Victor Wembanyama Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama training with former boxing champion

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 8/21/23

Victor Wembanyama may be about to give Tyson Fury a run for his money.

Retired former boxing champion Jesse James Leija revealed this week that the San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Wembanyama has been doing some training with him this summer. Leija even posted a picture of Wembanyama with boxing gloves on while Leija himself rocked the punch mitts.

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A post shared by Jesse James Leija (@jessejamesleija)

The San Antonio native Leija fought professionally from 1988-2005 and was the WBC super featherweight champion in 1994. He fought a number of well-known opponents over the course of his career, including Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Arturo Gatti, Micky Ward and Jeff Mayweather (the uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr.). Leija finished his career with a record of 47-7-2 (19 KOs).

As for Wembanyama, who is listed at 7-foot-4 and 209 pounds, it will be important for him in the NBA to be nimble on his feet and to build enough strength to bang with opposing bigs down low. Taking up boxing should help with that (just as it has helped other seven-footers in the league).

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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