Kalvin Henderson: We’re Here To Fight And We’re Here To Win

Kalvin Henderson (15-1, 11 KOs) takes on David Morrell (6-0, 5 KOs) in the co-main event contest this Saturday at The Armory. The bout will be for Morrell's WBA super middleweight “regular” title, but this contest on Showtime can low key steal the card. The one thing that intrigued me about this matchup was speaking with both to see where they're currently pondering. Everyone may have heard of Morrell and what they're planning for him if he defeats Henderson.

But what does anyone know of the man looking to upset this Saturday known as “Hot Sauce”? Before taking on boxing full-time, Henderson worked in the Fayette Public School system. He decided to give up that career to pursue one in the ring. The transition didn't come easy.

“Starting out, it was hard. It's hard to follow your dreams because you've got this thing called bills. Bills don't care about your dreams, and every month they come back,” Henderson said to NYFights.com. “So, in the beginning, when I was boxing as an amateur. I was working various jobs in the school system. Using my degree, kind of mix and match putting, checks together so that I can stay focused on boxing.”

“I think around 2013-2014; I decided to stop doing the teaching stuff and dive into boxing head first. That's when I started teaching classes and personal sessions at the gym as a trainer, so it helped me put through and focus on my boxing career. By 2016 when I turned pro, been rockin' ever since.”

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Showtime

That pro career has been rocking ever since, and a win here over Morrell will have him on the shortlist at Super Middleweight. Speaking at the final press conference Thursday, you're mistaken if you think he's not ready.

“This is a huge opportunity. I have a huge chance to come in here and try to dethrone the champ. I just want you guys to know that we're not here to say, ‘We're here for the experience.' Or just to say, ‘We got an opportunity to fight for the title.' We're here to fight, and we're here to win,” Henderson said at the final presser Thursday.

“All of the pressure is off of me. Everybody's expecting me to come in here and lose and lay down. The pressure is on the champ. We're in his hometown in America. Everybody is expecting him to do great things, so I just have to go in there and show out and do what I do best.”

Sounds like all business to me. We'll see how it operates Saturday night.

You can follow Marquis Johns on Twitter @weaksauceradio .