Deon Nicholson is back in Alabama boxing, now as two-time U.S. champ in two weight classes
For the first time since 2019, Deon "The Equalizer" Nicholson is back in fighting in the state of Alabama.
Nicholson (19-1, 16 KOs), a light heavyweight boxer from Tuscaloosa, is taking on Marcelo Ruben Molina (23-21-1, 19 KOs) in the co-main event of Rumble by the River VIII at the Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden this Saturday.
The card begins at 6 p.m., with 14 fights on the card including an NBA welterweight title fight. The fight will be the first for Nicholson since he won the WBC U.S. light heavyweight title and will be a six-rounder.
"It means a lot. Its getting me closer to my goal, just to be world champion" Nicholson said of winning the U.S. title.
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Eric "Butterbean" Esch, a former toughman champion, member of the Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame and professional boxer who fought the likes of Larry Holmes, will be at the card.
Nicholson is ranked second in the country and 22nd in the world. He hopes this fight will set him on the path to fighting for a world title belt. The U.S. title he currently holds is the second in his career: He won the U.S. cruiserweight WBC title back in 2018. Following a loss to Efetobor Apochi in 2021, Nicholson dropped down to light heavyweight and has gone undefeated with three knockouts in five fights.
He made the move to light heavyweight since he was always a lighter cruiserweight, giving sometimes 15 pounds up to an opponent. It's a more natural fit for his body and the weight he normally walks around. Nicholson hopes that a win on Saturday in a fight which he predicts will end in a knockout victory will put him closer to a world title eliminator fight. It's a position he's been in before, ranking as high as No. 5 in the WBA cruiserweight rankings a few years back.
"I'm doing so now, this fight and then a title defense and I should be ranked and ready for a world title eliminator or something very big," Nicholson said.
For those who have helped trained Nicholson since he began boxing, the success hasn't come as a shock. The same mindset that has propelled Nicholson to where he is now is the mindset he had when he walked into New Era Boxing and Fitness, says one of his coaches
"He's a very hard worker. He's dedicated to the sport of boxing. He made that decision years ago, that he was going to dedicate himself to it and he hasn't missed a beat, he's been doing that since the first day he walked in the boxing gym," Darmarius "Coach Cruz" Hill said.
"He's very consistent with what he's doing. If you can carve out a boxer, he'll be a description of it all around, boxing ability, power, skill and all the above."
Nicholson still trains in Tuscaloosa but the fight schedule has taken him away for fights over the last few years. Nicholson isn't the only local fighter taking part in the card on Saturday: Gadsden native Shaquille Cameron and fellow New Era boxer Keontae Modley will also fight.
The three will get the chance of fighting in front of hometown crowds.
"Its great man, the people love him here," Hill said. "... A lot of people relate to him, they support him. He supports them – it works both ways, so its always great to see a hometown guy fight in front of his fans, because they get the opportunity to embrace him after the fight and cheer him on during the fight"
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Deon Nicholson, U.S. light heavyweight champ, returns to Alabama to fight
