t tried challenging to fight Morrell over the last three years because they’ve been the ones ignoring him. If they wanted a fight with Morrell, it would have happened a long time ago.

They waited until now, after Morrell’s unimpressive performance against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, before deciding they wanted to fight him.

“David called him and said, ‘Hey, I want to do this fight. Let’s make it happen. It was done right away. I’m very excited to fight a newborn talent, a sturdy fighter, and I think it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Jose Senior on how the fight with Morrell ultimately came about.

I hope we get a chance to fight Beterbiev. He won only on Saturday. Hopefully we can achieve that, but right now our focus is on David Morrell. We have to look impressive to get to the next level,” Benavidez Sr. said.

If Benavidez loses to Morrell, Jose Sr. will have to decide which direction to take his son. Will he move it back to 168 pounds or stay at 175, hoping to win one of the belts after Beterbiev’s vacation?

It meant a lot to Canelo Alvarez that he became the undisputed super middleweight champion.

From Vladimir Shishkin’s point of view, this means that if on Saturday in Germany he fulfills his lifelong dream, namely becoming the IBF super middleweight champion and defeating William Scull, the fighter who in fact forced the sanctioning body to strip Alvarez of his fourth belt.

“I’m going to call ‘Ginger Boy’ after the fight,” Shishkin (16-0, 10 KO) told BoxingScene on Monday, referring to the red-haired Alvarez. “I see all this happening here. I think (reclaiming the lost belt)… that’s (Alvarez’s) motivation.

The 33-year-old Russian Shishkin advanced to the title opponent of Kuba Scull (22-0, 9 KO) thanks to his next best position in the IBF rankings.

The task is not very attractive.

Because Scull’s German promoter has promotional rights, they fight in Falkensee, Germany, near Berlin, and there is no signed contract with American television, prompting Shishkin’s publicist to joke that he will release as much footage as he can on his Instagram Live. feed.

Shishkin trains under the Kronk Gym banner with trainer Tyson Fury “SugarHill” Steward in his corner.

Shishkin left Russia and came to Kronk in Detroit five years ago, since then he has fought eight times and defeated the likes of former 168-pound champion Jose Uzcategui.

Promoted by Detroit’s Dmitry Salita, who also has multi-division women’s champion Claressa Shields in his stable, Shishkin was stripped of a title shot while streaming on DAZN when a deal to secure it fell through.

Just because Saturday’s fight has become an unknown option on boxing fans’ calendars doesn’t mean this fight won’t be a massive one.

Shishkin’s team claims that he has already been contacted by recent super middleweight title challenger Edgar Berlanga, who has offered him the opportunity to become his next opponent should the more aggressive and powerful Shishkin defeat the more cunning and sophisticated Scull.

Former champion Caleb Plant also appears.

Winning Saturday “already happened in my head… my skills will be put to the best apply like (Scull),” Shishkin said. “I don’t look at my rivals too much. I’m testing (them) in the first round… I’ll definitely get a knockout.

Becoming champion with a knockout in a title fight will certainly shine a spotlight on Shishkin at 168 pounds.

“It has been an honor to work with Vladimir and witness his career over the last six years. He has made remarkable progress throughout his career, constantly seeking out tough opponents and challenges as he climbs the world rankings. His journey will reach its first peak on Saturday night when he tries to fulfill his dream in professional boxing,” said Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions.

“If he wins, Shishkin will have a chance to fight Canelo Alvarez and other massive names in the super middleweight division, a division with a lot of talent. Good luck and may the best man win.”

Mexican four-division champion Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KO) is scheduled to return to action in May, while fellow four-division champion Terence Crawford, WBC top contender Christian Mbilli and winner Scull-Shishkin will fight for the title.

Shishkin attributes his appearance in this place to the work he put in under Steward.

“My style (was missing)… I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke, I don’t party and (on the way to Kronk/Steward) I achieved (boxing) like chess, like science,” Shishkin said. “I love it. I think I would have quit boxing if it weren’t for “SugarHill.” It’s not just work. It’s sharp work.”

And all this happened far from family and friends in Russia.

He refused to return home until he became world champion.

“That’s all. I am ready to die for my dream,” Shishkin said. “That’s why I came to Berlin.

“Since I was 15, I have been alone, without my parents. I haven’t seen them in five years. I will return to my homeland.”

If he can do this with the modern IBF belt, we are guaranteed that offers to return to the US to defend his title will come quickly and en masse.

“I’m ready,” Shishkin said.