Lightweight Jonathan “Jonny” Mansour might be training for Christian Avalos at The Avalon in Hollywood, California, but the fight is much deeper for him because he is hoping to inspire his mother, who a fight of her own with a serious illness.
Mansour faces Avalos in a six-round bout Thursday that will stream on the DAZN telecast.
Mansour, 4-0 (2 KOs), a 24-year-old from La Mesa, California, was candid ahead of his upcoming fight, discussing the motivation that inspires him in the ring.
“Every fighter has a purpose,” Mansour told BoxingScene. “Everyone goes through things mentally, not only physically, and for me, my purpose is that I’m dedicating this fight to my mother. My purpose is to continue to bring happiness to her and to show her that we can fight through anything. And I promised her that I’m going to win my fight and that she’s going to win her fight.”
Despite having such gut-wrenching circumstances around him, Mansour was clear that you would see no emotions on fight night.
“I always try to leave emotions out of the picture,” Mansour said. “I never have emotions inside the ring or outside the ring, because it leads to the worst pathways.”
Mansour, who has a deep amateur pedigree having competed on Team USA before turning pro last year, takes a pragmatic approach to his career, viewing it as his livelihood and profession while not losing sight of the bigger picture.
“This is my job. This is my career and it’s bigger than boxing,” Mansour said. “It's about inspiring the people around me as well.”
Mansour enters the contest having knocked out Markus Bowes in March. On paper, Avalos, 3-2-2, is his trickiest challenge, a competent regional fighter with a winning record. Avalos, also 24, from Carson City, Nevada, saw a three-fight win streak derailed by regional spoiler Ebert Diaz in March. Given the tough circumstances Mansour faces, he wouldn’t want it any other way than to face his toughest challenger during his most trying times.
“If everybody wants to classify this as a step up, I’m going to bring the best of me, and I’m going to get the win. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get the win,” Mansour said. “I’m excited. I’m here to step it up. I’m not here to continue to fight people on the same level as my last fight. I want to continue to show that I'm progressing in each fight, because that’s what I do. I’m in the gym every single day, working as hard as I can.”