Promising Queens boxer Ra-leek Born is set to make his professional debut on Tuesday, Aug. 20, after signing with Team Freeway Boxing on Thursday, Aug. 3.
Born, a three-time national champion at the juvenile level, signed with Team Freeway Boxing, owned by prison reform activist “Freeway” Ricky Ross, at an event at Urban Vegan Roots at 34-47 31st St. in Astoria on Saturday afternoon.
Hailing from Springfield, Born fights out of the Eastern Queens Boxing Club in Queens Village. The young boxer turned 18 in February of this year and has been turning heads ever since he claimed the Metro Junior Olympic Championship when he was ten years old in 2016.
He is now looking forward to making his professional debut in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
However, he is still awaiting confirmation of his first professional opponent, with Ross stating that several potential opponents have declined to fight after learning of Born’s record at juvenile level.
“We haven’t found an opponent, but we’re still looking,” Ross said. “They’ve been dropping out once they learn his amateur record.”
Born, meanwhile, said it was a “great experience” to turn pro, adding that Saturday’s announcement was the culmination of nine years of hard work.
“It’s been a buildup of hard work over nine years because I’ve been boxing since I was nine years old,” Born said. “All this hasn’t just been overnight. I’ve put my heart, body, mind and soul into the boxing game, and I’m ready to take it to another level.”
However, Born, who had long hoped to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, said turning pro was also a “bittersweet” moment because it ruled him out of competing in future Olympic Games.
He noted that he turned 18 one month too late to meet the eligibility criteria for the ongoing games in Paris, stating that he has decided to “take his talents” to professional boxing rather than wait around for four years for the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Born and his new manager are not looking back, however, and are hoping to boast a 4-0-0 record within one year of him turning pro.
Ross stated that his new fighter will enjoy significant natural advantages in the light welterweight class.
“With his height and his weight, he’s going to have such an advantage over a lot of these guys he’s coming up against,” Ross said. “I can’t wait to develop him as a fighter.”
Ross, who received a second chance at life when a life sentence for drug trafficking was shortened on appeal, said he was drawn to Born because he believes the youngster can be a role model for the local Queens community.
“I’ve been looking for somebody that I really could work with inside and outside the ring,” Ross said. “When he becomes the superstar that he’s going to become, it’s important that he takes that superstardom and uses it for the betterment of the community. A guy like Floyd Mayweather can speak some words, and the whole community listens. He’s going to have that same type of power.”
Born said Ross’s ambitions to make him a role model in the local community was one of the reasons why he had decided to sign with Team Freeway Boxing.
The young fighter also paid tribute to his father Ra-tru Born, who inspired him to take up boxing when he was nine years old.
“He actually wanted me to start boxing when I was even younger, but he knew that it would come to me,” Born said. “So when I started when I was nine, I actually had an interest, and I kept going because I actually liked it.”
Ross, meanwhile, praised Ra-leek’s father for being open-minded and receptive to new ideas.
“People in boxing don’t like the father-son relationship, because they feel that the father is trying to live out their dreams through their son,” Ross said. “But his dad is open-minded. He’s willing to explore new things and try new opportunities.”
Born also spoke of how the impact of becoming vegan at the age of nine has helped shape his career to date.
He said becoming vegan was something he wanted to “try out” because he had seen other professional fighters adopt the lifestyle habit.
“I just stuck with it, but I felt good when I was doing it,” Born said. “I didn’t feel that sore or tired after leaving the gym, so it’s something that I’ve kept doing and I still feel great. Any time I step in the ring with someone, I don’t feel weaker than them.”
