Jonny Mansour Talks Making Pro Debut on Navarrete-Berinchyk Card

Mansour’s introduction to boxing was at the age of eight, but he didn’t start fighting until about 14. “I was always interested in boxing,” Mansour said confidently. “As soon as I walked into the boxing gym, it was love at first sight. I knew it was something that I wanted to do. There were some ups and downs from age 8 to 14. I always took the classes and would bug the coaches to do mitt work, but no one took me seriously.”

Mansour continued, “When I was 10-11 years old, I left the gym and went back to the original gym where I started boxing. The coach there knew I was serious, so he started working with me. Right after that, I started to link with my uncle and my other coach, started fighting, and then traveled the world. I didn’t have my first fight until I was 14, so I trained for six years. I remember being so eager to fight that during my first fight, I dropped my opponent.”

After high school, Mansour attended a community college where he received his associate degree and then enrolled at San Diego State University (SDSU). His time at SDSU would only last a year, as he took online courses while traveling the world with USA Boxing. Once he reached the point where he couldn’t do any more online courses and had to attend them in person, Mansour ended up leaving school and focusing strictly on boxing. He hopes that he makes it far enough in boxing so he won’t ever have to return to school and finish his degree.

Years later, Mansour is making his pro debut on ESPN+, but he insists that the pressure has not gotten to him. “It’s what has been on my mind since I was little. It’s a blessing from God. It’s all through hard work. It doesn’t even feel real anymore.”

What is real is the opponent who will be staring at him from across the ring and looking to ruin his pro debut at home. Mansour expects a lot from himself and knows those in attendance will, too. “I expect an A-plus performance from myself. I’ve always had a large following and come from a big Middle Eastern family. It’s just another day under the bright lights. I just expect it to be me, Jonny.” 

As Mansour moves closer to his pro debut, there are thoughts of where he wants to be at the end of this year and maybe the next five years. With a serious face, Mansour told FightsATW, “My goal as an amateur was to be number one in the country. As a pro, my goal is to be a world champion. At the end of this year, I want to have at least three or four fights and stay active as a professional fighter. I want to fight six times a year and continue to build up.”

Will Mansour live up to the hype on May 18, or will the reality of being a pro punch him in the face and start his career off with a loss? Tune in to ESPN+ to see what happens with Mansour in his pro debut.