Demontaze Duncan has a goal to hold a title, not to have fun in boxing.
Duncan returns on Saturday against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round welterweight bout at Bourbon Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The card is promoted by Nicholas Bareis, his trainer, under the banner of Superstars of Boxing.
Duncan, 12-1 (12 KOs), is on a four-fight win streak since his lone career defeat to Axl Melendez. And the 23-year-old from Louisville has ambitions of bringing a title back to his hometown.
“He is not doing this for fun,” Bareis said. “He is doing this to become a world champion. That is a goal that he has. I don’t want to call it a dream, because a dream makes it seem like it is a fantasy.”
One of the secrets to Duncan’s growth, Bareis said, is experience.
“He is more mature now,” Bareis said. “It has been two and a half years since that loss.”
Duncan was 20 at the time of the fight. He now has grown up outside of the ring, working as a manager at a YMCA.
“The responsibility he has picked up in growing up is the biggest difference from that first fight,” Bareis said. “He has also become a better fighter. He was just fighting in there. He always took the boxing gym seriously, but he has become more diligent after that fight because he knows he can’t afford another loss.”
Duncan faces veteran journeyman Rodriguez, 22-15 (19 KOs), who seven years ago fought Ryan Garcia. Rodriguez, now 37, was born in the Dominican Republic and now resides in Coral Springs, Florida.
“He has to be flawless for the next couple of years if he wants to fulfill his dreams,” Bareis added. “I see this fight as a measuring stick for what level my guy is on. If it is an early knockout or an easier performance, I would still want some credit for it.”
