Newark’s Keith Colon to Make Boxing Pro-Debut at Prudential Arena

NEWARK – Keith Colon is set to make his professional boxing debut in his hometown of Newark at the Prudential Center on Saturday.

“It's kind of been a long journey, but it's definitely been anticipated, and this opportunity to fight at all is a blessing,” Colon said. “I feel as though there's no better way to start my pro career than fighting home in front of my friends and family and support system.”

Colon, a graduate of St. Benedict’s Preparatory School and a psychology major at Rutgers - Newark, has been training for the fight for some time.

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“Since I've been out of school, training has been much easier. It's been much less hectic, training twice a day, sparring, resting, staying away from all types of distractions, and just staying focused on the fight,” Colon said. “Just training hard and really just being a student at a game and, watching every aspect that I do, make sure that I'm ready on fight night.”

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Colon, a 21-year-old featherweight fighter who stands 5-feet, 6-inches, is excited to fight in his hometown of Newark, but he represents his Puerto Rican heritage during his bouts.

“My biggest accomplishment has been to fight internationally,” Colon said. “Going from country to country representing Puerto Rico, you know, just to be able to display my skills on an international level.”

Colon started his boxing career in 2016, and has since amassed a record of 38 wins, 22 loses, and 0 draws, with one of his wins being a knockout. He said his biggest strength in the ring is his composure.

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“I feel like my composure is my biggest strength, and how I think in the ring,” Colon said. “I just set up certain traps for my opponent. And now that I'm playing professionally, I have more time to be able to show my true skills on Saturday.”

Colon will fight Hunter Turbyfill (4-1-0) at 7:10 p.m. You can get tickets to the fight here , or watch the entire event on ESPN, starting at 6 p.m.

Kenneth Weiss is a student at Rutgers-Newark participating in a journalism program with TAPinto Newark. Email him at kenweiss49@gmail.com .

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