Michael Faragon is entering the major league of boxing.
The Guilderland resident signed an agreement last week to join Shelly Finkel’s agency and will sign another contract this week with Oscar De La Hoya’s promotional group, Golden Boy Promotions.
Not bad for an amateur fighter who turns 20 years old this week.
It’s really not that much of a surprise, said Faragon, who concluded his amateur career with an 87-15 record and a No. 1 ranking among all light welterweights. `I worked very hard, and I knew it would pay off.`
`He’s in a great position,` said Andy Faragon, Michael’s father, manager and trainer. `He’s working with the two biggest people in boxing.`
Signing with Finkel and De La Hoya gives Faragon the opportunity to fight on prominent cards, but Andy said he won’t be rushed into the ring.
`We’re looking at a four- to five-year window to give him his experience,` said Andy. `Hopefully if Shelly Finkel does his job, I do my job and Mike does his job, he’ll be fighting for a world title in four to five years.`
`The first couple of years will probably be kind of slow,` said Michael. `We’ll have to pick our bouts carefully. You have to fight your way up the ranks.`
The agreement will also give Faragon some local bouts to cut his professional teeth with. Andy said his son is supposed to be part of a future fight night sponsored by local promoter Lisa Elovich. And if he gains a large Capital District following, Faragon could bring some big fight cards to the region.
`Shelly told us that if his following continues to grow, he could have a shot at fighting something big at the TU Center,` Andy said.
The decision to turn pro came after Faragon missed qualifying for the United States Olympic team trials earlier this year.
`That’s what we’ve been training for since I was 10 years old,` said Faragon. `I had a pro style, and I thought that would help me. But I guess it didn’t work out.`
`There’s people who thought I should have turned Mike pro last year,` added Andy. `The Olympics was Mike’s dream, and it was his chance to fight against the best in the world.`
Faragon’s pro style helped him garner attention from promoters, though. Several including Finkel were in contact with him as he rose to the top of the amateur ranks.
It’s Faragon’s pro style that should also help him make a quick adjustment from the amateur ranks.
`We’ve spent a lot of time working on his defense, so he’s not just a guy taking shots and giving shots,` said Andy. `You’re always going to have to work on it. Mike has a tendency to turn (a bout) into a war at times, and he’s going to have to control that.`
Faragon will get some outside help as he gets ready for his first pro bout. He is going to spar with former world champion `Sugar` Shane Mosley for eight weeks.
`That’s what I’ve waited for. That’s only going to bring out the best in me,` said Faragon of sparring with Mosley, who has won championships as a lightweight, a welterweight and a junior middleweight.
Whether Faragon will have a career as long or as successful as Mosley’s career remains to be seen. The important thing, said Andy, is that boxing gives him the financial security he needs.
`When Mike was younger and we talked bout his career, we said we wanted him to be financially set and retire by the age of 35,` said Andy.
In the interim, Faragon said he’s considering continuing his education to have something to fall back on after his career is over.
`I’ve been thinking about taking some classes, and after boxing, the opportunities will open up for me,` he said. `I’d like to own my own gym someday.`
First, though, Michael Faragon would like to own a world championship.
`Some boxers drag out their careers too long, but I want to be in it long enough to win a world title and be around to defend it,` he said.“