Tony “Lightning” Louis Back In Action

By Anthony “Zute” George

Lightweight Tony “Lighting” Louis; 22-3, 7 KO’s, is one of the most talented fighters in boxing today. Yet he has had a hard time getting respect, as well as fights. Tony fights for respect Saturday night against Noe Nunez; 17-4-1, 13 KO’s. The lack of respect Tony has had to face during his professional career has not come from the men he has fought. Ivan Redkach respected Tony plenty, when he was thoroughly out boxed by the Canadian-born Louis. The judges, however, as well as the Showtime television crew, gave Louis very little respect for his dominant boxing display.

When Louis faced Main Events upstart Karl Dargan, he was given the classic B-side treatment and given very little chance of winning by the press. I guess they forgot to sit down and watch Tony fight. Perhaps the biggest show of disrespect thrown at Tony was the lack of interest on the part of the bigtime promotion companies. After the Dargan fight, it was no longer a secret how good Tony Louis was; too good to put in there with top talent. At the same time, the Top Ranks and Main Events of the world expressed little interest in signing Louis. When the phone does not ring for a fight or a contract, it becomes a very precarious world for a pugilist.

Tony Louis is cut from a special cloth, when the chips were down, and a prosperous boxing career seemed bleak, he did not give up. Louis turned lemons into lemonade by staying busy, jumping on every opportunity to show his boxing skills. He even agreed to take a fight on four day’s notice against Derry Matthews, for the interim WBA World lightweight title. Louis found himself on the wrong end of a close decision, but continued to gain the respect of his opponents and intelligent members of the boxing community. I have long maintained that Louis is a diamond in the ruff and 2017 I expect him to shine for all to see.

Tony is riding a three-fight winning streak and signed with Liveco Boxing late in 2016. Liveco is a rather new promotional company that is building an impressive roster of young talent. Liveco CEO Ron Sanderson recognized the talent of Louis and rewarded him with a lucrative deal. Tony can be considered a hybrid of Liveco, at 28, he is still young enough to be considered a prospect, but has the resume of a seasoned veteran.

When I asked Tony about his deal with Liveco, he said, “Liveco came at a time when my career needed a reboot and they’ve made good on their promises so far. They intend to keep me busy. They’ve treated me fairly, honestly and have expressed my best interests. We’re speaking the same language.” Tony was also impressed with the company’s willingness to promote fights in his backyard, “Part of that (speaking the same language) was recognizing my local fanbase at home. Ticket sales have been going really well back home for this fight (first hometown fight).”
Tony emphasized of the ticket sales, “They took the chance to invest in this opportunity and it looks like it will be a profitable thing to repeat in the future. If boxing can eventually fill my local arena and it makes money, why not bring TV cameras to Cornwall?”

For fans who cannot get to the Civic Complex in Ontario, where the fight takes place, it can be seen live on liveco.com.

For this fight, Tony is not matched up easy as he will face hard punching Mexican Noe Nunez. Noe sports an impressive knockout percentage, and is the naturally bigger man. Tony will have to bring his A game to reign victorious. As good as Tony Louis is, the naturally bigger man and puncher can win even if he is out skilled.

When asked about Nunez, Tony said “Won’t have to look for him. Dangerous but limited. I’ve fought better competition, I’m quicker, smarter and I’ll put that on display Saturday night; At this point of camp I’m just tired of talking about it. Let’s get in there and get it on. You do you. I’ll do me. And we’ll find out. Fate will take care of the rest.”

Fate also suggests that Tony Louis is in for a tough fight Saturday night, as is Noe Nunez. The kind of fight Louis wants. The kind of fight Louis excels in. The kind of fight boxing fans crave.

Zutes Boxing Talk & Zutes MMA Talk are podcasts that bring you the world of combat sports straight up with no twists. In each episode, “Zute” calls upon the best boxing & MMA minds in the business to talk about the current state of the fight game, and interviews some of the best fighters in the world of combat sports. Carlos Palomino, Mikey Garcia Sergey Kovalev, Shonie Carter and Jeremy Horn are among the guests that have been featured on the podcast.

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