Joe Hanks - Heavyweight Prospect?

Does anybody know much about this guy? I just stumbled across an old interview from last year. He's only had 4 fights so far, but looks to be heading in the right direction. Has anybody seen him fight? “The Future” may seem like an odd nickname for a fighter, but one look at the talented Hanks and it will become abundantly clear what the nickname means. Joe is a heavyweight who trains with me in at Gladiators Gym in “The Brickcity” Newark, New Jersey . We both work with top trainer Samad Haq and it was Samad who told me that Gladiators had the vibe the “RedBrickers” have been searching for since Red Brick Gym in East Newark closed its doors a few years back…and he was right. Joe has already held his own in camps with Wladamir Klitschko (as chief sparring partner), Chris Byrd, Jameel McCline, Larry Donald and many of the other top heavyweights in the sport today. After a successful amateur career Joe is scheduled to make his highly anticipated professional debut on December 6th at the Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York. Joe Hanks: What’s up D? Well, I had 25 amateur fights and I won most of them. It started to get to the point where people didn’t want to fight me any more. DS: What about in the gym, tell me about all the well known guys in the heavyweight division that you have invited you to their training camps and your experiences with them. JH: Well I have worked with Wladamir Klitschko, Chris Byrd, Jameel McCline, Al Cole, Larry Donald, Faruq Saleem, Malik Scott and many other well known top heavyweights. I learned a lot from all of them, but while they all were great experience and very helpful to me I’d say Chris Byrd and Al Cole have really mentored me. Byrd is not only a great fighter, but a great person who has taught me a lot about how to conduct yourself both inside and outside of the ring. DS: How long did you fight as a novice in the amateurs? JH: Well. I won diamond gloves and golden gloves a bunch of times and also went to the states, etc...At one point I won 5 straight tournaments. To answer your question, I started fighting in the open class in my 5th fight because at novice no one wanted to fight me. * Taken from doghouseboxing.com

Comments (3)

This is a recent fight of his from April of this year. He looks in decent condition for a heavyweight. Looks to have fairly fast hands, and reasonable power. Maybe not so much one punch power, but an accumulation puncher. Doesn't really use his jab that much in that fight. Maybe looks a bit unpolished overall. Hard to really say how far he might go at this point. He's listed as 6'4''. No age is given. Doesnt seem to have much power but hes fast and seems to be talented. It remains to be seen how his defense and chin is against better opponents.

16y ago

paul750

16y ago

HeartAttack

Joe is solid, as Ryan Songalia can attest to, Hanks whooped up on McCline in sparring. The kid came in under Hirsch-Boreo promotions. Since HB hasn't even done a show yet, Hanks has had trouble getting fights. He isn't a saviour, but he does have good footwork, high punch output, and has more than adequate pop. He still has a lot to learn, but his fundamentals are better than any prospect with so few fights

17y ago