By: Sean Crose
“My dad was a professional athlete,” rising bantamweight John Leonardo told me, “so I pretty much followed in his footsteps.” Sure, New Jersey’s Leonardo comes from a boxing background, his father was a professional middleweight. Indeed, Leonardo senior also gave his son the nickname that Leonardo junior now calls – Body Shot. “My dad was a body puncher,” Leonardo said, “one of the best body punchers. That was something that stuck in my mind.” Leonardo senior also seems to have helped instill a quality style in his son. Fighting behind a tall guard and an impressive jab, Leonardo knows how to maintain range while applying pressure in the ring.
He’ll have a golden opportunity to show off those skills on May 11, when he takes on Frank Gomez at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The Leonardo-Gomez fight promoted by Tony Jeter is being billed as the pinnacle of the night’s action Intramural boxing Card. “I don’t know much about him,” Leonardo said of Gomez. “I’ve watched a lot of movies about him. That’s not what I’m worried about.” Furthermore, Leonardo has been preparing to return to the ring for the first time since August – when he picked up a unanimous victory over Dominique Griffin – for months now. 10-1-1 Leonardo actually had another fight lined up, but it fell through, which means the 23-year-old is now eager to return to action.
“Every day I exercise about three times a day,” Leonardo told me. “I canned every night.” This man is nothing if not disciplined even by professional boxing standards. He is also willing to accept less traditional forms of training. “I try to lift it almost like I’m running,” he told me of the swimming regimen he adopted to prepare for his match. “I usually do about 50-60 laps and every few laps I try to finish it.” Suffice it to say, the young boxer enjoys swimming non-stop to get the most out of his swimming sessions.
He may only be fighting professionally since 2021, but boxing has clearly been a part of Leonardo’s life for quite some time. Before turning pro, the Daily News Golden Gloves winner already had an impressive amateur resume. “I participated in over 65 amateur fights,” he said. “I won the New Jersey Golden Gloves. I also won the Diamond Glove for New Jersey…. I competed overseas in Sweden as an amateur and Denmark with the New York Metro.” As for the future, however, Leonardo has his eyes on a big prize. “I’m looking to get into the top 10,” he told me. “Obviously my goal is to win the world championship. That’s a big goal.”
Tickets for Boxing internal promotions May 11 passes can be purchased at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/boxing-insider-live-professional-boxing-atlantic-city-new-jersey-05-11-2024/event/02006076BA7B700C
