Karl Wylie, a lightweight fighter from Coatesville, PA, and a former Golden Gloves winner, will be making his professional boxing debut at Parx Casino® on Friday, May 13.
“Boxing is the only thing I could get up and do every day and not complain about and it’s terrible because of what you put your body through,” said Wylie. “I could do this and not complain about it.”
With a passion for boxing and the competitiveness that comes with it, the road to get in the ring was not easy for Wylie. There are no gyms in Coatesville, and he had to travel 45 minutes to an hour to Reading, Lancaster or Phoenixville just to train.
He had success at the 2014 Golden Gloves, making it to the national tournament. He wanted to go pro, but the problems kept coming up. He had terrible luck with his car breaking down, and that really hindered him from going to the gym every day. He knows how important consistency is because without it, he would just become an average fighter.
He never let himself get out of shape as he would always be hitting the pavement running and getting in those miles. During those runs, he felt the support from his friends and family. When running, he was sure to get 5-10 people giving him supportive beeps of their horn. Boxing is a lonely sport, but the support from his family and friends is what kept him going and keeps him still working to make his professional debut, even after a five-year gap between fights.
ADDITIONAL Q&A with KARL WYLIE:
How does it feel to make your debut close to home?
“It’s exciting and bittersweet because my first amateur fight was actually in my city of Coatesville. The energy and the atmosphere was ridiculous. I burnt out like halfway through the fight because I was fighting so much off energy and adrenaline. I wasn’t breathing and when I finally stopped to take a deep breath, I didn’t think I was going to make it. But that was a long time ago, and I’m anxious, and everybody is really excited, and it’s going to be amazing.”
What are your hopes and dreams for your future in fighting?
“Just be able to achieve greatness starting out at 29. I could have started sooner, but life has its obstacles so it’s not likely for me to come in at 29 and dominate like Floyd Mayweather for 20 years, but just to be mentioned with some of the greats and to be compared to them.”
The live boxing event, which is produced by Joe Hand Promotions, will feature a six-round heavyweight bout between Sonny Conto (9-0, 7 KOs) out of Philadelphia, PA, going up against Justin Rolfe (7-3-1, 5 KOs) fighting out of Fairfield, ME.
2021 Briscoe “Prospect of the year” Shinard Bunch (18-1-1, 15 KOs) out of Trenton, NJ will look to continue his 18 fight undefeated streak when he competes in an eight-round super lightweight fight.
Super featherweight Jordon Murphy (2-0, 1 KO), originally from Bensalem, PA, and now residing in Deerfield Beach, FL, will be returning to Philadelphia to fight in front of his family and friends in a four-round super featherweight bout.
The always entertaining Christopher Burgos (3-5-1, 1 KO) of North Philadelphia, PA, will face Philip Davis (2-5-1) of Worcester, MA, in a six-round lightweight contest.
Tickets at $50, $75, and $125 are on sale at
https://tickets.parxcasino.com/tickets/390007, Hold My Ticket Call Center at (1-877-466-3404) or by calling 215-364-9000. Must be 21 or older to attend.
