Undefeated heavyweight prospect Cassius Chaney fights tonight

The night before Thanksgiving Day is a time when people return to their hometowns, get together with old friends and head out to a local watering hole for a few drinks.

This Wednesday, Nov. 27, Cassius Chaney won’t be doing that. He’ll be in Windham, N.H., a small town 7 miles over the state line from Massachusetts, fighting Nick Jones for the vacant World Boxing Council US Silver heavyweight title.

Having a few drinks with friends has never been a part of Chaney’s life, however.

“In college, I didn’t party,” said Cheney, who played basketball on scholarship at the University of New Haven. “In college, the coaches had this thing about making us run a lot after we got back from Thanksgiving break. So I just stayed on campus over Thanksgiving break.”

Before turning to boxing when he was 23, the 32-year-old Cheney (17-0, 11 knockouts) spent his whole life playing basketball. He was a standout at Old Saybrook (Conn.), the same high school where former NBA all star Vin Baker played. He earned all-state honors twice and led his team to a state title when he was a senior.

At New Haven, an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Northeast-10 Conference, he was a three-time all-conference selection and the NE-10 Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He finished his career with 1,893 points, placing him sixth on the Chargers’ all-time scoring list.

Wednesday’s fight, part of a Boston Boxing Promotions event at the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center, brought back memories of games he played with New Haven against NE-10 rivals Southern New Hampshire University and Franklin Pierce University, which is located in Rindge, N.H.

He still plays basketball and considers it a part of his training.

“It helps me work on my reflexes and get a good seat,” he said.

Chaney has been a practice player with the Connecticut Sun, a team that reached the WNBA finals this year.

“It’s fun,” Chaney said. “I get to play with some of the best women’s basketball players in the world. As a pro athlete, it’s great to be around other pro athletes.”

After he graduated with a degree in sports management, Chaney found his way into a boxing gym near New London, Conn., where he lives. He won a New England Golden Gloves title and turned pro in 2015, signing a promotional contract with Main Events.

Chaney now trains in Baltimore, where he was born and lived until he was 14, with Calvin Ford.

Though Chaney picked up the basics fairly quickly, it took him a while to learn how to use his 6-foot, 6-inch frame to his advantage.

“The coach used to say I didn’t realize how big I was,” Chaney said. “When I played basketball, I played like a guard. Now, I’m trying to use my height.”

One of the benefits of coming from Chaney’s athletic background is that in an era of big, athletic heavyweights, he’s used to competing against big men who can move, he said.

“I’ve played basketball against a lot of big guys,” he said.

Chaney has stopped his last six opponents and the last three in the first round. His last two victories, against Joel Caudle and Santander Silgado, attracted a fair amount of attention. He knocked Caudle through the ropes and in his last fight he finished Silgado with a single right hand.

“I threw a 1-2,” Chaney said, of his fight against Silgado. “He kind of pulled away. If I land anywhere on the head, he’s going to get buzzed. I just landed right on the chin.”

Chaney attributes his recent success to more and better sparring.

“I’m getting more rounds of sparring,” he said. “I used to have more rounds of fighting then sparring. Now I’m getting harder, more consistent sparring.”

Some of the fighters Chaney has sparred against include Danny Kelly, Gerald Washington and Tyson Fury.

Chaney’s goal is to keep improving and getting better fights.

“I feel like I can handle myself against anyone,” he said. “I just want to be prepared.”