Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions returns to the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Friday night, featuring local prospects on a fight card entitled Ring of Fire. Among the rising stars on the show is cruiserweight Alvin “Iron Majik” Varmall, Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs), who will look for his seventh consecutive knockout when he faces Lamont Capers in a scheduled six-rounder.
“Training has been going great. I’ve been getting in some good work,” Varmall said of his preparation for Friday night. “I went down to Manhattan and got in some good sparring with former cruiserweight champion Wayne Braithwaite. My trainer, Greg Young, and I have been training hard and putting in a lot of hours at the gym. I feel mentally prepared, as well as physically prepared. We’re just looking forward to putting on a good show for you all.”
Varmall, 23, is a native of Louisiana and bears much resemblance to a fighter he always admired, former undisputed heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson. His 100% knockout ratio and “Iron Majik” moniker are two distinct similarities, but his new training location is the icing on the cake. Earlier this year, he began working out of the Catskills, New York, at Cus D’Amato’s Gym, which holds the name of the legendary late trainer who brought Tyson to heavyweight dominance.
However, Varmall says there is much more to his game than just fantastic knockout power.
“I really like to let people decide for themselves,” he responded when asked what type of fighter he is. “I really like to just go out there and do what I have to do. I like to look as myself as a throwback fighter, like a Mike Tyson, a Sugar Ray Robinson or a Joe Louis. Guys like that. I just want to go out there, put on a good show and leave the crowd saying ‘Wow. When is that guy gonna fight again?’
“I’m not a flashy guy. I don’t jump up and down after I knock somebody out. That’s not my style. I just like to keep it simple. Go in there, take care of my business and get up on out of there. A lot of people commend me on my power, but I’m a boxer as well. I’m a boxer-puncher, and I like to use my mind in there. A lot of guys try to keep me on the outside because I’m a much shorter fighter (5-foot-8) than these guys in my division, but I don’t look at it as if I’m in there with these 6-4 guys. I look at it as if these guys are in the weight division with me. I don’t look at it as a disadvantage because of my height or my reach. At the end of the day, you have to work with what God gave you, and I feel like I’m blessed with a lot. I just go out there, and I try to break my opponents down systematically. Putting my punches together, coming behind my jab with movement and controlled aggression. I stay in these guys’ chests because they’re taller, and I like to stay on the inside.”
In terms of what spectators can expect on Friday night, Varmall kept it short and simple.
“Expect to see an exciting show and a future champion,” he predicted. “I just want to go out there and do what I do. Expect an exciting fight, that’s for sure.”
