D.C. Boxer Jerry Odom Signs With GH3 Promotions

by Gautham Nagesh

Greetings, loyal readers. This week marks the third anniversary of my decision to re-name my Tumblr site. It took only one post for me to wisely realize there is only Boxiana, and that’s the one written by 19th-century pioneer and the sire of all boxing writers, Pierce Egan. After some soul-searching, I stumbled upon Stiff Jab, liked the sound of it, and you know the rest.

I’ll have something more substantive to mark the anniversary in the near future, but unfortunately my plans for a big update to mark the date have been delayed. So I’ll be unleashing a host of content on you in the next week that I had hoped to save for the rollover, which should significantly enhance the experience for all of you not on Tumblr.

First up is some big news courtesy of our good friend Gary “Digital” Williams, back at it after a short vacation. Boxing Along The Beltway informs us that our constant praise has not fallen on deaf ears: GH3 Promotions has snapped up D.C. super middleweight Jerry Odom, (above) considered by many (including me) to be one of the two or three best prospects in the DMV. For more on Odom, read this fantastic article in the Washington Post about his rough upbringing in the Paradise projects, then check out our extensive coverage of his professional and amateur career.

I’ve already extolled Odom’s talent at length, but here’s the snapshot: he’s young, he’s a decorated amateur, and he fights with a nasty mean streak. In five fights, he’s yet to make it out of the first round (4 KOs, 1 No Contest). Odom dominated every moment of those fights, including the bout stopped early by a cut due to a headbutt. Odom doesn’t just win, he hurts his opponents badly, often with a single body shot. If that doesn’t get you a little interested in seeing him fight, you have no business at ringside.

I don’t know much about GH3 Promotions out of New Jersey,other than they appear to have a great eye for local talent: they also promote D.C. middleweight Antoine Douglas, and doing so quite well, if I say so myself. Douglas has been a fixture on ESPN since turning pro, despite some less than scintillating showings. Douglas is a very skilled fighter, but his style is not always the most exciting. Odom has no such problems. His biggest difficulty until now has been finding opponents willing to face him.

Now that he’s got a promoter with a little cash to put up, Odom should be smashing someone new at 168 lbs. every other month. He’s scheduled to debut on GH3’s September 13th card in Newark, which will also feature Douglas. Hopefully Odom will choose a new nickname to enhance his marketability between now and then. Nothing about “The King’s Son” conveys what a dynamic force Odom is inside the ring. We’re still pushing for “Two Tickets To Paradise.”