Joell Godfrey squares off at Battle on the Banks tonight
By Glenn McBrady
For the St. Louis American
As the second Sunday of NFL action was winding down this past weekend, I was amazed at the amount of television commercials featuring current and former athletes. Although there is a surplus of professional football, basketball and baseball players with endorsement deals well into seven figures and beyond, boxing has had few stars with the cross-over appeal to attract sponsorship dollars.
Sugar Ray Leonard is considered boxing’s undisputed champ of making as much money in ads outside of the ring as he did winning titles, and Sugar Shane Mosley appeared to have the talent and megawatt smile to carry the torch as boxing’s next most famous face.
But Mosley has never achieved the lofty heights of popularity as his predecessor with the same nickname, and for now boxing fans must wait until a fighter with that rare combination of skill and charisma parlays his success into an image capable of selling everything from soft drinks to sportswear.
Joell Godfrey is a young heavyweight from East St. Louis with a throwback style that goes against the grain of the current crop in the sport’s glamour division. With a log jam of very tall and round “super heavyweights” battling to distance themselves from the rest of the pack, Godfrey’s chiseled 6’3”, 205 pound body is more similar to Ali than to the new generation of big men.
With the help of his manager and trainer Richard Walker, Godfrey is determined to keep building towards not just a world title, but the name and recognition that will allow him to maximize his success and attract the interest of advertisers.
During a recent visit to the Gamble Recreation Center, Godfrey and Walker were breaking down tape from the finals of this year’s National Golden Gloves Tournament. It was there that Godfrey marched through three opponents on the way to the finals, only to lose a disputed decision to a more well-known boxer from Oklahoma.
As the video tape grinded down, Godfrey turned and said, “I want him in the pros,” adding, “We’re not afraid of anybody – our goal is a world title.”
On a typical day, the native of Fayetteville, North Carolina gets his four kids ready for school and then does his roadwork on the East Side in the area around Kenneth Hall Park. From there he heads to Gold’s Gym in downtown St. Louis for strength training, before getting in rounds of sparring with Sam “The Punching Policeman” Hill at the West End Mount Carmel Center.
Godfrey debuted this past June in Memphis, Tennessee and has knocked out his first two opponents in the pro ranks. He will be looking to build on his success tonight at the new Ameristar Casino Conference Center in St. Charles. When I saw him in action last month at the Ballpark Hilton Hotel, he showcased a fluid style with elusive upper body movement, nimble footwork, and heavy hands.
He has proven to be a quick study since his fairly recent introduction to the sport and his natural athleticism make him look like a seasoned veteran, but he and his manager know that there is still much to be learned.
“We’re not looking to move him too fast,” said Walker, adding, “but I know he has the chance to eventually bring a title back to East St. Louis.”
“The Ameristar is beautiful, and on fight night the people are going to see pure action,” said Godfrey. He added, “We are going to show people that we are the next big thing to come from the East Side.”
Tonight the crowd in attendance will get a glimpse into the possible future of the heavyweight division when Godfrey steps through the ropes with the hope of someday being not only the face of boxing’s most recognizable weight class, but a marketable commodity that transcends the sport.
‘Battle on the Banks’ Tonight
Rumble Time Promotions and Mobil on the Run will look to build on the runaway success of their last card as they present the “Battle on the Banks” tonight at the brand new Ameristar Casino Conference Center. Local fighters Joell Godfrey, Deandre “The Bull” Latimore and Shawn Hammack will be in action, along with a heavyweight main event featuring former IBF World Champion Kelvin Davis against Ernest Mateen. Tickets are available by calling Scott Cagne at (636) 940-4949.
