Nicholas Walters to fight on March 8 ProBox TV card
Rested, wise and driven, former title challenger Nicholas Walters will participate in his second ProBox TV card on March 8 in Long Beach, California.
“It’s a great opportunity to fight a younger fighter…these young guys come in with power and youth, but that power doesn’t move me. I use my experience to get over it,” Walters told ProBox TV co-hosts Jimmy Smith and former world champions Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi.
“I’ve seen a lot of things. I’m enjoying myself, and train for the fans and my family.”
The 39-year-old Walters, 29-1-1 (22 KOs), will meet Mexico’s Luis Torres, 20-1 (11 KOs), in the lightweight co-main event of ProBox TV’s March 8 card at Long Beach’s Thunder Studios. Torres is 23.
The card is headlined by three-time featherweight title challenger Joet Gonzalez, 26-4 (15 KOs), meeting Arnold Khegai, 22-1-1 (14 KOs).
After knocking out four-division champion Nonito Donaire in 2014, the Jamaican-born, Panama-residing Walters proceeded to a 2016 super-featherweight title shot against Vasiliy Lomachenko, getting stopped on his stool after seven rounds as the Ukrainian was building his “No-Mas-Chenko” nickname.
Walters then left the sport for nearly seven full years before returning to post three victories since, including a unanimous decision over former prospect Joseph Adorno on March 27 at the ProBox facility in Florida.
“After the loss to Lomachenko, I took some time off and tried to find the right people to work with … I found them, and I’m feeling great,” Walters told Algieri.
Should he defeat Torres, who’s promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz (who also promotes David Benavidez and Sebastian Fundora), Walters said he wants to take his more intellectual, inspired approach to the sport and move toward a title shot.
“That’s a level you want to be at,” Walters said. “I have it in the back of my mind that I’m at that level. That’s what’s driving me. During my career [as a younger fighter specializing in knockouts] I didn’t really study my opponent, even though every fight is different. You have to do your work to tighten up your mistakes and counter-act his mistakes.”
Walters is impressed by the current crop of lightweight champions, knowing Lonmachenko (IBF) from first-hand experience and watching Gervonta Davis (WBA), Keyshawn Davis (WBO) and Shakur Stevenson (WBC) as a fan.
“A lot of talent…some are heavy hitters,” Walters said. “I can’t judge those fighters by looking. I need to be in there with them. They’re exciting, strong, young fighters.”
Walters maintains that given his amateur boxing pedigree in the Caribbean, his penchant for knockouts as a pro, and his newfound attention to the overall skills required in the sweet science, he can stage a revival of note.
“During the years you didn’t see me, I developed power in both hands and my ring IQ,” Walters said. “I’m still around.”
