Boxer Kevin Rooney Jr., GSB ’07, will step into the ring for the first time as a professional on April 22 at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn.
The son of Mike Tyson’s former trainer, Kevin Rooney Sr., Rooney posted a 9-2 record as an amateur. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals of the New York Golden Gloves before deciding to turn pro. He is expected to fight at 154 pounds, about 10 pounds less than his amateur fighting weight.
When not in the ring, Rooney is director of media relations for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing. DeGuardia—a former boxer turned promoter who also served as a Bronx assistant district attorney—is a 1986 alumnus of Fordham College at Rose Hill. He established Star Boxing in 1992.
Fittingly, Star Boxing is promoting the April 22 card, and Rooney will work the media after he’s through working his opponent.
“I’ll go in the back to the dressing room after my fight to change,” Rooney recently told ESPN. “I’ll put my suit back on and be back working as the publicist for the show.”
—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01
