Bruce Carrington takes on Suleiman Segawa in hopes of taking the final step towards a title shot
‘Sugar.’
‘Pretty boy.’
‘Canelo.’
Is it possible for Bruce Carrington to continue his rise to stardom when boxing fans simply refer to him by his nickname ‘Shu Shu?’
If he continues to win in dominant and exciting fashion, that could become a reality.
Carrington will face Sulaiman Segawa in a featherweight fight tonight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 10-round fight will open a three-fight Top Rank on ESPN, which will be headlined by Sandy Ryan defending her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer.
Both fights, along with the junior middleweight clash between Xander Zayas and Damian Sosa, will air live on ESPN (10:30 pm ET/ 7:30 pm PT).
Carrington (12-0, 8 knockouts), who lives near Brooklyn, will once again fight in front of a partisan crowd. Carrington also did well to sell himself in the ring as a boxer, including interviews with the media.
“You know I’m always on fire,” Carrington said at Wednesday’s press conference. “You know we are here in our country. It’s always a great show whenever ‘Shu Shu’ steps into the ring, and I’m ready to sing.”
Carrington has created some buzz in the last few fights. In his last fight on June 8, the 27-year-old knocked down Bryan De Gracia twice before finishing in the eighth round. In his last fight on February 16, Carrington scored a fourth round knockout of Bernard Torres.
Top Rank, Carrington’s promoter, had him fight several times at Madison Square Garden, which also exposed him to the sport’s die-hard and casual fans. Including tonight’s fight, Carrington will have fought three of his last six fights at Madison Square Garden.
In Segawa, Carrington will face the champion coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over rival Ruben Villa on July 13. The 33-year-old, who hails from Kampala, Uganda and now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, won. four of his last five fights.
Segawa could cause trouble with his sloppy, southpaw style. Carrington understands the risk, but believes a surprise win over a fighter like Segawa could propel him to the upper echelons of the rich featherweight division.
Top Rank is looking at a possible world title for Carrington in 2025. He is ranked No. 1 in the WBA, his world title belt is held by Nick Ball, who faced Ronny Rios on October 5. That would be the most effective and fastest. Rafael Espinoza, will be defending the belt against Robeisy Ramirez in December or the first few months of 2025.
Angelo Leo recently won the IBF world title, knocking out Luis ‘Venado’ Lopez on August 10, and is likely to defend his belt against Tomoki Kameda early next year.
Whoever and when Carrington fights again, he’s driven to prove he’s one of the best and most compelling fighters in the sport.
“(Segawa’s) fighting style is very interesting,” Carrington said. “I noticed some things he brings to the table that are different from your average fighter. This will make for an interesting fight come Friday.
“I have never called him fast on my way to the top, but I just know what my goals are. I just want him to understand and know that I am completely focused on this fight.
“Just be ready.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
