Breyon “Grindtime” Gorham is looking to make his name in the sport by fighting the best of his era and bringing back the mentality of boxers from the 1980s. 

Gorham will face Luis Feliciano in a 10-round junior welterweight bout on Friday at the Red Owl Boxing Arena in Houston. 

The 24-year-old Gorham, 18-0 (15 KOs), spent most of his young career fighting in Mexico building up his record. This will be his fourth fight in his hometown of Houston, all of which have taken place at the same venue.

“I want to bring old-school boxing back, fighting the best fighters in the world,”  Gorham told BoxingScene. “I want to test myself against the best fighters on the planet. A lot of guys say that, but they don't do what's necessary to put themselves in a position to fight the best fighters. When I get in that position and I get the opportunities, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

“When they say Breyon Gorham, they will say he fought all the best guys in the world, and he beat a lot of those guys. A loss doesn't define you. It is what you do. You've got to take the risk.”

Oftentimes, fighters talk a big game, but their actions fall short. Gorham is stepping up in competition, facing his toughest opponent on paper in Feliciano. Feliciano, 17-2 (8 KOs), 32, was once signed to Golden Boy Promotions. Now, he is looking to regain momentum against a top up-and-comer.

“He has a good resume. He’s been on the USA team before and an Olympic alternate, I believe, and he has all the accolades, at this point in our career that we need,” Gorham said.  “This is the guy that's going to get us to that next level. This is the stepping stone.”

Gorham has drawn a high-profile comparison, especially after OTX Boxing put out a video comparing him to popular knockout artist Gervonta Davis. With his classic throwback sense, Gorham continued to want to make his own name.

“They just compare me to him because of the knockouts and the power and the similarity with knockouts from the uppercut,” Gorham said. “I don't like getting compared to other fighters. I want to make my own name. I feel like I got my own style.”

Gorham moved from Gary, Indiana to Texas when he was around the age of six or seven.

“I feel like in Gary, Indiana, there really were not opportunities. We moved to Texas just for better opportunities,” said Gorham.

In Texas, he learned how to box. 

“I got introduced to boxing in 2015. My dad came home from work and he was telling me about a gym he found. I wanted to go there,” Gorham said.  “I come from a boxing family; my uncle boxed, my Grandpa boxed. I knew I would be around boxing and it just happened around that time. My dad took me to the gym and I was a fish in water.”

He noted he had three trainers his whole life, but currently trains at Lopez Boxing in Baytown, Texas with his head trainer Juan Lopez and Vicente Ruiz serving as his manager. Gorham has stopped his last two opponents, while Feliciano of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is on a two-fight losing skid. Gorham talked about what makes him dangerous. 

“My patience in the ring, my explosion and my dedication to the sport make me dangerous. I feel like I bring a different type of energy to boxing,” Gorham said. ”I’m an aggressive, smart boxer-puncher, and I'm explosive.”