Who Is Mike Jones?

He could be Philly's next great boxer

By Michael Alan Goldberg ..
It's Saturday night, June 25. Fight night at the South Philly Arena. The main event: A 10-round bout between rising 28-year-old Philadelphia welterweight boxer Mike "Machine Gun" Jones and 35-year-old Raul Munoz, a journeyman fighter who's not expected to be much of a challenge. Jones' camp is calling this a "stay busy" fight while they try to negotiate a September bout with a yet-to-be-determined "bigger name" opponent. The arena is sold out. More than 1,100 rabid Philly boxing fans are here to see Jones fight in his hometown for the first time in two years. In the stifling hot dressing room, the same room in which Jones prepared for his first professional fight six years ago, the mood is tense. Kaseem Wilson, another local boxer handled by Jones' local promoter, J. Russell Peltz, and Team Jones—manager Doc Nowicki, manager/cut-man Jimmy Williams, trainer Vaughn Jackson and conditioning coach/wrap-man Danny Davis—just lost one of the undercard bouts. The decision could have gone either way, and Wilson is stewing on a chair in the corner... READ MORE..