DETROIT – The stage is set, and the platform shows that it’s not just the fighter who believes in himself.
Light heavyweight prospect Atif Oberlton will be spotlighted on Sunday as the co-feature to the rematch between Claressa Shields and Franchon Crews-Dezurn. The event will stream on DAZN and is expected to play in front of a packed house at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
This is Oberlton’s first bout since the 27-year-old from Philadelphia signed with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records, in partnership with longtime promoter Kings Promotions.
That is quite an endorsement, but his promoters and trainer strongly believe he is ready to shine. All that’s left is for Oberlton, 14-0 (12 KOs), to show how well he can perform when he takes on Joseph George, 13-1 (8 KOs).
Oberlton clearly embraces the opportunity. And he welcomes the prospect of more people getting on board with who he already is – and what he might become.
“Right now this is the biggest stage of my career thus far,” Oberlton told reporters. “But, I mean, it doesn’t shock me. You know, I have those times where I’m like, ‘Dang, this is the big stage. This is what I’ve been asking for, and finally it’s here.’ But it’s like one of my favorite artists, Rick James, said. Rick James been doing music since he was 14 years old.
“He didn’t reach that superstardom and get that big hit until he was 30. And his mindset and his band’s mindset was – you know, everybody was like, ‘Whoa, whoa’ – but they were like, ‘About time, finally you guys notice who I am.’ So it’s like the same thing for me. That's how I feel. It’s like this is my stage, and I know it. And I know I’m a born star, so I’m ready to just trailblaze.”
Oberlton turned professional at the start of 2021, so he’s now five years into his pro career. He has developed on a mix of Kings Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions shows. Marshall Kauffman of Kings Promotions recognized that Salita Promotions and its relationship with DAZN would only help further Oberlton’s career.
“Marshall has one of the best eyes for talent in the sport. He’s discovered many, many world champions,” said Dmitriy Salita, a former pro fighter himself who now runs his namesake company. “Marshall introduced Atif to us some time ago. And I see fights, I follow his Instagram, see some highlights of him, and realize that he’s a very good fighter. And saw personality. [...] This is not hype. This is real: He has superstar potential.”
“He has one of the things that you can’t teach, which is God-given natural ability to be a great fighter,” Salita soon added. “And I believe that he has all the skills. Obviously, when the tough fights happen and he gets tested, we’ll see where his heart is at. I think it’s there, but we’ll see. But the light heavyweight division doesn't have an American fighter. He’s the guy. [...] We've got the real product here. And I really believe that outside of Claressa, one of the biggest statements on Sunday night in the boxing world is going to be Atif.”
The top American light heavyweight at the moment is David Benavidez, who has the WBC title at 175lbs but is venturing up to cruiserweight to challenge unified titleholder Gilberto Ramirez in May.
Oberlton remains at the prospect stages when it comes to his opposition. He fought three times in 2025 and won all by knockout, defeating the 6-0 Joaquin Berroa Lugo in five rounds; the 10-1 Chown Sims in six rounds; and the 19-17-2 Vaughn Alexander in one round.
For years, Philadelphia-based boxing writer Adam Abramowitz of Saturday Night Boxing has been a strong believer in Oberlton’s potential. “Atif Oberlton is the best U.S. prospect in the division,” Abramowitz wrote on social media in September 2023. That enthusiasm hasn’t seemed to wane with the passage of time: “Oberlton is talented,” Abramowitz said last month.
Oberlton has been working since 2023 with trainer Tom Yankello, who is based in Western Pennsylvania, coached Paul Spadafora and also currently corners the likes of heavyweight Ivan Dychko and welterweight Daniyar Yeleussinov. Their first bout together was Oberlton’s January 2024 drubbing of Cleotis Pendarvis.
“He’s so versatile. He’s one of the most diverse boxers you’re ever going to see, so he has the ability to really make adjustments. It doesn't matter the style of fighter; he can adjust to whatever style there is,” Yankello said. “He’s not too far away from being the best light heavyweight in the world. I really believe that. After this fight, I could see him fighting one or two more fights that just considerably jump up, and then fighting for the title.”
First Oberlton needs to get by George, a 36-year-old from Houston. George’s sole pro defeat was a decision loss in December 2022 to the 9-3 Raiko Santana, a spoiler who has since gone on to score upsets over Lorenzo Simpson and Steven Nelson. George then spent more than 27 months away before returning last March with a third-round TKO of a 10-10 foe.
Oberlton’s only familiarity with George is the sparring they shared years ago. He hasn’t seen any footage since.
“I’m just not worried at all because I know for the fact that I’m a way different fighter, and I’m a way different man than I was then,” Oberlton said. “I’m stronger. I mean, I’m becoming in my athletic prime. I’m 27 now. So if he wasn’t going to do nothing to me then, you can’t do nothing with me now.”
Oberlton is in his prime, but he’s also still looking to improve.
“I’m a student in the game, and I just want to perfect my craft as a whole,” he said. “So I’m working on my jab more. I’m working on my defense. The main thing that I’m focused on doing is working on being relaxed in there in the calm of the storm like all the greats do. And I know I’m built for it, and I know I can do it.
“That’s old school boxing, is being efficient and being smart. I fight with my brain; I don’t fight with everything else. People see the skill. They see the speed, and they see the power. But I beat all these guys with my mind. I don’t think anybody that I have fought in my career or anybody I sparred or anything have a sharper mind than I do.”
Yankello is working on increasing his fighter’s punching power and also controlling the pace of his boxing matches.
“A lot of times, defense is just not making a guy miss; it's about dictating the pace so you can anticipate better,” Yankello said, pointing to the ways that Spadafora, Pernell Whitaker and James Toney controlled the action. “The key to [Oberlton] is being able to slow down and control that pace. Because when you fight a guy like David Benavidez, he’s coming, he’s going to be throwing a ton of punches and he’s aggressive.
So the key for Atif is to be [...] like Pernell against [Julio Cesar] Chavez. Atif's going to be the boxer, but Atif can punch. Pernell wasn’t the biggest puncher, so that’s another thing that helps you always control the pace, when a guy has respect for your power. My vision for him is that he’s working to become a blend of many, many fighters that we like, and if you will, if you had to say one to be like, a heavy-punching Pernell Whitaker. Who could beat that, right?”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
