Derrick Colemon Jr. hopes to leave his mark on ShoBox

Undefeated super welterweight Derrick Colemon Jr. hopes to make a big impact on the upcoming ShoBox: The Next Generation fight card on Friday, Feb. 14.

For every boxing superstar who emerges from the Olympics with a medal and is carefully navigated to a successful career, there are hundreds of diamonds in the rough who have tremendous potential. That potential is rarely nurtured and given a chance to thrive, but Derrick Colemon Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs) hopes he’s one of the few that makes it big against all the odds.

The undefeated super welterweight possesses a name you might not know, but his boxing history suggests that he might be a fighter to keep an eye on. He takes the national stage on Friday, Feb. 14, when he meets fellow unbeaten warrior Joseph Jackson (15-0, 12 KOs) on Showtime’s series ShoBox: The Next Generation.

Colemon’s backstory follows a familiar archetype in boxing. He grew up in relative poverty and surrounded by crime in Detroit, MI. He still calls Detroit home today but was able to avoid the pitfalls that surrounded him because of boxing.

“I fought my first amateur bout as soon as I turned eight because you’ve got to be eight to fight amateurs,” Colemon told FanSided.

Colemon found boxing at such a young age because of his grandfather, who also used to battle in the ring. He was never a legend, but he trained and competed with them during one of boxing’s golden eras.

“My grandfather, he was a boxer,” said Colemon. “He trained with Sugar Ray Robinson.”

Colemon’s grandfather got him started on his life in the ring, but a boxing icon nourished his love for the sport during his youth, Emanuel Steward.

The late, great Steward vaulted the Kronk gym to prominence, which helped produce some of the best boxers ever to exist. He engineered the success of Tommy Hearns and also played a crucial role in the development of heavyweight champions Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis.

Colemon spent a lot of time with Steward as a child. He trained under his Kronk Gym banner and took direct instruction from Steward.

“I started working with Emanuel Steward when I was 9 years old,” said Colemon.”He used to bring me to his house. He used to pay for me to go to different tournaments. He used to feed me every day. He always had me over his house, where I was doing yard work. We would watch videos, film.”

Steward passed away in 2012 when Colemon was 13 years old. He was Colemon’s trainer and mentor. Colemon was devastated by his loss. He found about Steward’s death as he was watching SportsCenter. The shock of the news remains with Colemon to this day.

“It was hurtful because of the way I found out,” recalled Colemon.”I found out through SportsCenter. I was watching SportsCenter, and it popped up. That was a pretty hard way to find out.”

After Steward’s passing, Colemon continued boxing as an amateur. He amassed an impressive record of 130-5. Colemon won a slew of amateur titles but realized that his style was better suited for professional boxing.

“I knew it was time to turn pro because my style was making me lose fights,” said Colemon. “When I was younger, I didn’t lose fights. I would think I was winning, but in the amateurs, the points is different.”

Colemon added, “In the pros, it’s the hurt game. You trying to hurt someone all the time, and that’s what I like. I’m more of an aggressive style.”

Colemon is undefeated under the guidance of Kronk-original Marlon Thomas. Thomas is a disciple of Steward’s who now trains fighters in the Detroit area.

“Marlon Thomas is out of Kronk too,” said Colemon. “He was just like me at a young age. He came up through Kronk. He was a sparring partner for Tommy Hearns, Gerald McClellan, Michael Moorer. He sparred all those guys. He was basically under Manny Steward wing too, and he was right there with Manny when he trained the 2004 Olympic team. He really got all the knowledge from Emanuel. He’s different from Emanuel, and we really blend together.”

Colemon is undefeated and meets the stiffest test of his career in Jackson. Jackson is also unbeaten with an 80 percent knockout rating. This is Colemon’s chance to make a name for himself. If he defeats Jackson convincingly, then Colemon is sure to find brighter opportunities and possibly shine like the diamond he hopes to become.

Colemon vs. Jackson leads off the ShoBox Feb. 14 fight card, starting at 10 p.m. ET.