‘Sugar.’
‘Pretty Boy.’
‘Canelo.’
Could Bruce Carrington continue to develop into a superstar where boxing fans simply refer to him by his nickname of ‘Shu Shu?’
If he continues to win in dominant and exciting fashion, that could become a reality.
Carrington will face Sulaiman Segawa in a featherweight clash tonight inside The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 10-round bout will open the three-bout Top Rank on ESPN telecast, which will be headlined by Sandy Ryan defending her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer.
Both fights, along with the junior middleweight clash between Xander Zayas and Damian Sosa, will air live on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT).
Carrington (12-0, 8 knockouts), who resides in nearby Brooklyn, will again be fighting before a partisan crowd. Carrington has also done well selling himself as an action boxer-puncher in the ring, including interviews with the media.
“You know I’m always fired up,” said Carrington at Wednesday’s press conference. “You know we’re here in my hometown. It’s always going to be a great show whenever ‘Shu Shu’ steps in the ring, and I’m just ready to perform.”
Carrington has generated buzz over the last couple of fights. In his last fight on June 8, the 27-year-old dropped late sub Brayan De Gracia twice before ending matters in round eight. In his previous fight on February 16, Carrington scored a highlight-reel knockout win over Bernard Torres in round four.
Top Rank, which promotes Carrington, has had him fight often at Madison Square Garden, further exposing him to hardcore and casual fans of the sport. Including tonight’s fight, Carrington will have fought three of his last six fights at Madison Square Garden.
In Segawa, Carrington will face a fighter who is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over contender Ruben Villa on July 13. The 33-year-old, who is originally from Kampala, Uganda and now resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, has won four of his last five fights.
Segawa could pose difficulties with his awkward, southpaw style. Carrington understands the risks, but believes an impressive victory over a fighter like Segawa could further elevate him into the upper echelon of a talent-rich featherweight division.
Top Rank is eyeing a possible world title shot for Carrington in 2025. He is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, whose world title belt is held by Nick Ball, who faced Ronny Rios on October 5. That could be the most viable and quickest path as the WBO world titleholder, Rafael Espinoza, is set to defend the belt against Robeisy Ramirez in December or the first couple months of 2025.
Angelo Leo just won the IBF world title, knocking out Luis ‘Venado’ Lopez on August 10, and will likely defend his belt against Tomoki Kameda early next year.
Whoever and whenever Carrington fights again, he is driven to prove he is one of the best and most compelling fighters in the sport.
“(Segawa’s) fighting style is very interesting,” said Carrington. “I noticed certain things that he brings to the table that’s different from your average fighter. This is going to make for an exciting fight come this Friday.
“I’ve never called him a speed bump on my way to a title shot, but I just know what my goals are. I just want him to understand and know that I am fully focused on this fight.
“Just be ready.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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