Under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington shines the brightest. The featherweight prospect turned contender as he landed a shot to the head that sent Bernard Torres crashing to the canvas as the cheers and screams crowded the ring. The seven-time Norwegian national champion put up a strong fight throughout three rounds, but his heart and toughness could not carry him to his feet as the referee quickly brought the fight to an end. While doctors, coaches and past Brooklyn boxing notables ran into the ring to announce the result, check on Torres and conduct post-fight interviews, the Brownsville native channeled his inner Mike Tyson and recited one of his fellow Brooklyn native’s most famous monologues.
“I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal and vicious and most ruthless champion there’s ever been, there’s no one can stop me,” Tyson once said.
Carrington is ESPN’s Timothy Bradley’s top prospect at the moment and he delivered in front of his home crowd. However, Bradley was able to note just a few things that Carrington could have done better before the knockout. Most notably, Carrington fought, at times, with his hands down and allowed Torres to find a home for his jab at times. Torres, a skilled amateur and pro in his own right, was able to trade with Carrington in certain spots even if most of his shots weren’t able to land flush. Still, Bradley, myself and anyone who was watching the fight at home could not deny that Carrington is exactly who we all thought he was — the next great fighter to come from the borough that birthed Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Christopher Wallace and countless other superstars across sports and entertainment.
With a trio of intercontinental titles wrapped around his waste, the sky appears to be the limit for Carrington. Where will he go next? A Top Rank card before the Puerto Rican Day Parade seems to be a tradition. As Xander Zayas continues to rise and Teofimo Lopez looks to return to New York later in the year, don’t be surprised if Carrington is fighting in Shu York City yet again this summer.
