By Jake Donovan

There came a moment in Vernon Paris’ career where he knew he’d have to dig deep in order to prove his worth. An overly aggressive moment midway through the second round of his grudge match with Tom Coleman led to a counter right hand landing on his chin. Paris was knocked off balance just enough for his gloves to touch the canvas, resulting in the only knockdown of his career, to date.

“I can’t stand this dude,” Paris said to himself as he took the mandatory eight count. “I’m gonna win this fight.”

The unbeaten 140 lb. fighter did just that, overcoming the knockdown and an uneven first half of the fight to take over midway through. Body shots proved to be the key, breaking down Coleman and dropping him three times before stopping him in the seventh.

It was more than just another win on his ledger. For Paris, it was the settlement of a very personal debate between the two leading up to the fight.

The rivalry began when Coleman pulled out a scheduled bout earlier in the year in Pontiac, Michigan – just outside of Paris’ Detroit hometown – due to a shoulder injury. From there, the trash talking began between the two, reaching a boiling point when Coleman swung at Paris while the two passed each other in the lobby of the very hotel ground that was hosting their fight.

Both fighters were removed from the site and forced to spend the night at another establishment. Separate weigh-ins followed, as to avoid further pre-fight trouble, but in the end it was Paris who had the final say.

Crossroads bouts await the two in the near future, in fact eight days apart from one another. Coleman – who hasn’t fought since that August night - returns in mid-March, taking on former titlist Kendall Holt in a must-win situation for both fighters.

The following Saturday, Paris engages in his biggest opportunity to date when he faces former two-division champion Zab Judah in a bout to determine the next mandatory challenger for unified titlist Lamont Peterson.

When 2012 began, Paris had his mind set that the year would end with a world title around his waist. The Detroit native is so determined to reach that goal that he’s willing to travel to Judah’s former corner of the world in Brooklyn, NY and for barely more than $28,000 in order to prove his worth. He was already preparing for a March 24 ring return, of the belief that awaiting him was an HBO date with unbeaten titlist Tim Bradley.

The fight was rumored and even casually discussed, but never gained any legs. Paris chose to remain in training anyway, optimistic that something big would come of his recent signing with Don King.

“Camp has started already,” Paris said Monday of his preparation for Judah. “My weight is already good. It was preparation for Tim Bradley, but nothing solid came about it. My promoter said it would happen, but this came instead. I’m ready. I made a couple of mistakes with Tim but learned from them and won’t make any against Zab.”

In a strange way, Paris’ rough life – in addition to the stiff challenge that came against Coleman last year – has well-prepared him for this potential breakthrough moment, perhaps more so than most other rising young contenders who stand in a similar position.

Given what Paris has been through, the challenges awaiting him in the ring rank a distant second.

A budding amateur who came through the storied Kronk program, Paris – like so many others looking to survive the harsh reality that comes with inner city life – turned to boxing as means to avoid trouble. It instead became an outlet to take out his frustrations, as he would learn the hard way there’s no fool proof way to avoid trouble.

Just five months after his Feb. ’06 pro debut, a then 18-year old Paris found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. An altercation in the Northwest Detroit left the boxing rookie with bullets in his thigh, groin and one that to this day remains lodged in his back.

Less than two years later, Paris found himself in trouble in and out of the ring. Back-to-back wins in Dec. ’07 and Feb. ’08 were annulled after post-fight drug tests came back positive for marijuana. The deeds left Paris on the suspension list for 12 months, at a crucial point in his career – still on the rise and on the verge of entering the early portion of his prime.

Yet another street incident left Paris fighting for his life, as he was the victim of a May ’08 knife attack that left him with a collapsed lung. The message was sent loud and clear – time to change up.

Paris temporarily moved to Florida during his downtime, before returning back to the only place he ever knew as home to resume his boxing career. Awaiting him was longtime friend and local promoter Carlos Llinas, who serves to this day as his advisor.

Llinas has witnessed the very worst in Paris’ life, but remains optimistic of what the best will provide.

“People say they change, but I’ve seen the growth,” states Llinas. “It shows in his fights, which led us to this point. It’s our first 12-round fight, but Vernon is ready for it.”

Paris never loses sight of those who remained by his side. It ties into his in-ring passion and burning desire not just to succeed but also continue to defy the odds.

“I have to give love to my managers and trainers. They brought me through hard times and stayed with me through thick and thin. Anything I needed, pick me up late at night, give me a few dollars when I needed it, they were always there for me. I owe it to them.”

Paris has won 10 straight since returning to the ring in late 2009, including the knockout win over Coleman in their grudge match last August. The only regret on his side was that it didn’t take place at the Silverdome as originally scheduled, in front of his friends and family – and perhaps whatever enemies remain, just to show that he’s still around after the worst moments in his life.

Not only did it not work out as planned in that fight, but he’s forced to take on the biggest opportunity of his career in his opponent’s backyard.

All it is to Paris is just one more survival step.

“I need this fight, it’s my whole life,” Paris insists. “Zab’s standing in the way of where I’m trying to get to. I have all the respect in the world for him, but he’s in a spot where I have to knock his ass out in order to move on.”

The need for a knockout is a mentality Paris plans to carry into the ring. He’s not fearful of any wrongdoing or hometown cooking. “From my understanding, it will be IBF judges. We just have to make sure the referee isn’t from around the corner and grew up with Zab,” Paris quips. His only true concern is not preparing for the best available version of the Zab Judah that can show up in March.

“The way I see it, Zab is the one with everything to lose,” Paris believes. “I’m 24 and undefeated. He’s swinging for that. A win over me puts him back where he wants to be. But after losing to Khan and then losing to me, he’s done after that. I don’t know where he goes from there, but I ain’t looking to help him out like that.”

Survival of the fittest is the only way Paris chooses to carry it, though facing and beating Judah doesn’t come with any personal vendetta. It’s simply a matter who he draws next in the path towards title contention.

“He ain’t no Tim Coleman,” Paris says in paying respect to Judah as a person. “That (guy) is a damn idiot. He got me fired up and you saw what happened. Zab hasn’t lit that fire, not yet anyway. I don’t expect him to go there, but it don’t matter. Beating him is all the motivation I need. Once he takes that first step backwards, that’s when the downfall comes. Once that happens, it’s over.”

Should that come to be the case, Paris doesn’t want to waste any time in satisfying his next goal.

“I respect Zab, he’s a veteran and he’s crafty. Beating me puts him back for a title, so I’m bringing my A-game, because once I beat him, I ain’t looking back. I don’t want it five years from now and then beat Peterson. If it ain’t Peterson by that time, then whoever’s on top. That’s what my plan is.”

What’s most important to Paris – beyond the personal level and those closest to him – is doing it for those forced to live the life in which he was stuck and led to believe that there’s no way out. In an era where business-first mentality of fighters and their handlers have severely compromised the integrity of the game, Paris stays true to the spirit of the sport, remembering where he came from and who he inspires every time he steps into the ring.

“That’s why I don’t care about where this fight is, or whatever it pays,” Paris says. “Because I have people who believe in me, I’m in a place where I can make a difference. I get to show the people that I will be the next champion. On March 24, I promise I won’t leave a doubt in anyone’s mind.”

That was his goal ever since the first time he stepped into Kronk Gym as an aspiring 11-year old boxer. He was laughed at and overlooked then, and continues to fight for the very respect his career deserves today.

“I love this sport. I love it even though I’ve been fighting for 13 years and never got the credit,” says the 24-year old Paris. “But I have no problem earning it. My team has all of the confidence in the world in me, and that’s all need whenever I step through the ropes. Carlos told me he’d never put me in a fight, that I can’t win, and there ain’t a fight out there they wouldn’t put me in.”

Surviving bullets, knives and a generally hard-luck couldn’t disprove that theory, so why should any mere mortal standing across the ring.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com