Elijah Pierce believes he has had to return from multiple stumbles to become the fighter he is today – “The WXLF” and a contender who is only a fight away from a title opportunity.

Pierce will face Lorenzo Parra on February 28 at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort in Verona, New York. The bout was originally scheduled for November, but Pierce was forced to withdraw because of an illness during fight week.

Pierce, originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, started his career at lightweight. Now 21-2 (17 KOs) and a top-rated junior featherweight, he has suffered as many bumps and bruises outside of the ring as he has absorbed blows inside it.

“For me to have risen then fallen, and risen again,” Pierce told BoxingScene, “it goes along with me being ‘The Wolf.’ … Whatever circumstances have come my way, I have overcome them.”

Pierce was unbeaten before he fought Giovanni Cabrera at junior lightweight in 2018. Pierce, now 29, didn’t have access to top boxing gyms and resources in Oklahoma City, so the weight-cutting process wasn’t maximized. After the loss to Cabrera, Pierce and his father began to learn more about the process.

“People were dropping 20-plus pounds to fight at weight classes,” Pierce said. “I had no clue about that. I used to fight at my natural weight. I would only cut 5-8lbs.”

Pierce moved down to featherweight after the Cabrera fight and defeated unbeaten Irvin Gonzalez 11 months later. But in his next fight, a perceived stay-busy bout against dreaded veteran gatekeeper Sulaiman Segawa, Pierce dropped a majority decision.

“What I was going through at that time was the beginning of divorce proceedings with my ex-wife,” Pierce said. “I was battling an illness for the whole duration of camp – I had the flu, and then I had pinkeye right after I had the flu. Then I injured my hand. It was just bad.”

The loss was yet another growing pain for Pierce.

“I probably trained two-and-a-half weeks for that fight without any interruption,” Pierce said. “I took another break from boxing for about a year and a half.”

Pierce hasn’t lost since – a period covering 12 fights and five years – making a run at junior featherweight before returning to featherweight in his most recent bout, a stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas in July. During this stretch, Pierce says he became “The WXLF,” a moniker he adopted and a persona that is a reinvention of sorts. He is not disconnecting himself from his past, but he is also making a distinction to define this period of his career.

“I decided I was going to create my own path,” Pierce said. “I built myself into who I am today.” 

Parra, 23-1-1 (17 KOs), fought Omar Trinidad to a draw in August. Pierce promises to knock out Parra, a 28-year-old from Machiques, Venezuela, emphasizing that it will be a devastating knockout. Pierce is familiar with Parra, who defeated Javan Woodard Jnr via a split decision in 2023.

“He is stepping in there with someone who is battle-tested and has fought better competition,” Pierce said. “He is a tough guy, a tough challenger, and he is going to bring a different side out of me in this fight.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.