Professional boxing will return to Superior next month with nine-bouts at Wessman Arena, culminating in co-main events featuring Andy Kolle and Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters.
Their opponents hadn't been named at Telegram Press time, but Chuck Horton, who manages both fighters, said each will face a considerable challenge.
"Zach's opponent has fought four world championships and is very much a 'been around the block' kind of guy," he said. "He has triple the number of pro fights that Zach has."
Coming off his April 22 TKO of Teddy Muller, 25-year-old Walters (14-1) has been working hard for a chance at a tougher match that could propel him higher in the rankings, where he's currently 11th in the United States and 23rd in the world.
In addition to his classes at UMD and job at the Center for Alcohol and Drug treatment, the light heavyweight has been spending up to three hours a day with Justin May, UMD strength conditioning coach.
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"It's intensive, man," Walters said, but the program has added "to the whole mentality of being a professional."
Currently at 175 pounds, Walters said "I'm feeling very, very good, and I'm excited because my rating have been jumping up."
It could be a make-or-break type of bout, Horton believes.
"We've got to be very careful about this because his opponent has ended the careers for many up and comers. Zach has to beat this guy to move up higher. If he beats him, his ratings will go way up," Horton said.
Coming off his first professional loss, 24-year-old Kolle (9-1) is "ready to go right now," he said Thursday.
The middleweight's loss came after he and Andre Ward bumped heads April 29 in Mashantucket, Conn. With one eye swollen shut in the sixth round, the doctor stopped the bout.
Preparing for the September bout, Kolle said Superior's strong fan base has lifted his spirits. Currently a student at North Dakota State University in Fargo, he hopes to move to the Twin Ports after completing degrees in criminal justice and sociology.
As the sport grows locally, it's attracting attention from a broader area, Horton said.
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"All these guys from the Upper Midwest have seen Zach and Andy move up, and they also want to go that way," he said Thursday at his Lincoln Park gym. The sport offers unlimited opportunity, Horton said, for boxers who are willing to work extremely hard.
Two of his younger fighters also are booked for the Sept. 15 event: junior middleweight Tyler Gould, who is 2-0, and lightweight Robert Miller, who will make his pro debut.
A capacity crowd filled Wessman when Horton returned boxing to Superior in April -- decades after the sport had disappeared locally. The support justified a followup, he said.
Superior also is scheduled to be the site of an afternoon news conference when further details of the event will be announced.
The 4 p.m. event today at Benna Ford is open to the press and public.
