Gleason’s Gym Boxer Mikkel LesPierre Gets Title Shot Vs. Hooker

FRIDAY UPDATE: Prep work is starting in earnest for Mikkel LesPierre, who will seek to snag the WBO 140 pound crown worn by Maurice Hooker.

LesPierre, promoted by Lou DiBella, is trained by Don Saxby. I asked Sax how his guy can grab the title off the Texan Hooker, who has been in with higher level foes than has LesPierre.

“My guy wins because they are looking past us and we’re used to fighting tall guys and we will definitely dictate the pace of the fight,” he told @Nyfights.com. “Don’t want to reveal the game plan!”

Makes sense!

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He is 20-0-1, is 33 years old, and has done the grind in one of less hospitable locales possible. Mikkel LesPierre, a super lightweight born in Trinidad and Tobago, turned professional in 2012, and has been climbing the ladder while plying his trade in the New York area.

Cost of living is sky high, club shows are pretty rare now, because the cost of doing business, including the cost to insure the fighters on a show, make it cost prohibitive and almost a rarity. But LesPierre will soon be graced with a career defining bout which could make all those fights on the club shows, in the banquet halls, and deep-deep off TV worth it.

Word on the street is that LesPierre, ranked No. 14 by the WBO, will square off with WBO champ Maurice Hooker.

The Texas based Hooker owns a 25-0-3 mark; he snagged the ‘BO 140 crown by downing Terry Flanagan last June, and he defended the strap in a fun rumble against Alex Saucedo on Nov. 16, on ESPN.

Hooker will enter the March bout–maybe March 9 in Connecticut–the favorite and folks will be assuming that LesPierre, whose resume doesn’t boast an obvious “best win” scrap, is a “gimme” defense. That could be an unwise assumption to make; yes, LesPierre hasn’t been in with anyone the pedigree of Hooker. But he’s edged up the ladder for a reason–he has improved in modest but consistent increments, adding to the arsenal, staying committed to the craft and the journey (see MLP in action below against Noel Murphy from Feb. 2018).

The underdog is promoted by Don Saxby, a fixture at the famed and fabled Gleason’s Gym, and fights under the Dibella Entertainment banner. All in all, all involved deserve props. Saxby…

.. for being an upbeat gent who sets a tone by modeling a cheery disposition and desire to ascend, while not being put off by the occasional step into a gutter that hadn’t seen a street-sweeper in a too long spell; Dibella for investing money in prospects and staying in their corner as they run the gauntlet with high hopes of one day reaching a promised land.

Specifics on site and such should come shortly, but this is for certain–the bout against Hooker on DAZN will be for LesPierre a monumental win in and of itself. And a win, that would for LesPierre be a massive triumph.

If you can make it here, someone sang back in a time when income inequality wasn’t so rampant and rents didn’t so consistently empty bank accounts, you will be number one, top of the list. Mikkel LesPierre, it’s up to you….

Woods, a Brooklyn resident, was a staff writer at NY Newsday, before joining ESPN The Magazne (2003-2011). He edited TheSweetScience.com (2007-20015), publishes NYFights.com, calls fights for Facebook Fightnight Live and does the “Talkbox” podcast for Everlast. The latest pod features Mike Tyson.