For most boxing fans outside the New York metropolitan area, the 2017 documentary “Counterpunch” was their introduction to “Primetime” Chris Colbert. Still a young prospect boxing in four- and six-round fights around the New York and Pennsylvania areas at the time, Colbert had a light shone on his early life in the Netflix doc.
Eight years later, Brooklyn, New York’s Colbert, now a seasoned veteran, is aiming to make a new impression in a new documentary series, “Boxing: Raw & Uncut,” which premiered earlier this month on the streaming platform Tubi. In the first installment of a three-part series, documentarian Rodrigo Belone brings Colbert back to his neighborhood in Flatbush, Brooklyn, detailing the fighter’s childhood shenanigans and rough introduction to the sport through the voices of Colbert, his trainer Aureliano Sosa and others who witnessed his rise to prominence.
“It’s crazy that it was a decade ago, and everybody was so interested,” said Colbert, a 17-3 (6 KOs) lightweight. “Mind you, we didn't give much in that documentary because I wasn't used to cameras at that time and I was embarrassed of my life, so I didn't want to say much. But now I got comfortable with my life. I’m OK with telling my story because I know my story is impactful to a lot of people, so I don't mind doing it. Now this one gonna be bigger.
“I'm about to really shock the world with this next one, because you know in a story that's in a documentary, everybody wants to see the ups and the downs.”
There are certainly those featured in the first episode of the doc, which has a running time of 46 minutes. After detailing Colbert’s childhood and introduction to boxing, the story picks up with his road back after suffering his first defeat, in 2022, to Hector Luis Garcia. The story then progresses into his first fight with Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela in March 2023, which Colbert won by a close but unanimous decision.
Director Belone says that he wanted to break the mold set forth by behind-the-scenes shows like Showtime’s “All Access,” which tell a fighter’s story as a means of promoting a fight.
“As a fan, I feel like the only time we really see them is in ‘All Access,’ right? And it's really only leading up to a fight,” Belone said. “So you get one guy saying they're gonna win, you get the other guy saying they're gonna win. And then you see the fight. With this, I wanted to tell their whole life story. So it's something that you could watch whenever.”
The other two episodes follow lightweight contender Michel Rivera, 26-1 (14 KOs), and WBC featherweight titleholder Stephen Fulton.
“Even though it's a story about their lives, it's all very different,” Belone said. “Chris is obviously the flashy guy coming from New York, but what's unique about his is that it's a comeback story. I feel like what's unique about his comeback story is, usually, when you see a comeback story, whether it's a movie, a documentary, it's after the fact. We're getting it in real time.
“Michel, he's the guy coming from outside the country, from the Dominican Republic, and he's trying to live that American dream, trying to make it big here. And then, with Stephen Fulton, it is more like the mindset of a champion.”
Now, at 28, Colbert is looking to once again make a comeback. Since the events of his “Counterpunch” episode, Colbert has lost twice, by knockout in six rounds in a rematch against Valenzuela and in a ninth-round stoppage against Omar Salcido Gamez in October.
Colbert says he will be returning back to 130lbs, where he had most of his success, but he is still awaiting a fight date. He says that the plan is to get a tune-up fight and then return with a big fight under Premier Boxing Champions.
“We’re looking to make a comeback with a little tune-up fight,” said Colbert, who is 1-2 since moving up to 135lbs. “My career hasn’t really been a tune-up type of career. I never had the fights where I was like, ‘Oh yeah, let me go pick this guy, because I know I’m gonna get a quick knockout.’ I always went to go fight top-level opponents. I needed to take a break and come back and fight somebody and get my bearings back, and then go back down to my weight class to 130 and fight.
“I'm not messing with these big-ass guys no more. They’re too big.”
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
