Zuffa Boxing
Da’Mazion Vanhouter Wants To Be The Next Great American Heavyweight
Rising Heavyweight Prospect Plans To Continue His Rise To Eventually Bring The Heavyweight Glory Days Back To American Boxing.
For American heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter, Saturday night represents his coming out party. The 21-year-old will feature on the undercard of the Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn event on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s a huge opportunity for Vanhouter, who has been identified as one of the United States’ most promising heavyweight prospects, and the undefeated 12-0 prospect is excited to showcase his skills on such a big stage.
“It’s probably the biggest opportunity somebody coming up could get,” he said. “You're on the feature of one of the biggest fights of the year, and under some huge names. So, it's great opportunity.”
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Vanhouter will take on Nigeria’s 19-3 Raphael Akpejiori, who has knocked out 18 of his opponents. The Miami-based 35-year-old represents the biggest test of Vanhouter’s young career, and “Mazi” said he’s ready for whatever fighter ends up standing across the ring from him on Saturday night.
Da'Mazion Vanhouter TKOs Murphy | Zuffa Boxing 06
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Da'Mazion Vanhouter TKOs Murphy | Zuffa Boxing 06
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“I know he's 6-[foot]-8, and I know he's 19-3. I don't really see any threats, though,” he said. “I expect for him to come out stronger and faster than what he's been before. But, other than that, I'm prepared for whatever he comes with.”
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Vanhouter has impressed inside the Zuffa Boxing ring, stopping 7-3 heavyweight Julian Gomez in the third round on his promotional debut, then following up with a first-round TKO of 18-1 Raphael Murphy as he confirmed his potential with back-to-back stoppage wins under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Now Vanhouter plans on leveling up his game by claiming his biggest win yet, then making his way towards the division’s big fish. His plan is to be mixing it with established world-class opposition within the next couple of years.
“I'm just following my team – whatever they tell me, however they push me, however they want me to go, that’s how I'm gonna go,” he said.
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Saturday night’s fight is the best opportunity yet for Vanhouter to showcase his skills as he wants to show that he can make American heavyweight boxing great again.
“[The fans] haven't really seen much of what I can do,” he explained. “So when they can, when they'll be able to see it, when somebody stays [in there] so I can show it off, then, [the fans will] be surprised.”
Da'Mazion Vanhouter Ends Dominant Fight in Round 3 | Zuffa Boxing 02
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Da'Mazion Vanhouter Ends Dominant Fight in Round 3 | Zuffa Boxing 02
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Vanhouter brings youth, power and an evolving skillset that he says will start to separate him from the pack as he progresses up the heavyweight ladder.
And he’s confident that his skills, coupled with knockout power that has seen him stop nine of his 12 career wins, including his last six fights, will help take him bring big heavyweight fights back to American fight cards in the years to come.
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“I'm different because these heavyweights are all one-dimensional,” he stated. “I’ve got different styles they haven't seen yet, so [I’m excited to] be able to showcase that, hopefully soon, and I'll make sure I bring heavyweight [boxing] back to America instead of being over in the UK.”
And with a new generation of heavyweights trying to break into the very top level of the sport, Vanhouter wants to position himself to join that group, and eventually surpass them to become a world heavyweight champion further down the line. That process will see Vanhouter continue to learn his craft as he goes, and he has already picked up a valuable lesson from the recent heavyweight title fight between Croatian veteran Filip Hrgović and young English star Moses Itauma.
Itauma was hotly tipped to win the fight but punched himself out trying to knock out the iron-chinned Croatian and was eventually stopped as he suffered his first career loss.
“My game plan stays the same for every fight,” said Vanhouter. “But I learned from now on [that] you’ve got to be able to gauge your gas pedal better… You can't take everybody out.”
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Despite that knowledge, Vanhouter’s preferred method of victory, like all heavyweights, is always to win by knockout, and he plans on making a statement when he takes on Akpejiori on Saturday night.
“I’m trying to hurt him. I just want to hurt him,” he said. “So, whatever statement comes with that, that's what comes with that.”
