Resilient King pushes next heavyweight hope Bryan
He's 84 and doesn't have the stable of fighters he once had. But Don King is resilient if nothing else, and the Hall of Fame boxing promoter believes he has the next great young heavyweight in Trevor Bryan.
The 26-year-old from Albany, N.Y., returns to Las Vegas tonight, facing veteran Derric Rossy in the 10-round main event for the vacant North American Boxing Federation title at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.
"He can be phenomenal," King said of Bryan (15-0, 11 knockouts). "He's getting a real test in Derric Rossy, who is the dream breaker. But if Trevor passes the test, the sky's the limit for this young man."
Bryan, who possesses a heavy jab and power in both fists, said he can't afford to take a backward step tonight on the Showtime-televised card. Not when he's on national TV and headlining in Las Vegas.
"My ultimate dream is to fight at the MGM as the world champion," Bryan said. "History starts with this fight.
"I've been prepping for four years for this moment. I am absolutely ready for this."
Veteran trainer Stacey McKinley, who works with Bryan, said his pupil has the talent to go a long way in the heavyweight division.
"He's still learning," McKinley said. "But what I like about Trevor is he works hard. He's big. He's strong. He listens. He reminds me of Riddick Bowe. He was fundamentally sound, and so is Trevor."
The fight will be Bryan's second in Las Vegas. In 2013 at the TI, he won a six-round decision over Alvaro Morales. In the 35-year-old Rossy (30-9, 14 KOs), Bryan is facing his toughest challenge to date.
"I respect what Derric Rossy has done, and I am definitely not overlooking him," Bryan said. "But I have a great opportunity here to move my career foward, and I plan to take advantage of it."
On the undercard, super middleweight Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (23-0, 16 KOs) will face Decarlo Perez (14-3-1, five KOs) in a 10-round bout, and heavyweight Natu Visinia (11-1, nine KOs) will meet Joey Dawejko (14-4-2, seven KOs) in an eight-round fight.
The first bell is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with the Showtime telecast at 8.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
