Malik Nelson and the balance between college and boxing life

Malik Nelson graduates from college in December 2022, but he already has a masters in boxing as he looks to advance in the featherweight rankings. 

Most boxers are used to putting long, hard hours in the gym, but most aren’t doing it after a full load of college classes like Malik Nelson.

Nelson is at the tail-end of his college academic journey but the start of his professional boxing odyssey.

Boxing has been a part of Nelson’s life since he entered the gym for the first time at five years old. His father was an amateur fighter who shared his passion for the sport with his son.

Nelson competed for the first time at the age of 10, beating Vito Mielnicki Jr., who’s now a prospect and good friend of Nelson’s.

“I mean, when I first started fighting at 10, my first opponent was Vito Mielnicki,” Nelson told FanSided. “That’s my best friends now, and I train alongside of him as well.”

The one-time foes forged a friendship that’s still strong today.

Growing up in New Jersey, Nelson found a lot of boxing peers, including Shakur Stevenson. The talent field in New Jersey was prominent, and the area fighters felt like a team, especially when battling boxers from other states.

“Traveling as Team New Jersey, you know, we had to stick together, you know,” Nelson said. “Cali would always come with a whole bunch of fighters. Texas would come with some tough fighters, so, you know. Cheering each other on, you know, definitely helped us.”

Nelson and his previously mentioned counterparts enjoyed an abundance of success as amateurs. Stevenson was the 2014 amateur world champion and won silver at the 2016 Olympics.

Nelson collected seven amateur national titles. Those accomplishments made Nelson a target for promoters, but he decided to step away from boxing.

Getting an education was a priority for Nelson, and boxing wasn’t going to get in the way of that focus. Nelson stopped boxing and took his talents to college.

“I stepped away from the sport for a couple of years,” Nelson said. “I think it was in March of 2018 is when I stepped away, you know, to focus on my college.”

Nelson didn’t let his conditioning deteriorate even though he was in the classroom instead of the boxing ring.

“But I’ve always stayed in the gym,” Nelson said. “I was lifting weights, you know. I was running, you know. I was always staying in shape, but it wasn’t like I completely just left fitness in boxing alone.”

Malik Nelson is one of the few fighters balancing a boxing career while attending college

Some might wonder why such a distinguished amateur boxer would leave the sport to attend school, at least for a little while. It wasn’t an easy choice for Nelson either, but as in life as in the ring, you need a strategy to navigate obstacles.

“It was definitely a tough decision to stop, you know, because I loved competing,” Nelson said. “I loved, you know, the preparation for tournaments, you know, and all of it. But I was thinking about more than boxing. I was thinking about life, you know, because I wanted to set up myself for the future because boxing, you can’t box forever.”

As gifted as Nelson is with his hands, he’s also skillful with his mind. We’ve all heard tales of boxers that flew high only to fall on tough financial times.

Nelson didn’t want to become another tragic boxing story.

“I’ve seen boxers, you know, make a lot of money and not make the right investments,” Nelson said. “And that’s something I didn’t want to do, you know. I wanted to secure, you know, a nice investment portfolio and, you know, secure my life after boxing as well.”

Nelson completed his first two years of college, majoring in business administration focusing on finance, but he felt that he could juggle boxing and academics.

He entered boxing’s professional ranks in July 2021, and he did it with the help of his old Jersey friends.

With just seven weeks to prepare for his boxing debut, Nelson moved into a house with Mielnicki and several other fighters to train 24/7.

“I was in a house with three other fighters, Vito, Keeshawn Williams from DC, and Nicky Vitone from New Jersey as well,” Nelson said.

“It was amazing, you know,” Nelson added. “It felt like our family in there, you know, reunited back with Vito. It was amazing, you know. we push each other.”

The hard work paid off as Nelson stopped Alejandro Ramirez in round 4.

Nelson continued his winning ways in December 2021, stopping Prince Martin in round 3. It’s not easy being a full-time student and boxer, but Nelson is making it work.

“I had my last semester,” Nelson said. “I had to pass six classes, and I had a whole eight-week training camp throughout the whole time.”

That sounds hard enough, but it’s even more grueling when you hear Nelson’s daily routine.

“A basic day would start off with me waking up in the morning, getting my miles in, shadowboxing and calisthenics,” Nelson said. “And then I have to come back and cook for myself, then go to classes from 10-4, and then study for a little bit. And then I catch myself having to go back to the gym at seven at night for another three-hour session. I come back home at 10:00 p.m., eat dinner. And then basically, I got to do the same thing tomorrow.”

It sounds exhausting, but Nelson’s youth and ambition allow him to carry on. The 21-year-old Nelson is on pace to graduate from Monmouth University in December.

Nelson expects to fight in summer, finish his last college semester, graduate and then turn up the heat in boxing. His southpaw stance, power and speed are tools that help make Nelson a special fighter.

Nelson achieved as an amateur, a student, and is on the brink of a major boxing breakthrough. Soon he’ll graduate college, and hopefully, Nelson will graduate to major boxing contender in no time.