Da'Mazion Vanhouter shares the same birthday, January 17th, as Muhammad Ali, the greatest heavyweight of all time. Ali accomplished that goal in his lifetime, and while those are enormous shoes to fill, it’s the fuel that drives the 21-year old fighting out of Saint Petersburg, FL. To that end, he’s off to a promising start. Undefeated across 13 professional fights, Vanhouter is the only fighters with three stoppages on Zuffa Boxing shows. He began with a third-round TKO over Julian Gomez back in February, followed by a first-round TKO of Raphael Murphy in May. His most recent was a first-round KO of Raphael Akpejiori on the undercard of the Garcia vs Benn mega-event in September. That brought his KO streak to seven consecutive fights and ten total for his career. He sat down to discuss his bout vs Ivan Balaz (9-1) at Zuffa Boxing 12 on November 7th in London.
Sitting across from him, it’s nearly impossible to imagine this is the same guy who fought his first few pro fights at 155 pounds, starting back in 2022. For the Akpejiori bout, he hit the scale at 231.5. Massive gains of lean muscle like that have, of course, meant countless hours dedicated to strength and conditioning, and maybe a few for video games. “The morning before left, I worked out, and then I played the game from 10 in the morning to 11 at night,” he admitted a little sheepishly. “I didn’t do anything else.”
There are plenty of games he enjoys but names the latest MLB game as a huge culprit of occupying his non-gym hours. But games are just a luxury for after the hay is in the barn, as it is for Saturday’s showdown at Copper Box Arena. His focus is squarely on the task in front of him, and his opponents rarely ever rent space in his head. “I know (Balaz) fought Johnny Fisher and that he has a good record,” he said, as if these are the only things he needs to know. Vanhouter largely stays out of the discussions of what the arc of his opponents should look like. “I don’t focus on that,” he said. “I just focus on who they give me. They worry about that stuff. Just tell me who I’m fighting.”
When asked how he has improved, Vanhouter responded, "my mentality and my patience,” Vanhouter said. “My first Zuffa Boxing fight, I was very nervous; more anxious because of what was going on. I just mellowed out. Got more patient.”
This much is evident even as you speak to Vanhouter. Although soft-spoken and visibly shy, he’s much more relaxed doing media and interviews than he was just a few short months earlier, so it stands to reason that comfort extends to other areas of his profession. “Just fighting more,” he said. “Just being in front of people.”
The nerves, to hear him tell it, all exist outside of the opening bell. “I feel more nervous before the fight, like training up for the fight,” he said. “When I’m in the ring, there ain’t nothing else I can do but do what I love, and that’s hurt ‘em.”
While Vanhouter has an imposing physique, he often finds himself on the wrong end of the height and reach advantage — not that it has mattered. “It’s easy; they’re all a lot slower,” he said, smiling. “All I’ve got to do is use my feet. Everybody’s just slow to me.” Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, as his hero used to say.
