Napolitano adjusting well to professional boxing
Three bouts into his pro boxing career, Antonio Napolitano has learned a ton.
“The style is a lot different because guys who aren’t very good are tough and they can walk through your punches and keep coming even if you have a skilled amateur background,” the 24-year-old St. Catharines native said. “They use the longer rounds to their advantage.”
The silver medalist at the 2018 senior nationals has seen other amateur fighters struggle with that at the pro level, but he managed to persevere with three victories to begin his career.
“You have to have a balance and stay calm,” he said. “You have to tie these guys up, spin them and keep them away from you, but be able to fight inside and outside.
“They know how to get inside, head butt you and use dirty little tricks to wear you down.”
Napolitano opened his pro career with a first-round knockout of Mexican Raul Viramontes.
“He was not very skilled and it was a test or an assessment,” he said. “If you can’t knock those guys out, you may as well pack it in.”
In his second bout, he won a majority decision over Adam Ayoubi from Montreal.
“Montreal takes boxing seriously and any time you go up against someone from Montreal, you know they are coming to win,” he said. “It was a really tough fight, but I thought I won clearly and I learned a lot from it.”
He then ran his record to 3-0 with a second-round knockout of Mexican Tony Barreras.
“The fight before mine he fought a big-name contender in Mexico and he got knocked out in five rounds,” he said. “I knocked him out in two.”
“He was awkward and a tough guy.”
His fights have been held at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, the Danforth Music Hall and the CAA Centre in Brampton. Crowds at the fight cards average around 2,000.
About the only thing Napolitano doesn’t like about the pro game is selling tickets to his bouts. He had been doing in through social media, but he has found people hesitant to meet with him in person to get their tickets.
“I absolutely hate that because a lot of people choke up at the last minute about meeting,” he said. “I think a lot of people think fighters are unstable nut jobs.”
He now has a promo code (naps) fans can use to buy discount tickets on-line through Ticketmaster for his next fight May 11 at the CAA Centre against Ricardo Planter from Florida. Planter, originally from Jamaica, has 18 fights in his career and has a losing record.
Napolitano eventually hopes to make a living as a pro fighter, but he’s not there yet.
“It obviously gets better with time and as you build up,” he said. “I am do a lot better now with support and sponsors. It’s not people you handing me money, but it’s stuff that you need.”
His long-term goals are to get some fights in the United States.
“If everything goes well, I’ve got to keep moving forward and I am looking for a job too.”
Napolitano is now training at the St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club and loves it there.
“I didn’t think they were going to have me back as a pro, but they brought it up with me,” he said. “It’s great training and the coaches, John (Robertson), Paul (Zhara) and Ray (Riley), really focus on me a lot and they make sure I am on the pads every time I am there,” he said. “And I get great sparring.”
His sparring partners include his cousins James Hughes and Gerard, Dan and Stephen Ryan among others.
The St. Catharines club feels like home to Napolitano.
“The best thing about the St. Catharines boxing club is the vibe,” he said. “There’s a ton of skill in the club and everyone works hard but everyone is having fun and they support each other.”
