Boxing: Antoine Douglas Still Has Plenty to Prove

Antoine Douglas seals the deal with a 4th round TKO to stay undefeated in his fifth #ShoBox appearance. #Boxing https://t.co/izK2dbxga4

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) November 7, 2015

There are still some things that resonate within Antoine Douglas. The budding 6-foot, 23-year-old middleweight wants to let go but can’t, and he knows it. Some things in life just have a tendency to stick to you, shape and mold who you are. Like the times Douglas was first in a gym. He certainly was not the biggest or strongest, nor did he have the fastest hands.

The disparity between Douglas and the other young fighters in that gym distressed him to such an extent that he would run home crying.

However, what has made Douglas a top-10 contender is the determination to return the next day. The kids that were once better than him tapered off, and “Action” emerged. Douglas (19-0-1, 13 KOs) will be at the eye of Showtime’s card -- it airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT -- on Saturday, when he takes on Avtandil Khurtsidze (31-2-2, 20 KOs), 36, in a 10-round middleweight co-feature. The Julian Williams-Marcello Matano super welterweight bout will serve as the headliner at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Khurtsidze, who is a native of Georgia, the former Soviet Republic, fights out of Brooklyn, New York, and carries an eight-fight winning streak. He is a late substitute for 42-year-old Sam Soliman, who withdrew two weeks ago from the fight claiming he hurt his knee during training. Douglas knows the situation greatly favors him, though he is not looking by Khurtsidze. The little kid that used to scurry home from the gym crying will not let him.

“This is a nice step, and it’s part of the plan,” Douglas said. “We pick and choose our opportunities. This guy is a last-second substitute. I was preparing Sam Soliman, but I know this guy is 5-foot-4 and is a pressure fighter. I know he’s fought some quality opponents. I want to show just who I am. I want to embellish on my talent, my work ethic and my power.

“What’s different about me now I would say is my will and my passion for the people looking at me,” he added. “It goes back to when I was the kid in the gym that wasn’t the fastest, wasn’t the sharpest, and I used to go home crying because I wasn’t a natural talent as some of the other guys. I have to remember that through hard work and determination I made something out of boxing. The other guys I came up with don’t fight anymore. It’s why I say hard work beats talent. I have championship potential in my work ethic.”

This is a big year for Douglas, who was practically raised on Showtime’s ShoBox series. His aim is a world title. Various alphabet sanctioning bodies have apparently noticed, ranking him among the top 10. That is why it is important for Douglas to look good against someone he is expected to look good against.

“I’m a contender now, and every fight has an increased magnitude of importance,” Douglas said. “Hopefully sometime this year I’ll get a title shot. I think I can handle the big stage. That’s the goal. I focus on myself, and everything outside of the ring doesn’t bother me. I remember getting ready for my first fight on Showtime. Once I got in the ring, my focus turned towards the fight and hurting that guy across from me. My focus is there and nothing else really matters. It will be there when I reach center stage. I know it.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.