By Matthew Benoliel –
Six-foot two, 230-pound Lorenzo “The Giant Killer” Medina (4-0, 4 KOs) will become the youngest boxer yet to appear on ProBox TV’s Future Stars series on Wednesday, January 25th at the ProBox Center in Plant City, Florida.
ProBox subscribers know that the Future Stars series is dedicated to showcasing top amateurs who have recently turned pro, and the eighteen-year old Medina has more than earned his shot in the spotlight.
Medina began boxing at the age of seven, taking advantage of the Police Athletic Leagues in Pembroke Pines and later in Davie, Florida. According to Medina, “I became serious about boxing at age thirteen.” Traveling the country to find opponents in the amateur ranks, Medina gained valuable experience that would transfer to his advantage. By age fifteen, Medina had placed second in National competition, and by age seventeen, had placed first in the Olympic Trials.
Ranked number one in the country at super-heavyweight, Medina decided to forgo the Olympic dream and turn pro. He was still just seventeen years old. Lorenzo scored two first round knockouts over older and more experienced opponents in Mexico before making his American debut on October 15th, 2022, on the eve of his eighteenth birthday. Medina made an impression on the crowd at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, as well as the veteran ring announcers Michael Woods and Beto Duran when he forced his opponent to quit in the first round.
In December of 2022, Medina advanced his record to 4-0 with a third round TKO victory over Dwight Gipson, an opponent who outweighed him by 110 pounds. The Giant Killer was living up to his alias.
Now, Medina is excited for his opportunity to appear on the Future Stars series. This is mainly due to the fact that since its inception, ProBox has earned a reputation for making fights against even competitors that boxing fans want to see.
Medina stated, “50/50 fights. That’s what people need. That’s what boxing needs. The sport is being watered down with good guys who are scared to take the big fights. I want to be considered one of the greats.”
And he has been studying the greats since age seven. “At seven, I was aware of Roy Jones Jr., James Toney, Manny Pacquaio, Oscar DeLaHoya…I wanted to be a world champion.” Now that he’s established himself as a heavyweight, Medina cites Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, David Tua, and George Benton, “the inventor of the shoulder roll,” as his favorites.
What makes Medina exceptional is that despite his age, he has a maturity beyond his years. For example, when a fight that was supposed to take place in front of his hometown crowd, in which he sold “around $13,000 in tickets,” was recently canceled. Lorenzo didn’t flinch. He returned the money he had collected, and set his sights on January 25th. He didn’t take to social media to complain or call people out. Hde simply moved on.
Likewise, Medina is a real student of the sport. He loves to talk about technique and abilities of fighters past and present. He has been privately training clients for years, and has sparred with the likes of Luis Ortiz, Lawrence Okolie, Filip Hrgovic, as well as ex-NFL stars Frank Gore and Greg Hardy, Jr. The Giant Killer has earned the respect of his sparring partners and is poised to make a statement. “85% of the heavyweight division doesn’t have fast feet. They don’t move like me.”
On his upcoming bout, Medina wants the fans to know, ““People will see. They’re gonna see the footwork, the head movement.” On performing in front of commentators Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Manuel Marquez, Medina states, “it will make me perform even better, knowing that two great fighters will be watching me.” His 2023 goal is to reach 10-0 and possibly fight for a title.
On January 25th, Medina will showcase his skills on the largest platform of his career thus far. Fans are in for a treat as they will witness a young man with exceptional foot and hand speed for a heavyweight, a fighter who is still developing physically, but has devoted his entire life to the sport.
Medina trains with head coach Jeff Portiz and Kevin Gleason, and is managed by Ryan Rickey.