Boxer Kelsey Jeffries earned her nickname
”
The Road Warrior
”
because she would often travel around the country in order to
take on the best opponents she could find near their home.
Boxer Kelsey Jeffries earned her nickname “The Road Warrior” because she would often travel around the country in order to take on the best opponents she could find near their home.
Currently ranked No. 1 in the world in her division, the Hollister native who trains in Gilroy now gets to battle for the vacant 122-pound IBA super bantamweight title (in a 10 round Jr. Featherweight IBA World Title Fight) at home.
And at tonight’s Fight Night at the Tank at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, Jeffries will be the one taking on the road warrior – Jerri Sitzes of Springfield, Mo.
“I see a lot of myself in her, which is kind of a scary thing for me,” Jeffries said of her opponent. “She’s got the heart to come fight people in their hometown.
“She does that a lot, and that’s not always easy.”
Jeffries is fighting on the undercard for the event, which features Paul “The Punisher” Williams (23-0, 17 KOs) taking on Mexican Arturo Reyes in a 10-round welterweight bout. The event begins at 7:30pm.
Sitzes is a modest 5-5-1 with three knockouts, but the record appears to be deceiving. By all accounts, she’s faced a stiff slate of competition and is considered a top 10 contender in the bantamweight division.
“She’s a tough customer,” said Jeffries, who has won eight bouts in a row. “Everybody in boxing is tough, but she’s a fighter. Every definition of a fighter … that’s her.
“She’s coming here to win this belt.”
Sitzes is known to be very fast and sneaky with her right hand, something Jeffries (28-8, 2 KOs) has admittedly been susceptible to in the past.
“It’s just something I’ll have to deal with,” she said. “Whatever she’s got, I’ll be ready for it.
“Buddy will be there for me … he’ll help me out with it.”
Indeed, for the second time since he took Jeffries under his wing, well-respected and nationally known trainer James “Buddy” McGirt will be in her corner.
In Jeffries’ first fight under his watch, she won a unanimous decision against a much-larger Melissa Yanas during a six-round bout last month in Temecula.
“I’m a new fighter because of him,” Jeffries said of McGirt. “He’s a genius — a trainer of the best.
“I’m very fortunate to have him in my corner.”
She’s also fortunate to be back at home, for a change.
Her last scheduled fight at the Tank — a July 22 match with Valanna McGee — was canceled when McGee failed to show.
“That was a big disappointment because I had trained hard and it was going to be a nice payday,” said Jeffries, who is 6-0 fighting in San Jose. “But I’m a professional and I’ve tried to make the best of it.”
And tonight, with a chance to add to her collection of four championship belts, Jeffries makes a much-anticipated return to the Tank for the first time in nearly six months.
“That’s my home … that’s my place,” Jeffries said. “They’ll be a ton of fans from Gilroy and Hollister there and that’ll be great.
“You can’t get any more at home than that.”
Notes: Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward is scheduled to make an appearance at the event … Also scheduled to fight on the undercard is five-time National Amateur Champion Jose Perez Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) of Fremont, Calif., who will face Richard Alduenda of Upland, Calif. in a four-round featherweight showdown. Also, a pair of brothers from Salinas, Luis Perez (6-2, 3 KOs) and Alejandro Perez (1-0, 1 KO), will fight in light welterweight action.
