Undefeated southpaw Derrick “Take It to The Bank” Webster is not your typical fighter. He’s not your typical anything, really. But with his enormous size, fast, powerful hands and wealth of athletic ability, he just might be something special.
Actor, model, business owner, singer, basketball player, college graduate and a 6′ 4″ natural at the sweet science, Glassboro, New Jersey’s Webster (19-0, 10KOs) now finds himself on the verge of possibly career-defining opportunity, as he will face also undefeated and highly touted Arif “Mayhem” Magomedov (15-0, 9 KOs) in a ShoBox quadrupleheader, scheduled for July 17 at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“It’s just another day at the office for me,” said a confident Webster of facing Magomedov. “I’m used to the bright lights. He (Magomedov) is just a straight forward fighter with no defense. If you stand in front of him, or any fighter really, it can be a dangerous night, but the one important thing I know about him is that he’s about to take a loss because he’s fighting Derrick “Take It To The Bank” Webster, the best southpaw around.”
Webster came late to boxing, not starting until age 24 when a gym opened up across the street from his house. He only had 40 amateur fights (38-2) and says the decision to forego a lengthy unpaid career and turn pro immediately came from an unlikely source.
“It was (former heavyweight champion and all-time great) Larry Holmes that sat me down and told me I already had the goods to make a name for myself and not to wait to turn pro. He was commentating a tournament I was fighting in, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where I had four fights in the tournament and had four first-round knockouts. He told me a lot of guys ruin their careers and waste a lot time waiting for the Olympics, so I turned pro.”
Gifted athletically and intellectually, Webster was a quarterback in high school and played power forward for two seasons for the University of Maryland in basketball while earning a bachelor’s degree Juvenile Criminal Justice. Outside the ring he now owns home-remodeling and construction businesses, among his many business ventures.
While he may not have had much of an amateur background, Webster credits a couple factors for his ring success. First, he’s spent considerable time in training camps, serving as a sparring partner to many of boxing’s elite for the last six years including Roy Jones, Jr., Andre Ward, Jean Pascal, Bernard Hopkins, Amir Khan, Andre Dirrell and on and on. And second, the fact that his size and left-handed stance have made him a nightmare for opponents to face.
“I learned by sparring with the best in the business instead of in the amateur ring and now I’m unpredictable. I even surprise myself. I’m a hell of a boxer, and most guys my height can’t move like I can. My speed is amazing and I have power. I look at like this: I’ve been pro since 2009 and I’ve seldom known who I ‘m fighting because nobody wants to fight a 6’ 4″ southpaw. Most of my career I’ve gone in not knowing who I’m fighting until I got to the ring. That forced me to prepare for boxers and unorthodox guys and pressure guys and heavy-handed guys at the same time and made me an all-around fighter. I won’t say I’m the next Floyd Mayweather, but I want people someday to say they’re the next Derrick Webster. I want to be the best southpaw of this generation.”
Webster’s co-promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions (along with Vito Mielnicki of GH3 Promotions), says many of the questions about Webster’s potential will be answered against Magomedov.
“Derrick Webster could be a star in the making. He certainly has all the talent and the tools he needs to compete on the world stage,” explained Cohen. “There comes a time in every prospect’s career where he faces an opponent who brings out his best. This may be that fight for Derrick Webster and we’re confident after he gets the victory, he’ll be on everyone’s lips as an emerging fighter to watch.”
Webster vs. Magomedov will be staged by GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions. The ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader telecast will also feature GCP/GH3 fighters Antoine Douglas (17-0-1, 11 KOs) vs. Istvan Szili (18-0-2, 8 KOs), as well as Jerry Odom (13-1, 12 KOs) and Adam Lopez (12-0, 6 KOs) against opponents that are TBA currently.
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About Greg Cohen Promotions
One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.
Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.
Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen made headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.
In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).
Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; cruiserweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla.
Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, CBS Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.
For more information, visit gcpboxing.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GCPBoxing.
