‘Best boxer in this country’: Why Jerome ‘The Panther’ Pampellone’s ready to pounce on a world title

Jerome Pampellone during his doubt against Nik Charalampous last May. Photosport

Jerome Pampellone has never been the loudest person in the room.

He doesn’t have the gift of the gab like Tyson, Ali or Fury to sell his fights. His punches speak volumes instead.

Leave it to his trainer to tell you how good he is.

“He is by far the best boxer in this country – bar none,” says Isaac Peach.

The coach of West Auckland’s Peach Boxing has established a firm crop of talented fighters.

There’s Mea Motu, a 16-0 nightmare for opponents in the ring, but who’s had to overcome domestic violence on her road to becoming the IBO world super bantamweight champion.

Andrei Mikhailovich, the 19-0 middleweight renegade who’s not afraid to spit fire in his promos before leaving his rivals scarred in the squared circle.

And then there’s Pampellone, the silent 16-0 light-heavyweight panther who’s ready to pounce on a world title shot that’s a few whiskers away.

He’ll need to get past a fellow undefeated fighter, South African Luvuyo Sizani, on Saturday at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium to inch closer to No 1 contender status.

Jerome Pampellone. Photo / Photosport

The seventh-ranked boxer in the IBF is Peach Boxing’s first fighter – an eight-year relationship that spawned on a sloping deck in Sunnyvale.

“We used to have this little deck and we had a rope around it, so it was very humble beginnings,” Peach said.

“I trained Boaz, my brother, but he got injured, so Jerome was our first fighter and he’s the first one we took from absolute scratch, so when I met him, he had never thrown a punch in the boxing ring.”

It wasn’t exactly a duck taking to water the first time around.

“He wasn’t very good when he started,” says Peach.

“If someone comes into my gym, I go, ‘we’re going to take our time’ and pretty much five minutes later, I’ll have them do a fight, I’m always in a mad rush to do anything.

“Once he started fighting, I was like, ‘he’s actually good, he could really fight.’

“In that stressful situation, he rose and became good, so after five fights, I thought this could go all the way.”

The then 19-year-old Pampellone wasn’t fond of putting on the gloves as a career, preferring to use his hands of granite to pass and catch the footy instead.

“I wasn’t a big fan of boxing before I met Isaac, I was a rugby kid so that was my focus. Then slowly, I started falling in love with it,” Pampellone said.

“I was doing well at the start, so with the help of Isaac and Boaz telling me that I could do better if I carried on, I stuck with it, and it played out well.”

The Peach and Pampellone partnership extends outside of the ring too, with the latter having earned his certificate in plumbing.

“I’ve always wanted to have something under my belt. My dad always said a trade was a good thing to have and when I met Isaac, he was a plumber so it all just worked out well,” says the 27-year-old.

“I started my apprenticeship with another crew and about halfway through it, Isaac took me on which was lucky – I could focus on my boxing but also get my apprenticeship done at the same time.”

Being a full-time boxer is Pampellone’s big goal so he can provide for his 3-year-old son and partner.

“I’m nearly there - got my apprenticeship out of the way and when the world gets to see me properly, I’ll be able to slow down and fully focus on boxing.”

It takes full priority over plumbing, with Peach saying he’s “never said no” when it comes to getting in the ring, but surprisingly, working the pipes has given a boost to the Panther’s confidence.

“When I first met Jerome, he was very shy, very quiet and what we do, we’re knocking on people’s doors and fixing their stuff,” Peach says.

“The first thing I said to him, I was like, ‘bro you’re black and I’m covered in tattoos, we knock on these doors, they’re not going to like us!’

“So, he had to talk, and it sounds silly, but I think that was a big thing for him, he had to learn to be boisterous, learn to communicate and I think it’s a big part of him getting better at boxing.”

Pampellone adds: “I enjoy meeting new customers and coming out of my shell because I’m not very open and I don’t like interviews, but it’s all a part of learning.”

With cruiserweight David Light’s boxing career all but over after suffering a stroke and having surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain, the three-headed Peach dragon has taken on the leadership role for their gym.

“There’s him, Mea and Andrei who take the mantle now that David’s not there. They’re the ones that take the other fighters under their arm and tell them lessons if they need it,” Peach says.

It’s a step up for the usually laid-back Pampellone.

“I didn’t realise it, even with David there, that I play such a huge impact on the younger fighters in our gym and they’re always watching us, which also gives me a boost to be better.”

With the growing success of Peach Boxing, the comparisons with mixed martial arts’ City Kickboxing team are evident – a group of top fighters rising to the cream of the crop simultaneously.

But Peach doesn’t see it that way.

“We’re nowhere near where they are now, I mean look at Israel [Adesanya] – it’s crazy what he’s achieved so I’d hate to put us in that category yet.

“But our goal at Peach Boxing is we want to own boxing in New Zealand and I think we’re just about there and there’s a lot more guys to come.”

Standing in the way of Pampellone’s quest for light heavyweight glory is the 7-0 Sizani.

“He’s going to bring something else to the table, which is what I need, so when I get to that top level, I’ve covered all the different fighters – the fighters that move around and the fighters that are there to knock your head off,” Pampellone says.

A win for the seventh-ranked IBF boxer would ensure he leaps into the top five, although Peach says it could catapult him to first in line for a title shot.

“After this fight, he’ll be No 3 in the world. It’s a bit of luck – it could be next, which would be great, or it could be a couple of fights, but it’s just positioning yourself in that top five and then you can fight for the world title anytime once you’re there.”

But until Pampellone lets his hands do the talking, Peach sells his fighter’s in-ring prowess one last time.

“The simple thing is Jerome’s humble, quiet, he fits everything a Kiwi wants to see and I’ve got a full stable of fighters, but I’ve firmly said it from the start, Jerome is the best talent in this country.

“His humility and silence haven’t pushed him ahead of some people, but that’s all about to come out.”