Hometown Boxer to Make Professional Debut

BURLEIGH — On Aug. 8 in the Grand Ballroom of Bally’s Atlantic City, the dreams of a local athlete will come true.
On that date, Josh Mercado, a native of Cape May and a graduate of Lower Cape May Regional High School, will make his professional boxing debut.
“Since I was a little kid, I always knew I would be a professional athlete,” Mercado told the Herald in between sets during a workout session at the home gym of his trainer Conn McMullan.
Mercado, 23, said he played all the traditional sports — basketball, baseball, football — as a kid but due to his five-foot nine-inch frame, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to go pro with all the giants that dominate in those sports.
“My coaches would always make comments like ‘Josh really hustles’ or ‘Josh really works hard’,” Mercado said. “They never said ‘Josh has great skills’ or ‘Josh is really talented’.”
All that changed after Mercado took up boxing at the age of 16.
“I started hearing about the great potential I was showing and how talented I was,” Mercado said with a smile as he shadowboxed around the room.
In boxing, he’d found a sport that he could dominate.
Mercado took this raw talent to Lock Haven University in central Pennsylvania, where he compiled a great amateur career that culminated with the 2007 National Collegiate Championship in the 139-pound weight class. To capture that title, Mercado won a decision over the Naval Academy’s Antoine Aku, the same fighter Mercado lost a championship decision to in the previous year.
“I’ve never lost a rematch,” Mercado said. His individual effort helped Lock Haven win the 2007 team championship as well.
Dr. Kenneth Cox, Mercado’s boxing coach at Lock Haven, told the Herald that, “Josh was really a good one. He was a champion in 2007 and always placed well in the nationals.”
He said that Mercado was not a “knockout artist” but he was one of the best “pure boxers” to ever go through his program.
“He’s just an excellent boxer with good defense and good skills,” Cox said. “He should have a good professional career. I wish him the best of luck.”
Local residents and visitors might have seen Mercado headline at the Wildwood’s Irish Festival Weekend amateur boxing events over the past several years. At the 2007 event, he defeated previously unbeaten Middle Atlantic Golden Gloves champ Rashad Brown, of Upper Darby.
Mercado met his trainer while the two were working out at the Wildwood Boxing Club, the old transmission shop at Park Boulevard and Garfield Avenue where undefeated light heavyweight Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio trains. Mussachio also attended Lock Haven and boxed under Cox.
McMullan, a former pro boxer from Ireland, told the Herald he was watching Mercado train and saw huge potential, but also some things he could help with.
“I could see he had great skills, but he wasn’t throwing his right properly and he wasn’t moving his head and hands together,” McMullan said with a thick Irish brogue.
“I wasn’t looking to be his trainer. I just thought I could show him some things,” said McMullan, who works as a bartender with his brother Sean at Owen’s Pub in North Wildwood. “But we started working together and built this gym together.”
“Gyms like this are perfect for me,” said Mercado. “We have the same equipment that an Olympic sized gym would without any of the distractions that are there.”
Mercado said he likes working with McMullan because he studies the art of boxing.
“He understands the science of boxing. He’s a real technician,” Mercado said of his trainer. As a professional, McMullan fought in Europe and South Africa against four world champions including Wayne “The Pocket Rocket” McCullough and Johnny Bredahl.
McMullan said Mercado works hard, is in great shape and is ready for his upcoming debut.
“I don’t have to push him to do the work,” McMullan said. “He hardly ever fights with me.”
Mercado’s workout session consists of multiple free weights, equipment and machines that he calls a “muscle confusion” regimen. McMullan said he uses lighter weights to make him stronger, not bulkier. He also hits the heavy bags and works on his movement and combination punches on the pads with McMullan.
“Nobody works harder than me,” Mercado said.
When he’s not in the gym, Mercado carries this solitary work effort on his daily runs. Instead of waking at the crack of dawn to get his five or so miles a day in, Mercado chooses to burn his sneaker rubber after midnight when all his friends are hanging at the bars in Anglesea having a good time while he works hard. An employee of Morey’s Piers, Mercado now resides in North Wildwood.
“There’s not a sidewalk in the Wildwoods that hasn’t seen my feet,” he said with a smile. “Running at night reminds me of the sacrifices I’m making to pursue my boxing career.”
McMullan also takes Mercado to the Atlantic City Police Athletic League (PAL) gym, where he’s gotten sparring matches with seasoned professionals Mighty Mike Arnaotis, Qa’id “Kid Dynamite” Muhammad and others.
“Josh really holds his own against those guys,” McMullan said. “He’s ready for this fight.”
Al Mussachio, the Professor’s father, who runs the Wildwood Boxing Club, said Mercado should try to remember to move from side to side the way he knows how and not go straight at his opponent.
“Josh is a good kid,” Mussachio said. “He did well in college and in amateur fights here and in Philadelphia. I think he’ll do well as pro.”
Mercado’s debut will come in a four-round match against Terrell Boggs, of Philadelphia, who’s lost twice in two professional bouts. McMullan said that Boggs’ record isn’t an accurate measure of his skills.
“Terrell is a good fighter from a real boxing family,” McMullan said of Boggs, whose brother William was a former Golden Gloves finalist and up-and-coming pro before he was shot and killed in 2006. “He’s a tough kid who fought two good boxers in heavier weight classes. I’m very confident that Josh is going to win, but it’ll be a great fight.”
The headlining match on the Aug. 8 Peltz Boxing Promotions card is a ten-round championship fight between Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, and Larry Mosley, of Los Angeles, for Jones’ NABA welterweight title. In addition to Mercado’s match, there will be several other preliminary fights before the main attraction. Doors open at 7 p.m. and matches begin at 7:30 p.m.
Anyone interested in seeing Cape May’s own Josh Mercado begin his professional boxing career can stop by Owen’s Pub and ask for Conn McMullan for tickets that are priced at $50.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com