Mikkel LesPierre (born March 5, 1985) is an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who challenged for the

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

title in 2019. Alongside boxing he works full-time as a data specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Early life

LesPierre was born in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

and moved to the United States at the age of six. He was raised in the

East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the Lon ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. As a youngster, LesPierre was fond of basketball, but he was unable to fulfill his potential and never got an opportunity to play in high school. He used to spend his time on the streets and picked up bad habits that led to poor academic performance and irregular attendance. He was introduced to boxing by his friend’s father, but LesPierre did not take it seriously. He then entered college, and finally, at the age of 19, he took up boxing. He dropped out of college and directed his efforts to develop boxing skills.

Personal life

As of June 20, 2018, LesPierre is residing in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He has been working as a full-time data specialist in the ENT department at Mt. Sinai Hospital for more than ten years. He completes his eight-hour shift and then heads to the Gleason’s Gym. He assisted doctors and nurses at Mt. Sinai Hospital in during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in May 2020. He helped in setting up equipment, preparing ICUs, and provided medical supplies.

Amateur career

As an amateur boxer, he was trained by Mike Smith. LesPierre appeared in 49 fights as an amateur, with 36 wins and 13 losses. He won open class titles in the Metros and

Empire State Games The Empire State Games were a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of St ...

as an amateur fighter. In 2010, he was a quarterfinalist at Police Athletic League National. He was able to make it to the finals of the

New York Golden Gloves The New York Golden Gloves is an amateur boxing tournament. It has long been considered by many boxing aficionados as one of the most elite Golden Gloves titles, along with the Chicago Golden Gloves. Named for the small golden Boxing glove, gloves ...

in 2011. He also participated in the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Professional career

After five years, in 2012, he turned pro and entered the club show mix at the age of 27. His debut match was against Miguel Antonio Rodriquez that took place on June 8, 2012. He won his debut fight through TKO. His second fight as a pro was against Cornelius Whitlock, which resulted in a tie. The light welterweight contender's career includes a series of boxing exhibitions in which he uses his mechanical southpaw style to win matches. Due to his fighting technique of smooth counter-punching, he came to be known as Mikkel "Slikk Mikk" LesPierre. On February 7, 2018, he fought in a match against Noel Murphy in New York City. He won the 10-round boxing match, and it gave his career a boost. On June 21, 2018, he defeated Gustavo David Vittori in the seventh round in Queens. In 2019, he stood at the 14th rank of WBO fighters. On March 9, 2019, LesPierre lost by

decision Decision may refer to: Law and politics *Judgment (law), as the outcome of a legal case *Landmark decision, the outcome of a case that sets a legal precedent * ''Per curiam'' decision, by a court with multiple judges Books * ''Decision'' (novel) ...

to WBO light welterweight titleholder,

Maurice Hooker Maurice Dewayne Hooker (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO light welterweight title from 2018 to 2019 and challenged for the WBC light welterweight title in 2019. Professional career Hooker vs. Flanagan ...

, in

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenos ...

. He fought against Roody Pierre Paul on December 5 and won by unanimous decision. On August 3, 2021, Mikkel fought Chris Algieri at Madison Square Garden and lost by decision. Mikkel's last 3 fights have all been Wins. He currently trains with

Joan Guzmán Joan Guzmán (born May 1, 1976) is a Dominican former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2014. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO super bantamweight title from 2002 to 2005, and the WBO junior lightwe ...

and the Guzman Brothers and manages himself.

Awards and titles

Mikkel won the vacant WBC FECARBOX light welterweight title on December 12, 2017, when he defeated Mario Beltre. On February 7, 2018, he defeated Noel Murphy and won vacant WBC United States (USNBC) light welterweight title. LesPierre received the Heroes for Humanity Award by WBC on May 15, 2020.

References

External links

Official Website

BoxRec
{{DEFAULTSORT:LesPierre, Mikkel Living people 1985 births Trinidad and Tobago male boxers American male boxers Light-welterweight boxers