By Ryan Burton
 
Ordinarily a 20 year old boxing prospect with a 3-0 record wouldn't garner much attention unless he was an Olympic gold medalist or have a fighter with a highly decorated amateur background like 17 year old Jose Benavitez. Junior middleweight Javontae Starks is an exception.  He has the skills and has a great amateur background but he also had to go through something that your typical boxing prospect doesn't, and that something is getting shot. 

While flourishing as an amateur, Starks was at a house party when gang members opened fire and hit him on his upper thigh.  Two other innocent people were struck in the fracas as well.  Remarkably, two months later Starts was making his amateur debut.  Starks touches on his upcoming fight, the shooting incident and more in this exclusive interview found only at BoxingScene.com
 
BoxingScene.com:  What is the latest with you Javontae?
 
Javontae Starks:  Oh man I am just getting ready for my next fight.  I had two fights lined up.  One for March 5th and one for March 19th but both were scratched so I am fighting on April 2nd at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota against Robert Kliewer. 
 
BoxingScene.com:  What do you know about Kliewer?  Have you seen him fight?
 
Javontae Starks:  He is a good step up for me.  He is an experienced guy, 10-9-2.  He has fought against Anthony Dirrell, Cerresso Fort and Andy Kolle so he has some experience.  I have seen him fight before.  I think he will be a good win for me.  He is somebody that has been in the ring with good fighters so I want to get in there and show what I can do with an experienced guy instead of fighting these guys making their pro debuts like I have been so far.
 
BoxingScene.com:  Tell us a little bit about your amateur career.
 
Javontae Starks:  I won my first tournament in 2008.  I was the 2008 National Champion and I won The Future Stars tournament.  I won some more tournaments in 2009.  Those are a couple highlights.  I was successful as an amateur and then I turned pro on November 13th, 2009.
 
BoxingScene.com:  I read that you were going to be considered for the 2008 Olympics.
 
Javontae Starks:  Well I was part of the team.  I wasn't in the box off to go to the Olympics.  I was fighting to be an alternate actually.
 
BoxingScene.com:  What happened when you were accidentally shot?
 
Javontae Starks:  Well I was at a party with some friends and there were some gang members there and some rival gang members came over and started shooting.  I got hit on my crotch line and two other people got hit that they weren't going for as well.   It was on the upper thigh where Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins got hit.  It was a little left of my crotch line on my upper thigh. 
 
 BoxingScene.com:  I remember that he got hit right on the artery.  I assume when you were shot it missed the artery?
 
Javontae Starks:  It actually nicked the artery.  It didn't hit it head on and it hit my sciatic nerve because I was shot at an angle.
 
BoxingScene.com:  So you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time? They were aiming for someone else and hit you by accident?
 
Javontae Starks:  Actually they were running at the house shooting.  They were just spraying bullets everywhere.
 
BoxingScene.com:  Were you out a long time after the shooting?
 
Javontae Starks:  Oh no, not at all.  I went right back at it.  I had my first amateur fight two months later in October. 
 
BoxingScene.com:  That is a fast recovery.
 
Javontae Starks:  Well I had a good team and I did twice as much physical therapy as I was supposed to.  It was risky but I really wanted to get back in the in ring. In a way the gunshot inspired me.  I think it really motivated me to want to recover and get back to boxing faster. 
 
BoxingScene.com:  Do you have a message for the fans?
 
Javontae Starks:  Just keep on supporting me.  I am going to keep on doing my job which is working hard and training and giving exciting fights.  The better my record gets the better my competition will be and I will be able to display my talents better.  That pretty much is it.  I am trying to work my way up slowly.  The fans can look me up on Facebook if they want the latest info on my fights.
 
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