The long road back; Humbled by recent setbacks, Biosse continues push to reclaim boxing supremacy
There’s now a blemish on the record, one that didn’t exist a year ago, and there have been minor setbacks along the way, but Vladine Biosse hasn’t changed his outlook in the face of adversity.
“I feel the same way I did when I first started,” said the super middleweight prospect from Providence, R.I. “I’m still a top contender, and I’m still pushing for that world championship. I’m going to be a world champion whether people want to see it or not.”
The affable Biosse (11-1-1, 6 KOs), dubbed “Mr. Providence” based on the tremendous fan support present at each of his fights, has been out of the limelight for quite some time following his majority draw against John Mackey in October – his second consecutive fight without a win – but the two-time ESPN showstopper is ready to burst back onto the scene Thursday, March 22nd, 2012, when he returns to the ring to face veteran George Armenta at “Home Invasion,” the official launch of Classic Entertainment & Sports’ 2012 Thursday Night Fight Series at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.
Coming off a draw in October and a knockout loss to Denis Grachev in May, Biosse is picking up right where he left off, facing another tough opponent in Armenta (14-7, 11 KOs), a dangerous veteran from Silver Spring, Md., with knockout power who’s faced the likes of World Boxing Council U.S. National Boxing Council (WBC USNBC) middleweight champion Elvin Ayala, undefeated Worcester, Mass., super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez, and former International Boxing Federation (IBF) light middleweight title challenger Sechew Powell.
“You can’t take a guy like him lightly,” Biosse said. “I’m preparing as hard as I can and training as hard as I can, because I know he won’t go easy on me.”
Biosse’s also dealing with the possible repercussions of a left pectoral injury sustained five months ago in the opening round of the fight against Mackey.
“Luckily, I didn’t need surgery,” said Biosse, who described the injury as a muscle pull. “I worked with a physical therapist and we did intensive treatment on it everyday for six weeks without skipping a day. I’m real happy with the results. I’ve been stretching it out more, so I’m finally able to use it again in the right way.
“When you get hurt like that, you’re afraid to use it again, but I’m back, man. No setbacks.”
Aside from the physical therapy, Biosse has spent the past few months sharpening his game. One of his priorities following the draw against Mackey was to work with some new talent, so he flew to Orlando in January and spent several weeks in camp with former world-title challenger and “The Contender” reality television star Alfonso Gomez, who was helping Providence’s Demetrius Andrade prepare for a nationally-televised bout in March.
Biosse had the opportunity to spar at several gyms in south Florida and also work with members of three-time world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s camp, including Philadelphia lightweight Karl Dargan and current World Boxing Association (WBA) International welterweight champion Brad Solomon.
“It was a great experience,” Biosse said. “It’s good to work with a different group of guys that can help you get better and get right. We worked on keeping my jab hand up, staying on top and being able to use my outside right hand more instead of staying in the middle – just a lot of little things we worked on.
“Most of the trainers felt what I was doing was good, and they liked my style. It was just a matter of absorbing different pointers here and there that will make me a better boxer.”
Biosse promises to show off some of his new tricks March 22nd against Armenta.
“A lot of that stuff, you’re going to see it,” Biosse said. “I’ve been working my ass off.
“People have been telling me, ‘You don’t box like you used to.’ A lot of times when you win, win, win, you don’t learn a lesson. Strange as it sounds, the loss and the draw really brought me back down to earth. You learn that you still need to fight hard everyday to stay on top. I actually appreciated it. You only learn when you fail. Sometimes you need to fall to make the journey a better journey.”
The support of his fans – the same fans who helped him earn his nickname – have been the driving force in Biosse’s attempt to get back on track and continue chasing his dreams of winning a major world championship.
“A lot of people have been asking, ‘When you fighting again? It’s been a while,’” Biosse said. “Even after my first loss they were telling me not to get discouraged. You win some, and you lose some. I thank everybody for the support. This is such a hard sport, and if you don’t have the people to back you, you feel defeated.
“The fans push me to continue doing what I do. They motivate me as much as I motivate myself.”
