The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER falling short of reaching his ultimate goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games last year, talented amateur boxer Valentino Knowles has decided to turn professional, following in the footsteps of Taureano ‘Reno’ Johnson, who is having a phenomenal career so far.

The 24-year-old Knowles, who lost on points in the last round of the AIBA American Qualifying Round to David Rojas Mina of Ecuador in the light welterweight (64 kiloclass) in May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, packed his bags and left for Miami, Florida, where he will begin his training for his pro debut on January 25 in California.

“I feel like I’ve already spent my time and did what I had to do in the amateur ranks,” said Knowles in an exclusive interview with The Tribune before his departure. “I believe I have enough skills and talent to carry me through to the pro ranks.”

Knowles, the Central American and Caribbean Games champion, is heading into training camp in Miami where he will be working out under the tutelage of Orlando Cuellar, the coach of former Jamaican light heavyweight champion Glen ‘the Road Warrior’ Johnson. He’s still working on his management team.

“It’s something new and I’m excited about it and moving on in my career,” Knowles said. “I want to turn the pages on in life because you never know what is ahead of you until you get there.”

Before he left town, Knowles spent a few days training with his former coach Ray Minus Jr and Reno Johnson at the Wulff Road Boxing Square over the weekend. He said it was a reunion that he will cherish as he moves on.

“Reno is really good. We did some sparring sessions, although I’m just trying professional and I haven’t done any professional work, to go 10 rounds with him was good for me,” Knowles said. “If I can go 10 rounds with him, coming from a heavier weight class, I felt I did very good against him.”

Johnson, the 28-year-old middleweight, is preparing for his 14th pro fight on February 22 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California, where he is scheduled to face Willie Fortune in an eight-round affair.

Since turning pro in 2010 after his second appearance at the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, China, Johnson has gone undefeated in his 13 fights, 10 of which came via a knockout. His last appearance in the ring was on October 2 in Gimnasio Joan Guzman, Guachupita, Dominican Republic where he stopped Jose Morla in the third of their six-round bout.

Minus Jr, the former Bahamas bantamweight champion who went on to win the British Commonwealth title, said he was pleased to have been afforded another opportunity to work with two of his protégés as they get set to return to the United States.

“They did some training. We had some sparring sessions and they both look good in their 10-round sparring,” said Minus Jr, who now operates his Champion Amateur Boxing Club out of the boxing square where they both got their introduction to the sport.

“Reno is looking tremendous in his boxing. He’s still very much a brawler, but in every which way possible, he has improved. He looks like the Olympian and I believe before this whole thing is over, we look like we’re going to have a few world champions.”

Minus Jr said even though Knowles hasn’t gotten his professional experience yet, he has proven that he’s on the right track. “From what I’ve seen in these boxers, looking at the base from where they come from, I believe that they will do very well,” Minus Jr said.

“Valentino is more like a nifty boxer and in his sparring, he held his own against Reno. I really don’t know if I could call a winner between them.”

As they seek to venture into the sport, Minus Jr said he was glad that they both stopped by and allowed him to help them to redefine their skills. He wished them both every success as they seek to become world champions.