Photo by Ed Diller
The state of New York is no stranger to the world of boxing, as it has bred countless world champions for decades upon decades. The town of Hicksville on the other hand, is probably not the first place you would look.
The most well known star to come out of Hicksville is probably “The Piano Man” himself, Billy Joel, who coincidentally grew up boxing and even participated in the Golden Gloves tournament. Fast forward a couple of decades and you’ll find an up-and-coming prospect who’s a 2008 Golden Gloves champion with aspirations of achieving greatness at the pro level.
Anthony “Showtime” Karperis (11-1, 4 KOs) is a 27-year-old New York native who grew up loving the martial arts. At the age of 12, he began to train in various disciplines of combat sports including kickboxing and jujitsu and obtained a black belt in the latter. It wasn’t until the age of 17, that Karperis found his way into a boxing gym and never looked back. Now 10 years into the sport, he finds himself competing at the highest level and chasing a dream that every aspiring boxer has, to become a world champion.
Karperis grew up watching the late-great Arturo Gatti and says that the boxer played a large role on what he aspires to accomplish in the sport of boxing.
“Arturo Gatti is actually one of the reasons I go by Showtime. Gatti may not be considered one of the best pure boxers of all time, but there’s no argument that he was one of the most exciting fighters to watch,” says Karperis.
“That’s why I like the name Showtime, I want people to really enjoy watching my fights and know that they’re going to see an action packed event.” If you want visual proof, have a look at Showtime’s most recent fight where he knocked out his opponent in the fourth round by a vicious left hook that ended that night quickly.
Karperis possesses a solid boxer-puncher style of fighting, where he combines hand speed and solid power, along with quick head movements to throw his opponents off balance. Most pro fighters in boxing tend to make their way through a slew of amateur fights, but Karperis made his debut back in 2012 with only six amateur fights under his belt. While some critics may see this as a lack of experience, Karperis welcomes the doubters and says one day he will prove them wrong.
Karperis maintains a friendship with fellow New York fighter Chris Algieri who if you remember, made a name for himself fighting three of the top fighters in the 140 and 147 pound divisions in Ruslan Provodnikov, Manny Pacquiao and most recently Amir Khan. Algieri and Karperis have helped each other train for multiple fights, but are also friends outside of the ring.
“Chris is a great guy and has helped me out so much. Chris doesn’t always have time to help everyone, but with me he always makes time. Whether it’s just for advice or a sparring session,” said Karperis.
“Right now I’m getting ready to fight a taller guy and Chris has been helping me out with the sparring and I’m grateful to have someone like him helping me out in my camp.”
Karperis will be fighting Tyrone “Hands of Stone” Luckey (7-4-2, 5 KOs) on Saturday, October 24 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York as part of the co-main event for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
Karperis was adamant about the performance he plans on giving to the fans this Saturday. “The fans are going to see a lot action. I bring in a nice crowd because they know when I fight I like to put on a show.”
The future looks bright for Showtime and if you enjoyed Gatti-like style fighters than look no further than this Saturday night for a crowd-pleasing bout. Karperis will look at add another win on his resume as he continues to rise in the ranks of the Lightweight division.
When asked about who he would like to fight in the future, Karperis confidently named one of the best fighters in the sport. “Well, we all know there’s a lot of competition and while I know I still have a lot to learn, I hope to one day take on Vasyl Lomachenko and win that title.”
While today that might seem like a steep request, Karperis is ready to do whatever it takes to get to that level in the sport.
