HART TURNS PRO AFTER PAINFUL END TO OLYMPIC DREAM
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 21 Apr 2012
Jesse Hart, the 22 year old son of former middleweight contender Eugene ?Cyclone? Hart has turned pro with his handlers entering a promotional deal with Top Rank?s Bob Arum after the young amateur boxer saw his London Olympic dream come to a crushing and painful end.
Hart was so bitter after a hugely controversial double tie-breaker loss to Terrell Gausha of Cleveland last March 4 in the 165 pound finals of the US National Boxing Championships in Fort Carson, Colorado that he told the Daily News in an exclusive interview that ?even if Gausha gets hurt before the next qualifier and USA Boxing comes begging for me to take his place, I?ll tell them no.?
In a story by Bernard Fernandez in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the young Hart said then "Right now, I don't think I'll ever fight again. I don't even know about the pros. I was never in boxing because I thought it would make me rich someday. I just wanted to represent my country in the Olympics. I gave amateur boxing the best years of my life, but amateur boxing cut the heart out of me. They made me lose all my passion for the sport."
In what Fernandez reported was ? the closest match ever in the Nationals, Gausha was awarded the title - and a berth in the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - by a 3-2 vote of the judges, after the electronically scored bout ended in a 10-10 stalemate. The first tiebreaker, total punches landed, also was even at 34. That put the outcome in the hands of five judges, three of whom felt that Gausha had done just enough to win.?
Hart branded it the "worst decision since Roy Jones lost to that South Korean [Park Si-Hun]"at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.?
Despite his statement about losing all passion for boxing, Top Rank has announced that it had signed the amateur sensation to an exclusive long-term promotional agreement.
Jesse Hart?s dad Eugene was a highly-rated middleweight contender in the late 60?s and early 70?s and in 2003 was named to Ring Magazine?s 100 greatest punchers of all-time.
Jesse Hart will get a big break in his first pro fight when Top Rank puts the middleweight on the undercard of the June 9 showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas between pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao who defends his WBO welterweight title against undefeated junior welterweight champion Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley.
Top Rank said Hart is looking to continue the long and illustrious lineage of great Philadelphia-based middleweight fighters.
As an amateur Hart had a record of 85-11 highlighted by what was referred to as ?a stellar 2011 which included winning the National Golden Gloves at 165 pounds, the USA National Tournament at 178 pounds and going undefeated in the double elimination USA Olympic Trials box-offs.
Hart who signed with the Philadelphia-based D&D Management where he will be co-managed by Alfred ?Doc? Nowicki and David Price will continue training with his father.
The astute Arum, a Hall of Fame promoter said Eugene Hart ?fought in Philadelphia in an era of unbelievable middleweight talent. Now we have the opportunity to promote Jesse Hart, the son of the Cyclone. We hope Jesse will be a future superstar which will make all of us, including his father, very proud.?
Hart responded by saying ? I always admired Top Rank. Bob Arum is the best. They are, and have been, the premier boxing promoters for over 30-40 years.
Nowicki said ?as an amateur Hesse won 85 fights and a lot of golkd medals. He is a very skilled fighter who nhas knockout power. We think he is a future world champion.?
For his part Price said ?I am very excited that Jesse has signed with D&D Management as well as a promotional deal with Top Rank. I think that everyone involved, especially the fans, will enjoy watching the career of Jesse Hart.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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