NOW IN MAIN EVENT, OBERLTON LOOKS TO MAKE WAVES IN BOXING, FASHION
Look good, feel good, perform good is a mantra many athletes follow.
Atif Oberlton is among that crop of athletes, and his aspirations to be the best at what he does extends outside the ring. Boxing and fashion have captivated him, and when he returns to face Carlos Gongora on Saturday his two passions will intersect once again.
“It's very similar in terms of just the basics,” Oberlton told The Ring.
“The basic do's and don'ts, but at the same time, you're still being a daredevil, doing things out of the norm that you're not supposed to do. The basics like colors and matching, how to match or not matching, but also there comes a point where you break the mold and just go with how you feel.
“You go out on a limb, and if you're wrong, you're wrong. It's the same thing with boxing. Different styles come throughout the years, and as time goes on, I try out different things. You won't know until you try it, and then you find things that'll work for you.”
Oberlton (15-0, 13 KOs) faces a longtime super middleweight contender in Gongora (22-3, 17 KOs) in a 10-round bout at light heavyweight, elevated from co-main event Friday after Angelo Leo (26-1, 12 KOs) defending his IBF featherweight world title against Ra'eese Aleem (23-1, 12 KOs) was called off.
The bout headlines a Salita Promotions card at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, on DAZN.
For his last fight, a first-round stoppage of Joseph George on Feb. 22, Oberlton wore a Carhartt robe and trunks, with the brand being founded in Detroit where the fight took place. He’s also worn Louis Vuitton and Luu Dan trunks and robes for fights.
With College Park not being far from Atlanta, Oberlton plans to wear something paying homage to the city where he'll face a career-best challenge.
“There's definitely going to be some love for Atlanta,” Oberlton said. ”I would definitely say the Atlanta people are going to feel me when I enter the arena and when I leave.”
As with boxing, there isn't a particular moment when Oberlton can pinpoint the source of his love for fashion. One of his first influences was music artist and fashion designer A$AP Rocky. The way he expressed himself through his outfits caught Oberlton's eye and has swayed the way he carries himself inside and outside of the ring.
“It comes with self-expression,” Oberlton said.
“Going with what you feel. Whatever is inspiring you at the time, wanting to push boundaries and be different. I’m a daredevil. I want to be different because I’m the same way when it comes to fighting. I want to give the fans something they’ve never seen before, and that's the same with fashion.”
A$AP Rocky, nicknamed “Lord Flacko” or “Pretty Flacko,” also inspired Oberlton’s nickname, “Lord Pretty Calvo.”
“I’m a child of God,” Oberlton said. “I call myself Lord as in I carry myself with a highness. Pretty, because I'm pretty. I'm easy on the eyes. Calvo means bald in Spanish, so it's a nice way to put everything into one to determine how I see myself and want the world to see me.”
Oberlton also named Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Rick Owens and hip-hop group Dipset, particularly Jim Jones, among his other influences because of their fashion brands and style.
The 27-year-old has the same aspirations for boxing and fashion in how he eventually wants to be among the best.
In boxing that means becoming a world champion and potentially leveling up to a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter one day, but his goals are just as grand in the fashion world. The Philadelphia native wants to have his own fashion house, become a head designer or model for some of the world's best fashion brands.
Ultimately, that’ll depend on his ability to stay in the win column. Rated No. 7 by the WBA and No. 13 by the IBF at 175 pounds, he's still got work to do. But if Oberlton can manage that, he hopes that success lays the foundation for his impact to be undeniable in both disciplines.
“I want to be very important,” Oberlton said. “I want to leave my mark in fashion, just like I want to leave my mark in the boxing ring, and life in general.
“When people talk to me, they see and hear my interviews, it's something that they can feel deep down inside, that way you live forever because you're impacting the next mind and might be able to change the world.”