t was only appropriate that former baseball prospect, junior middleweight prospect Anthony “ATV” Velazquez (17-0-1, 14 KOs), recently pitched a shutout in his last fight on April 26th at home in Springfield, Massachusett's MassMutual Center. The 29 year-old Velazquez won every round on each of the three judges’ scorecards against  Yusuph “Mr. Mwanza” Metu (11-2, 8 KOs) for ten-round unanimous decision victory in the main event. Metu, age 32, fought for the first time in the United States, only the second outside of his native Tanzania, while Velazquez was headlining at home for the second time in his last three fights, both at MassMutual Center, in front of his loyal, growing fanbase.

 

“I thought I was going to stop him a couple of times,” Velazquez said, “but he was very tough. I thought that the referee or his corner was going to stop the fight. He took a beating and survived, hats off to him, he’s a survivor. I didn’t expect the fight to go to a decision but that’s boxing. I usually stop my opponents early. I did what I had to do and beat him every single round. It was another good turnout with a lot of my fans there supporting me. I definitely felt the energy. I think I even gained more fans that night.”                                                                                                                                

Velazquez is already back training in the gym, only taking a week off, and he hopes to return to action in July. “My manager, Gunther Feingold, always talks with me about my future,” Velazquez added. “I want big fights, and it’ll happen when I sign with a promoter. I’m getting signed and Gunther will know when the time is right. I trust him. I’m always ready for a challenge and the opponents my manager puts me in with. He pushes me to get better, and my future is meant to happen.”