Promising lightweight boxer John Ingram (4-0, 4 KOs) is unhappy with the current pace of his boxing career and wants to exit his contract with Mayweather Promotions.
The 23-year-old boxer is the third young boxer under Mayweather Promotions to publicly voice his dissatisfaction with the hiatus, after two other promising boxers recently voiced their dissatisfaction with the hiatus and ultimately parted ways with Mayweather Promotions.
Super lightweight contender Richardson Hitchens (17-0, 7 KOs) and welterweight prospect Jalil Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs) have both left Mayweather Promotions to sign with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. Ingram is ready to leave Mayweather Promotions but can't do so because he is still under contract.
John Ingram, a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, made his professional boxing debut with a first-round TKO win over Jahmire Mays in February 2022. Ingram went on to pick up two more knockout wins and close out 2022 by serving up a legacy in boxing.
In September 2022, during an exhibition undercard bout between Floyd Mayweather and Mikuru Asakura, Mayweather's bodyguard Ray “Zizzy Mack” Sadeghi made his boxing debut and was knocked out in the third round by Japanese kickboxer Takashi Tanaka.
Two months later, Floyd Mayweather held another exhibition event at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, against YouTuber Deji Olatunji. Koji Tanaka was on the undercard again, and this time Mayweather brought along some young talent from his Mayweather Gym.
John Ingram landed a series of sharp combinations on Tanaka and showed off his incredible hand speed. Ingram dominated the three-round exhibition, but the bout ended in a draw due to the lack of official scoring.
John Ingram made headlines in February 2023 when he dropped Rolando “Rollie” Romero to the mat with a counter left hook during sparring at Mayweather Gym. Eight months later, Ingram signed with Mayweather Promotions.
Since signing, John Ingram has yet to compete in a fight sponsored by Mayweather Promotions. The inactivity has led to frustration, and as a result, Ingram has taken to social media to publicly request to be released from his contract.
Ingram has been a guest on multiple boxing platforms to talk about his current situation and his desire to be released from his contract, and his message is starting to gain traction as the hashtag “Free John” spreads across social media.
During an appearance on The Queens of Boxing Talk, Ingram admitted that Floyd Mayweather has been good to him, but that he wasn't in Las Vegas to get handouts. Ingram would like to stay with Mayweather Promotions, but if he is suspended, he will have no choice but to quit.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe is the top man when it comes to securing fight dates, and Ingram believes rumors about Ellerbe could be the reason for his hiatus.
“In my opinion, no, it's not really my opinion, because I just heard it as a rumor and then I got a call from somebody on the other end that Leonard Ellerbe was leaving Mayweather Promotions to work for GTD and then I actually confirmed it,” Ingram said.
Ingram's comments about Ellerbe's future departure make perfect sense to anyone who pays attention to social media: If you take a look at Ellerbe's Twitter/X page, all of his posts are about Gervonta Tank Davis.
John Ingram is employed as a professional boxer, and while his job is to fight, when he's not technically fighting he's not working. Mayweather Promotions has around six fighters under its belt, but recently the promotional company has only produced bouts between Lawry Romero and Carmel Moton.
Mayweather Promotions has already lost two fighters who had the potential to become future world champions. John Ingram is under contract for the next two years and will hopefully have his promotional company produce some fights for him, but if that doesn't happen, they should do the right thing and release John.
