Eyes on the prize

STRUTHERS -Jake Giuriceo admittedly got into a lot of fights when we attended Campbell Memorial High School. The 2003 Red Devils graduate turned what could've potentially been a troublesome future into a career.

Giuriceo made his professional debut on the undercard of Kelly Pavlik's middleweight title fight on Feb. 21 at the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown knocking out Michael Suarez in the second round.

He's won two fights since, but for the 24-year-old, it's already been a long road.

"I was getting into fights in high school and friends suggested I tryout the K.O. tournaments," Giuriceo said.

He instantly fell in love with the sport.

"I went undefeated in that, won it four years straight," he said. "I thought I had some kind of potential in it, and thought I could make a career out of it, and now I am making a career out of it. It's great."

Giuriceo fights anywhere from 140 to 146 pounds classifying him in the ranges of super lightweight to junior welterweight. His most recent win was a technical knockout of Lucas Rhodes of Indianapolis with 2:34 left in the second round at the gym of his alma matter.

Giuriceo definitely has his sights set on making headway in a hurry.

"I try to set goals," he said. Giuriceo is trained by Keith Burnside at Burnside Boxing.

"We were trying to get 10 fights in our first year," Giuriceo said. "In our second year, we'll try to slow it down a little bit. By the time you get to 16 or 17 and 0 you can get a decent little title shot. From there, if you win that, it's all uphill. I'm hoping in the next three years to get a title shot of some kind."

Next up for the Struthers native is a possible fight in Reno, Nev. in September, but the details for the fight have yet to be set in stone.

In the meantime, Giuriceo is staying busy with his job at PHD Manufacturing in Columbiana, and almost all of his free time is spent in the gym.

"I got back into boxing heavily four years ago, and I've been so dedicated to it, I don't have time for anything else," he said. "

While it may take a few years for Giuriceo to climb the ladder in the boxing ranks, he doesn't mind the wait as much as many people might think.

"You just gotta love the sport," he said. "If you don't it's hard, but it's easy for me, because I love to fight. It doesn't bother me to wait for my shot because I love the sport so much."

Giuriceo is slowly building a following in the Mahoning Valley, and making his debut on the Pavlik undercard definitely helped.

"That was great," he said. "That was one of the best opportunities that could have ever happened."

Giuriceo is a straight-ahead, aggressive fighter -with a style that's not that far off from "The Ghost." Noticeably, he's starting to draw comparisons.

"You compare me to any world champion, and that's just fine with me," Giuriceo said.

Hopefully for Giuriceo, soon people will be comparing other up-and-coming fighters to him.

E-mail B.J. Lisko at bjlisko@salemnews.net