“Sugar.”
“Pretty Boy.”
“Canelo.”
Can Bruce Carrington continue to develop into a superstar where boxing fans simply refer to him by his nickname “Shu Shu?”
If he continues to win in dominant and exciting fashion, that could become a reality.
Carrington will face Sulaiman Segawa in a featherweight clash tonight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 10-round bout will open the three-fight Top Rank on ESPN broadcast, which will be headlined by Sandy Ryan defending her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer.
Both fights, along with the junior middleweight clash between Xander Zayas and Damian Sosa, will air live on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT).
Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs), who lives in nearby Brooklyn, will once again fight in front of a partisan crowd. Carrington also did well in selling himself as an action boxer-puncher in the ring, including interviews with the media.
“You know I’m always excited,” Carrington said at Wednesday’s press conference. “You know we are here in my hometown. It’s always going to be a great show when ‘Shu Shu’ steps into the ring, and I’m just ready to perform.”
Carrington has been buzzing over the last few fights. In his last fight on June 8, the 27-year-old dropped sub Brayan De Gracia twice before ending matters in round eight. In his previous fight on February 16, Carrington scored a highlight reel knockout victory over Bernard Torres in round four.
Top Rank, which promotes Carrington, had him fight regularly at Madison Square Garden, further exposing him to hardcore and casual fans of the sport. Including tonight’s fight, Carrington will have fought three of his last six fights at Madison Square Garden.
In Segawa, Carrington will face a fighter coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over contender Ruben Villa on July 13th. The 33-year-old, who is originally from Kampala, Uganda and now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, won. four of his last five fights.
Segawa can cause problems with his awkward, southpaw style. Carrington understands the risks, but believes an impressive win over a fighter like Segawa could further elevate him to the upper echelon of a talent-rich featherweight division.
Top Rank is eyeing a possible world title shot for Carrington in 2025. He is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, whose world title belt is held by Nick Ball, who faced Ronny Rios on October 5. It can be the most viable and fastest. the WBO world title holder, Rafael Espinoza, will defend the belt against Robeisy Ramirez in December or the first few months of 2025.
Angelo Leo just won the IBF world title, knocking out Luis ‘Venado’ Lopez on August 10, and is likely to defend his belt against Tomoki Kameda early next year.
Whoever and whenever Carrington fights again, he’s driven to prove he’s one of the best and most compelling fighters in the sport.
“(Segawa’s) fighting style is very interesting,” Carrington said. “I’ve noticed certain things he brings to the table that are different from your average fighter. It’s going to make for an exciting battle this Friday.
“I’ve never called him a speed bump on the way to a title shot, but I just know what my goals are. I just want him to understand and know that I am fully focused on this fight.
“Just be ready.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at (email protected)
