Dr. J’s Son Makes His Pro Boxing Debut

Julius Erving III (pictured here in his “sophisticated, yet sexy” pose), son of the basketball Hall-of-Famer, will have his first professional fight tomorrow night in Atlanta, going up against another boxer making his pro debut, Kantrell Cameron.↵↵The good doctor’s son to this point in his life has delineated himself from his father’s legend by charting his own path as a music mogul, founding the Erving/Wonder Management Group that represents such acts as the Grammy-nominated Floetry, Angie Stone, Journalist and Freeway. ↵

↵↵Now, however, Julius III is looking to make his own way as an athlete by stepping into the boxing ring. He’s trained by former cruiserweight contender Yahya McClain, but other than that there has been no advance news as to Erving’s boxing history or even what weight the bout will be contested at (here’s the somewhat cryptic and Halloween-oriented press release). ↵

↵↵The night is being billed as a gala event in Atlanta, with the full red-carpet treatment, local celebs and a surprise guest to sing the national anthem. Julius III is 34 years old, a little late to be starting a legit pro career, so one imagines that given the hoopla this is a one-shot kind of deal for promotional purposes. Then again, given the man’s prodigious genetic inheritance, maybe Julius III will turn out to be a serious contender. Don’t forget that another Erving product, Dr. J’s daughter Alexandra Stevenson, made it all the way to the semis of Wimbledon in 1999.↵

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