On November 22, live from the Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle, England, lightweight prospect J’hon Ingram (5-0, 4 KOs), 23, from Winston-Salem, NC, looks to earn his sixth professional win when he faces off against Jonatas Rodrigo Gomas de Olivera (6-15, 5 KOs), 28, from Mauna, Para, Brazil. Ingram recently spoke to FightsATW about his life before boxing, his departure from Mayweather Promotions and his upcoming fight.
Living A Hard Knock Life
For most fighters, being exposed to a hard life at a young age draws them to a boxing gym; Ingram isn’t any different. For the native Carolinian, his hardships started when his father was sent to prison when he was only two years old. “Once he got locked up, stuff got hard for my mom, and she had to work multiple jobs to provide for me. I spent most of my time living with my Nana. I had a good structure, but at the same time, we didn’t have the best environment. I would get picked on a lot. I didn’t have that father figure to teach me how to defend myself so my mom put me in boxing. She didn’t want me to compete. It was just for me to learn how to defend myself because I was getting in a lot of fights,” said Ingram, recounting hardships he experienced while his father was incarcerated.
Ingram took to boxing naturally, and it didn’t take long for his coaches to notice. They implored his mother to let him compete, but she didn’t entertain any suggestions of her son stepping inside the ring for an actual competition. It wasn’t until Ingram was 13 years old and his father was released from prison that he would fight his first amateur match.“I had a lot of people there. There were a lot of nerves, and I knew what I could do, but it was my first time in front of a big crowd. I was never the type of kid that liked attention,” said Ingram recalling his feelings before going into his first fight.
When he turned 18, Ingram had only had 12 amateur fights. However, he and his team decided to transition into professional boxing. Most amateur boxers have well over 12 bouts before they even begin to consider becoming professional fighters. I asked the young prospect why he leaped with such limited experience as an amateur boxer.
“I already had it in my head that once I turned 18, I wanted to go pro. I always had that pro style in the amateurs. There were a couple of fights I felt I lost because I had that flashy pro style. I felt like I was ready. My coach Danny Akers and I talked, and we started working on him getting me ready for the pros.”
Leaked Sparring Footage Got The Ball Rolling Or Did It?
It didn’t take long for Ingram to catch the attention of the boxing community. A year ago, he became infamous for dropping former WBA super lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero with a perfectly timed counterpunch during a sparring session at the famous Mayweather Boxing Club. The leaked sparring footage went viral, and Ingram caught the attention of the boxing community.
However, despite the attention he got from the sparring video, Ingram is still unknown to most boxing fans. FightsATW asked the lightweight prospect to describe himself to our readers.
“There’s a lot they don’t know, a lot of people ain’t seen. I haven’t really gotten in my bag yet. It was my first time fighting in two years when you saw me fight in North Carolina. I fought on DAZN a couple of months ago. I wasn’t even mentally there for that fight because I had just lost my brother. I haven’t really got to show what I’m capable of and that’s why I’m ready to step up the competition. I want to show people that I can box, brawl, fight off the back foot, and take it to the person. I can do everything. I’m a versatile fighter, so I look forward to showing everybody,” said Ingram.
Ingram Battles Through A Serious Loss Outside Of The Ring
Before his last fight on DAZN this past August, Ingram’s brother, John Wesley Ingram, 28, was killed in a domestic altercation involving his girlfriend and her brother, according to the pugilist. Despite dealing with the sudden news of his brother’s untimely death, Ingram decided not to pull out of that fight. “It was unexpected. As a matter of fact, that’s him on my wall,” said J’hon as he pointed at a picture of his late brother.
Ingram continued, “I had a lot of anger and that’s the thing I always loved about boxing; it helps me channel that anger. And the way I was feeling – I wanted to go home and do some things. So, I had to try to keep my mind off it. Looking back, I was not in the right mindset to fight. I should have withheld myself from fighting. People were trying to get me to take some time to myself. But me being a fighter means we fight, we push through things, and we fight through things. If you go back and watch my ring walk, you can tell I’m not there. I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t feel like I was at the fight. I was fighting off instincts the whole time.”
Sometimes, when running, Ingram talks to his brother and tells him, “I’m going to do everything in boxing that you wanted me to do. I’m going to do everything that he wanted me to. He wanted me to knock Gervonta [Davis] and Shakur [Stevenson] off that throne. If they don’t retire by the time I get there, that’s what I’m going to do,” said Ingram.
Losing his brother was insufferable for Ingram but the void he felt after losing his brother was filled with the joy he experienced with the presence of his first child. Earlier this year, Ingram was blessed with a beautiful baby girl. What does it mean for the upcoming boxer to be a father? “It means everything; I never thought I would be her father. It has made me a better man; it makes me go harder in boxing,” said Ingram.
Mayweather Promotions Departure
On June 7, Ingram released a statement on his social media accounts officially announcing his separation from Mayweather Promotions. Leaving a promotional company whose founder can be considered the greatest boxer of all time is a bold move, and not one a fighter new to the boxing business would likely make. What were the circumstances that led to Ingram’s departure from Mayweather?
“It ain’t no secret; it has been going on for years that many of his guys aren’t getting fights. Some guys get to fight, and then, a lot of the time, everybody else is sitting. So, when I first came around, he threw me in exhibitions to keep me busy. I told him, ‘Hey, can we make real fights?’ they kept giving me the commission run around. So, I was like, it’s cool (the exhibition fights). I’m keeping money in my pockets -I’m still getting to be active, but I wanted real fights,” said Ingram.
Ingram continued, “At the time he (Mayweather) signed me, he signed three to four other people. We were all fresh signees, and they kept hitting us with the runaround; we were not getting any fights. I can’t speak for everybody else, but it put me in a really depressing mode because I wasn’t one of the fighters that he took care of. He put some of the fighters in housing and gave them cars. I came to [Las] Vegas with my own car and got my own place. So, when you’re not eating like you were at first, being active, the money starts slowing up. So, things got depressing -you want to fight and keep getting out there. And then everybody started knowing me for the sparring. So, I’m thinking, especially after Rolly (the leaked sparring video between J’hon and Rolly Romero that went viral), I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re going to capitalize on that and start getting me active and moving’. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
“Floyd [Mayweather] and I talked on the phone, and there were some things said that I disagreed with as a man. That drew the line for me especially with the baby. Either I get my career going or I’m about to give up boxing- especially now since I have a mouth to feed. If it weren’t for the baby, I would’ve still given TMT a chance again and there is no telling where we would be at right now.”
FightsATW asked J’hon to elaborate on what Mayweather said to him that made him feel disrespected and ultimately led him to sever ties with “Money May”. “That’s something I’m not going to put out there. I don’t think I’ll ever put that out. I never thought he [Mayweather] would stoop that low,” said Ingram. “I’m happy. In the end, I feel like it worked out. After I did all that, Leonard (Ellerbe, former CEO of TMT Promotions) got removed from the camp, and they put somebody else in. It looks like the guys are active and are now getting fights. So, I’m happy for them.”
FightsATW asked Ingram if Leonard Ellerbe had anything to do with not being able to fight as often as he wanted to. Ingram replied, “From my understanding, he (Ellerbe) was working for Gervonta at that time. So, that’s why he didn’t care about us.
“The night my baby was born, he called me, and we got into an argument on the phone. So, I’m like, ‘yo like all we see is you on Twitter d*ck riding Gervonta all down your timeline- you post nothing about us on the timeline- you don’t post anything about Mayweather’s guys -you don’t post anything about us on there-Gervonta not even with Mayweather anymore.’ I heard rumors at first, but that night was the first night I put two and two together because he [Ellerbe] slipped and said he worked for him [Gervonta]. I was already hearing rumors from Grevonta’s side of the camp that Leonard was about to leave Mayweather and work for him. So, that’s when I put it out there, and Floyd heard of it, and that’s when the ball got moved.”
On June 13, seven days after Ingram announced his departure from Mayweather Promotions, Mayweather posted an official statement on his Instagram account announcing that Ellerbe resigned as CEO of TMT Promotions. Several sporting news outlets reported that the statement explained that Ellerbe stepped down to spend more time with his family and loved ones as the reason for his departure.
(Editor’s Note: FightsATW attempted to contact Ellerbe to get his version of the phone conversation with Ingram regarding working for Davis while still serving as the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. An update to this story will be provided if Ellerbe provides a comment.)
Ingram Travels Across The Pond For His Next Fight
Ingram’s next fight is scheduled for November 22 in New Castle, England. The fight poster depicts Ingram with his hands crossed in front of a purple backdrop. Purple is a color commonly associated with royalty, and he fights in England. Was that coincidental, or is Ingram trying to convey that there may be a new king of the lightweight division in the future? “I feel like it’s a little bit of both. It was probably a coincidence. But I feel that concept, especially at 130-135 pounds,” said Ingram
On Friday, Ingram will fight for the second time with Misfits Promotions and his third time this year. What can the fans expect from J’hon when he takes on his Brazilian rival? “I don’t feel like he’s a huge threat. But I don’t look past anyone. I feel like it’s going to be a stoppage. I’ve watched him a little bit; he kind of throws wild. So, there’s going to be a little bit I have to watch out for, but nothing I haven’t seen before”, said Ingram. So why should fans tune in this Friday and follow Ingram after that?
“On November 22, you should check me out because I always put on the show. I always put on a great performance, and my style is something you have to see. Outside the ring, I’m a great person. I’m someone you should watch and tune into.”
My Take
Ingram had a roller coaster of a year and has experienced some of the highs and lows that life can throw at one. Through it all, he stayed poised and won all three of his fights despite parting with Mayweather Promotions and grieving the death of his brother. Ingram is an exciting fighter with quick feet, fast hands, and explosive power. But most of all, he has proven to be resilient. Resiliency is an excellent trait for a boxer looking to become a world champion.
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