Welcome to the “Shu Shu” show. Still not sure what that means? We know. I'm Bruce Carrington here to explain.
The American featherweight contender (11-0, 7 KOs) is considered one of the world's most promising new stars in boxing. He calls himself Naoya Inoue, hails from the same neighborhood as Mike Tyson and envisions making a name for himself on the same level as Floyd Mayweather.
Carrington, also known as Shushu, will resume his climb to stardom this weekend when he takes on Brian de Gracia in New York. Sky Sports Action Starting at 2am on Sunday morning.
“This is the Bruce Carrington experience,” he says. Sky Sports“Every time I fight it's a great show. It's a 'swish' show. It's must-watch television.”
“Call me biased or whatever, but I feel like we have the best fans in the game. The crowd is dancing, having fun, jumping around, it's really lively.”
“The Bruce Carrington experience is unique.”
For a more accessible video player, use Chrome browser
Carrington proved why he is being touted as a future star with a stunning knockout win over Bernard Angelo Torres at Madison Square Garden.
Carrington's talent was further validated when he was named Ring Magazine's Prospect of the Year for 2023, joining a star-studded list that includes Keyshawn Davis, Teofimo Lopez, Anthony Joshua and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
“It was an incredible moment for me because so many fighters who are now champions have won this award,” he said.
“That win really boosted my confidence and made me know that what I was doing was right. I wanted to continue to prove people right and continue to prove that I'm a guy to watch for years to come.”
The 27-year-old is the latest beacon of inspiration to emerge from Brownsville, a crime-ridden neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.
Brownsville was once home to former heavyweight world champions Tyson, Riddick Bowe and Shannon Briggs, as well as former middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs.
He regularly pays tribute to his parents for keeping him out of trouble, and now he sets out to use his position to help others in the area succeed.
“Brownsville is pretty notorious for being home to some of the grungiest, gritiest people coming out of New York,” he says. “I got a lot of attention pretty early on in my career and was pretty popular in the neighborhood, so they already saw me as 'the next big thing,' and the pressure was on me as a young guy.”
“It was quite difficult, but when you live in an environment like that, there are a lot of things you can do.
“The first time I saw someone being killed I was about five or six years old. It was insane to witness something like that.
“I would hear gunshots and the gunfire would wake me up. It toughened my skin.”
As Carrington's amateur reputation grew and his talent became apparent, so did expectations among those around the Brownsville area. Here was a new standard-bearer they could trust.
“Once they saw that I was serious about being a boxer, they went over and over and convinced me that I was someone who could succeed,” he continued. “They wanted me to be an ambassador for Brownsville, because there's a lot more to Brownsville than the bad stuff that it's known for.”
“There are basketball players, actors, celebrities who are from Brownsville. They really want me to be an ambassador for Brownsville. That's what I'll be doing.”
For a more accessible video player, use Chrome browser
Xander Zayas headlines Saturday night's show in New York and we look back at his fifth-round knockout victory over Jorge Fortea.
Perhaps because of his background, Carrington has an unshakeable confidence and a penchant for welcoming any test or challenge that life, and boxing, throws at him. He's seen the adversity, the hardships, the challenges. And he believes he can overcome it all.
That much was made clear not long ago when he expressed his desire to step into the ring to face four-division world champion Naoya Inoue.
“I would love to fight him because he's known as the best, he's the undisputed champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighter,” Carrington said.
“I'm just an ambitious guy. I know what I'm capable of, and I know I could be the guy that ruins his career. But it's all about respect. It's all about respect. I just know what I'm capable of.”
“I'm not the type of guy to chase. I don't know what will happen to my career with or without him. I want to be a successful fighter so I don't want to put too much emphasis on a possible fight with him.”
“But like I said, the people of Brownsville are never going to run away, and they never will. If they're going to run away, they're going to run away. I'd rather run away.”
For now, he has his sights set on surpassing the American talent around him, an advantage he thinks he has no equal in his mind.
For a more accessible video player, use Chrome browser
Ellie Scotney and George Groves explain what they think could make the difference in the match between Chris Biram-Smith and Richard Liakporhe, shown live on Sky Sports on 15 June.
“It's time for me to take charge,” he says, “that's what I told myself as an amateur, preparing to go pro. For the guys at the top right now, this is a chance to make the most of it, because as soon as Shushu comes on the show, I'm going to take charge.”
“I'm really going to show that I'm not like the other guys. Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, whoever it is, they're good, but I'm not.”
“I have a different attitude, a different energy, and everyone will feel that.”
His most recent explosive moment came in February when he defeated Bernard Angelo Torres with a stunning knockout finish, a devastating right hook that sent his opponent to the canvas.
“I took the shot and it was light as butter,” he recalled. “He went down hard, but I didn't think he was going to stay down. I went back to my corner, turned around and he was on the ground, heavy, and the referee had already tried to stop it.”
“It was an incredible feeling and all the hard work we put in paid off.
“There were a lot of things I planned to do more in that fight. Maybe in this fight he will test me enough and show me more of the side I can bring to the table, but it's all about whether I'm up to it.”
Carrington has big plans: He wants to ensure that by the time the show is over, “Shush” will be one that will be remembered for generations to come.
“Simply put, whenever you talk about Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather, Bruce Carrington is going to be in the conversation,” he said.
Watch Bruce Carrington and Brian De Gracia fight live in New York on Sunday morning at 2am on Sky Sports Action, while junior middleweight sensation Xander Zayas will also kick off the Puerto Rican Day Parade when he takes on Patrick Teixeira in the main event.
