I-95 Exclusive: CT Boxer Busted Famous Dad’s Nose to Begin His Inspirational Fight Career

Danbury, Connecticut is a special place with a lot of hard-working people. There is just something about the folks in the Hat City, they are dreamers and people who expect to achieve in life. In this crowded house of talent and ambition, there is one young man that stands out, Fernely Feliz Jr.

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Fernely is 27-year-old undefeated pro boxer (8-0) with huge aspirations for both his athletic career and life after boxing. I have been hearing about him for a long time and I was told by everyone who knows him that we needed to speak with him.

I ran into Fernely at the Ultimate Rock Tribute Experience at the Danbury Ice Arena on Saturday and hit him up for an interview and he agreed. Here are 3 of our favorite moments from that chat.

Lou: What is your goal in life?

Fernely: "It's not to buy a Lamborghini or have a huge mansion, to be honest I want to build a youth center for the kids in Danbury. That has been my dream since I was younger I have a heart for the youth. I want it to be some type of facility that is free, trying to figure that out, free for kids that can't afford any facility. This thing is going to have a music studio, a film studio, little boxing gym, a little bit of everything, a basketball court. That is definitely my dream in life and I won't stop until I get there." 

Lou: Let's talk about your father for a second. He was a pro-fighter. Tell us about your dad.

Fernely: "My Dad is a legend, to me he is a legend. He is everything to me, this guy is the perfect role model. He was, he had a great career, he was a top contender, he fought big-time fighters and has been in camps with big-time fighters. He would always drag me to the gym with him so I've been watching him since I was a baby, watching him go to the gym and soaking this whole boxing thing in but he's an awesome guy."

Lou: When did you know you wanted to do what Dad did?

Fernely: "It's crazy, my father and AJ (Galante) opened up Champs, they had this idea for Champs Boxing Club and I was always around the gym, always kind of training, I never took it serious. One day, I spoke to my Dad and I said I think I want to do this. I was like 19 and AJ has always been great at acknowledging talent so he and I had a meeting also and he was like you know you should do the amateurs and I was like sure, I'll try it. My Dad threw me in the Golden Gloves for my first fight, he throws me in this big tournament. My first amateur fight he said you know what, you're not doing a club show, you are going straight to the Golden Gloves and I was like Dad, let me just get my feet wet. But like two weeks before that he didn't want me to do this at all and he threw the gloves on with me at the gym and he said you know what? You and I are going to spar. He tested me out and punched me very hard in the forehead and I was like Dad, what are you doing? So, it kind of made me upset and I ended up busting his nose. Listen, from then on he was like this kid is going to be a champion, he's got what it takes." 

Listen to our entire two-part interview with Fernely Feliz Jr. below.

Part 1 - We spoke about Fernely's dream of acting on the big screen, the size of his father's hands, his last resounding victory and the art of promoting a fight. 

Part 2 - We spoke about Fernely training with Jake Paul for a month in Puerto Rico, the legitimacy of Jake's boxing prowess and who will win the Tyson v. Paul fight. 

In-Studio With Fernely 1

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In-Studio With Fernely 2

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