It is hard to be a full-time fighter, let alone one without a promoter.
Super featherweight Austin Brooks (11-0, 4 KOs) will headline a CBN Promotions card on February 10th, as he faces Jose Luis Rodriguez (26-15-1, 13 KOs) from the Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California.
Brooks is no stranger to hardship. He moved a lot as a youth. So much so that the rugged, grueling journey of being a prizefighter on the regional scene is something he is capable of enduring.
“I knew coming into [professional boxing] and not having the amateur career that there is going to be a point where they have to put me in as the B-side against a guy I’m supposed to lose to. That is something I am looking forward to. I have always been the B-side, not in my pro career, but I feel that way at times. I feel like the black sheep of boxing, because I am white, some people think I am not that good at boxing or not tough. Once I get into these top rankings, I know I will be able to get a big fight and upset somebody.”
“It definitely suited me to be a fighter, that is for sure,” said the 28-year-old Brooks, who now calls San Diego, CA his home. “Always being a new kid, you definitely get a lot of people picking on you or things like that. I did have to adjust a lot when I moved to a new place. Sometimes, it was a lot harder than other times. I was able to go into some spots a lot easier than others. In some places, I had to earn my respect. In other places, people were a lot more respectful.”
“This fight means a lot, especially since this will be the second fight I will be headlining in a row. It is a ten-rounder as well.”
“I did get in a lot of fights growing up, but I did train a little bit when I was younger. I took some boxing lessons at eight years old. I did MMA a little bit when I was a teenager. It was easy for me to catch on quick.”
That he did, Brooks was 18-2 as an amateur. His lone national tournament was a huge one. It was the Last Chance Olympic Qualifiers in Oxnard, California. I saw him at that event. I was filming Tiger Johnson and said hello to his coach, Basheer Abdullah. In retrospect, Brooks was warming up for his fight. Brooks would make it to the semi-finals before being eliminated by Xavian Ramirez.
Brooks originally started training with former world champion Manny Melchor. He also credits Vernon Lee for helping him evolve. Yet, a chance meeting allowed him to meet his current coach, Basheer Abdullah.
“The funny story of how we met. He came with someone to spar. I think it was Joe Perez. There was a fight that weekend, an amateur fight, and I had told my coach that I wanted to fight Basheer’s fighter he had at the time. We were both undefeated. I was undefeated, and I wanted to take his 0. So, instead of sparring with Joe, we decided this weekend I would fight his boy. So we agreed to do it.”
“We went head-to-head in San Diego, and I got the dub, got the win. That is how we originally met.”
Rather than pursuing a deep amateur pedigree, Brooks turned pro. It seems it was mostly out of necessity. The amateurs require funding. Brooks was funding his whole career and seemed to need some form of supplemental income that amateur boxing was not providing.
“It is a big motivating factor to care for myself and my family. I really want to help my family. Just get myself out of the position I am in right now.”
Brooks has had an impressive run as a pro on the regional scene. He turned pro one month before the COVID-19 pandemic on February 20, 2020. He would not return to the ring until nearly a year and a half later. Fighting four times in 2022 but only twice in 2023, Brooks hopes to fight a lot in 2024.
His last two wins are great wins on the regional scene. He stopped a good Southern California regional talent in Anthony Chavez, who was once seen as a prospect, and outpointed veteran journeyman Diuhl Olgui.
His opponent for this fight is a veteran. Rodriguez has gone to a decision recently with Jose Pedraza, Ruben Torres, Felix Verdejo, and Antonio Orozco. His record might not be pretty, but he carries much more in-ring experience than Brooks, making for an interesting bout.
This bout could vault Brooks into bigger fights, and the fact that it is sanctioned as a ten-round bout, he is knocking on the door of a life-changing opportunity.
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