David "Dynamite" Stevens ready to detonate on ShoBox

On Friday night ShoBox presents their 22nd year with a three-fight televised card airing live from The Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, PA. The combined record of the six televised fighters is an unreal 61-0-1 with 43 knockouts.  Adding to the excitement of what should be a capacity crowd is that four of the six fighters hail from the fighting State of Pennsylvania.

One of the local fighters, David Stevens (11-0, 8KO) will welcome fellow super middleweight prospect Sean Hemphill (14-0, 8KO) to the ring in the evening’s highly anticipated main event.  Stevens and Hemphill were originally supposed to meet on ShoBox in October of 2022.  That fight was canceled during fight week due to an injury suffered by Hemphill.

Stevens recently told RingTV.com, “When the fight was canceled, I was disappointed because we could not get another opponent on short notice, Hemphill is decent.  He is not better than me.  A win will elevate me and open more doors for other opportunities.

Injuries are a part of the sport of boxing. That said, Stevens put in a full training camp and was within days of fulfilling a dream, only to be turned away. As everyone knows, no fight no pay. One could only imagine thinking about the same opponent for an additional four months should translate to a more spirited than usual first round.

Stevens is perfect as a pro, and he boasts a very successful 60-8 amateur record,  Like many who have laced up the gloves before him, an 11-year-old Stevens turned to the boxing gym because he had no other choice.

Stevens admitted the same on his Team USA bio page.

“I started boxing at age 11 due to behavioral issues in school and (the) streets. I came up in foster homes and don’t like being bossed around/told what to do. Boxing changed that.”

Boxing changed Stevens’ path from becoming a statistic or someone potentially taking up a bunk in a cage, to instead representing his country as a 2-time Junior Olympic Gold Medalist.  Along the way, Stevens’ style reminded many of another fighter that rose from a troubled youth on the streets to becoming the “Baddest Man on the Planet”.

Stevens soon adopted the nickname “Dynamite” which is fitting as he has knocked out four of his last five opponents, and over 75% of those he fought for pay.

Tyson continues to inspire Stevens, who uses his own troubled past to keep him out of trouble.  “Tyson was from the streets and lost as a child and found himself.  Although he fell off you can’t erase all of his accomplishments.”

There are many reasons why Boxing is further removed from the nation’s consciousness than when “Kid Dynamite” was must-see television.  Yet there are those who only pay attention to contact sports so that they may comment when someone or something falls off.

On January 2nd our nation’s eyes were focused on a very attractive Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.  Football like boxing has often been low-hanging fruit when the vocal minority want to preach about the barbaric nature of their sports.  On this evening, Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field after what many classified as a “routine” tackle.

While many focused first and foremost on the safety and recovery of Hamlin.  Others praised how the incident was handled by the medical staff, coaches, and the players on the field.  Many talked about the respect they all had for anyone that put their bodies and lives on the lines to not only entertain, but to make their lives and the lives of those around them better.

Unfortunately, some like “The View” co-host Joy Behar used her shaky platform to say that heterosexual men and conservatives were most likely to support youth tackle football.

I highly doubt Ms. Behar took the time to look at the bios of the 32 men that were nominated for this year’s “Walter Payton Man of the Year Award”.   Nor would she risk getting the ink on her hands by reading an article about David Stevens in The Reading Eagle newspaper.

In the article Stevens admitted that he would not have tasted success without the support of his manager and owner/operator of the East Reading Boxing Club, Andres Acuna.   Stevens and Acuna made an immediate bond the first time he put on a pair of gloves.  They continue to work together both in the gym and also by paying it forward to local youths outside the gym.

Stevens and Acuna recently hosted an amateur card dubbed, “Back to School Brawl”.  100 bookbags were filled with school supplies for children that attended the show.  No one could measure how meeting a world-class athlete that grew up on the same streets could positively impact some of those in attendance.

When Stevens was asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t boxing, he honestly replied, “Nothing positive.”

On Friday night David Stevens faces on paper what should be his toughest test of his professional career on a Nationally televised card.  Despite only having 11 professional fights his handlers are confident he is ready for the challenge.  After spending 11 years in foster homes and on the Reading, PA streets it would not seem wise to doubt this young man.

Friday Night’s telecast is promoted by Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions.

Jason Pribila is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He could be reached for questions or comments at pribs2000@gmail.com or on twitter @PribsBoxing.