LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — The welterweight division is one of the toughest weight classes in boxing, and Lafayette native Jesse Fletcher III is the NBA Americas welterweight champion.
Fletcher was born in Houston and his family moved to Lafayette, where he began boxing at age 8.
Another Lafayette boxer, “The Chosen One” Keon Papillion, recently won the NBA Continental Americas Welterweight title. The Hub City isn't just home to great boxers, they also have MMA fighter Dustin Poirier.
Is there something in the water that makes you naturally stronger?
“Louisiana just knows how to fight, that's all,” Fletcher said. “That's what we're all about. We're warriors, that's all there is to it.”
And he has the fighting spirit — Fletcher is 7-0 as a pro — but his last win for the belt was largely for naught.
“My son was born on April 2 and the fight was four days later. It was stressful and nerve-wracking. I wanted to be there for my baby and for my girlfriend, but on the other hand, the title fight was coming up and all of that was weighing on me,” Fletcher explained.
He fought strong and won by knockout in the third round.
He was originally a wrestler at the age of seven, but his father got him into boxing to improve his footwork.
“He picked up boxing really quickly, so we thought, 'Let's give it a try,' and he started winning right away,” said his father, coach and manager, Jesse Fletcher Jr. “He won 12 national titles, was ranked No. 1 in the country, made the Olympic team, and we knew boxing was the sport for him.”
Fletcher is scheduled to defend his belt in August in a bout hosted by Alabama coach Deonte Wilder.
It seems like champions just keep coming out of Lafayette.
