Local undefeated rising professional boxing prospects and former amateur standouts Julius “JuJu” Ballo and Jonny Mansour will realize a long held dream this Saturday as they prepare for their first appearance at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.
The cousins will represent both Detroit and San Diego County’s significant Chaldean and Middle Eastern communities in their Detroit debuts. The event is co-promoted by Ballo and Mansour’s G2G Promotions in association with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records. Local fans can watch the event stream on the Wynn Records Network online.
Promoter Dmitriy Salita has developed a significant boxing audience with events featuring Michigan native Claressa Shields, the No. 1 women’s world boxing champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist who regularly sells out the region’s major arenas.
The cousins hope to build from their first success staging a card at the regional Frontwave Arena in Oceanside in North County, drawing an impressive 5,000-plus fans to a club level event. They were drawn primarily from San Diego’s 150,000-strong Chaldean community.
Ballo says they hope for similar enthusiasm in a market with the country’s largest Chaldean-American population – estimated at 200,000, the largest outside the Middle East – as they work to become the first world champions of Chaldean heritage.
Super featherweight Ballo (3-0, 1 KO) appears in the co-main event, facing 19-year-old Julian Gomez-Clement (2-1, 2 KOs). Mansour (7-0, 2 KOs) is fighting at lightweight and is a self-promoting free agent who will face Richard Segura (7-0-1, 2 KOs) of Moreno Valley.
Mansour has built his career on a strong social media presence and sheer hustle. He brings a business strategist’s approach to boxing and a strong mindset he credits for making this card happen.
“I wrote a letter to myself two-and-a-half years ago saying that my goal was to fight in San Diego and then in Detroit, and here we are making it a reality,” said Mansour, of La Mesa. ”Detroit is home to the biggest Iraqi community in the country, and it’s always been my dream to fight here.
“I went to Claressa’s (Shields) fight in February and that really inspired me to fight in Detroit. I see what Salita Promotions is building here in Detroit and I wanted to be part of it. I’m all about bringing the community together, and that’s what this event will do.”
Ballo, too, is eager to get in the ring. “I look forward to, you know, putting on a show for them. I’ll be the co-main event for this one in Detroit, so I’m excited to do it again and give them an even better performance.”
Ballo has just completed his first year as a professional at age 23, and said he’s learned a lot both inside and outside the ring.
But it boils down to this: “Staying focused on no matter what’s going on outside,” said Ballo. “In the amateurs I competed at the national level and the international level, but there was never that many people in attendance. So having that many people in attendance (in Oceanside), I think I performed well, and I look forward to doing (it) with 10,000, 15,000, and plus.
“We got to focus on what the goal is right now, go out there and handle business and put on a show for my great people again. And I look forward to giving them reason to celebrate. You know that’s what makes me most happy. You know, giving them, you know, happiness. You know when I win, we all win. So I look forward to doing that again come August 29.”
Both Ballo and Mansour credit the enormous support of their family, their home gym at Bomber Squad Academy in El Cajon, opened by Ballo’s father, and their team, led by head trainer Berlin Kearney.
“We’ve got a great environment there. Everybody there is ready to progress and ready to get better,” said Ballo, who said having a great team to keep your head straight is the difference maker. “When your battery’s getting low, they help bring it back up. It plays a big part.”
In the evening’s main event, 32-year-old heavyweight Brandon Moore (19-1, 10 KOs) meets 41-year-old former world title challenger Bryant Jennings of Philadelphia (27-4, 15 KOs) in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds. Moore hopes for a impressive win against a former world title challenger in Jennings to elevate his position in the rankings.
Jennings, who challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship in 2015 and lost by decision, hopes to continue his efforts to generate a late-career comeback.
