LSU students soon will take pride in student and professional boxer Johnathan Revish, once they are introduced to the six-time Louisiana Golden Gloves Champion in his national television debut tonight.
Promoter and boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard decided to air Revish’s fight even though the boxer has only one pro fight under his belt.
Revish, the 1998 National Silver Gloves Champion, owns a decorated trophy stand as evidence of a successful amateur background. He was added to Leonard’s fight card thanks to long-time connections between Leonard and Revish’s trainer.
“Me and Sugar Ray Leonard go way back,” said Frank Jamison, Revish’s manager. “I used to spar with Sugar Ray Leonard, and now he promotes fights. I told him I’ve got a kid that’s going to be twice as good as Emanuel Augustas. I think he can go all the way to the top.”
Revish said he will not be distracted by the national spotlight.
“I like that I’ll be on TV,” Revish said. “But it won’t affect me. I can zone it out. It’s always going to be on my mind, but it won’t get to me.”
In memory of a friend
Revish, the three-time Gulf States Invitational Champion, said it was hard to focus on his fight last week, after learning that friend and fellow LSU student Brock Manuel died last week of sepsis.
“It was hard at first, but for the rest of the week I’ve been more focused,” Revish said.
Revish said he eventually learned to use his friend’s death for inspiration.
“When I first went to the gym after I heard about Brock, it was hard to train,” Revish said. “I talked to my coach and he said if Brock was here, he’d want me to fight — especially knowing that I would be on TV.”
Revish, who continues to cope with the death of his friend, is altering his normal fight-day gear and will wear solid black trunks bearing an image of his deceased friend’s face.
Boy’s Hope
The Baton Rouge native frequently returns to the home that he credits with much of his success, the Boys Hope home that raised him from age 12 to 18.
“It changed my life,” Revish said. “If it wasn’t for Boy’s Hope I wouldn’t be here today.”
Revish said the Catholic housing shelter’s director for at-risk children always asks him to come back, because the program has done much for him.
“Their new executive director wanted a college student to talk to the younger students,” Revish said. “I do that stuff for them all the time. All the kids really look up to me, they like me to be there.”
Revish said it was tough leaving his mother, but said they both feel it was the right decision.
“My mom let me go,” Revish said. “It was hard for her to make that decision for me, but it worked out. It taught me a lot about life, I made a lot of lifetime connections. I learned how to be a gentleman.”
Starting Out
Jamison, who took Revish in 13 years ago because he knew Revish’s mother, said he always knew Revish would be special.
“I picked him up during the summer when he was 7 years old,” Jamison said. “I take in a lot of kids, as long as they show me they really want it, but most of them just come and go. John is one of those special kids.”
Jamison said Revish’s toughness surfaced well before his talent.
“When he first came in, I put him in with one of my kids that had been around,” Jamison said. “He got beat up, but he was tough. He stayed in there.”
Revish said he had an early love for boxing. His determination allowed him to hang around so his talent could catch up with his passion for the sport.
“It’s funny because after I got beat up my first time fighting, I wanted to do it again,” Revish said. “I used to get into a lot of fights, so losing that one made me want to go back.”
Jamison said Revish’s skills did not immediately come together when he began fighting.
“John lost his first three amateur fights,” Jamison said. “He cried a little bit, but he was determined.
Jamison said Revish blossomed during his 60-plus fight winning streak, which happened right after his first three losses.
“He was just so fast and quick, with his quick hands,” Jamison said. “He always had good eyes and good hands. The more he fought, the better he got.”
The Fight
Revish (1-0), lived up to the high hopes brought on by his 112-18 amateur record in his first professional fight, where he knocked out David Love (1-2) with 51 seconds remaining in the first round.
Leo Lizzarago (4-0), will be the second professional opponent for the 2002 National Black Gloves Champion. Revish, confident in his abilities, said he will have no trouble remaining undefeated after tonight’s fight.
“The only thing he has over me is more pro fights — he has four and I have one,” Revish said. “But I’ve got everything else on him. I had 120 amateur fights, he had 10. He’s won three fights by decision against bad opponents. I definitely know there’s going to be an opportunity for me to end it early.”
Revish’s trainer, Frank Jamison, said he is planning with the best interests of Revish in mind.
“I’m trying to move him so John can fight, still be a young man and have his fame and fortune and get out early enough so that he can make a lot of money and put it to good use. He’s talking about buying his mama this and that,” Jamison said. “I just want to see him well off in the long run. I’m sorta like a father to John. I wanted to take him in, but he was already in Boy’s Hope.”
Jamison also said he wants to keep the 1998 Junior Olympic Boxer of the Year focused on each fight ahead, because he still has a long way to go.
“He’s a good-looking kid — the more he fights, the better he’ll get,” Jamison said. “Even if he loses this fight, it doesn’t mean anything. He still has to grow as a pro.”
The two-time U.S. Southwest Regional Champion’s plan is simple if he loses tonight’s fight.
“Start over,” Revish said. “He’ll just be the better fighter than me. I’m not going anywhere, because I’ve lost before. I’ll probably cry, but I’ll cry with my head up.”