Mike Paschall has spent most of his life fighting. Only until recently, most of it was done illegally.
Now, the 28-year-old Baltimore boxer feels he is on his way toward becoming a legitimate title contender. Paschall?s next step toward that goal comes tonight at Michael?s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie. There, Paschall (16-0-1) will fight in the main event of the latest Ballroom Boxing card when he takes on former world title contender Larry Marks (29-9-1) in a super middleweight fight.
Paschall enters the fight a little more than a month after earning a first-round technical knockout victory over Illinois fighter Bruce Rumbolz at the Ballroom. Marks, who lost a 12-round unanimous decision in 2001 to former world champion Cory Spinks, is 1-2-1 in his last four fights.
“This will definitely going to be my toughest fight to date,” Paschall said. “This fight will allow me to see where I am with my in-ring ability.”
Paschall has overcome a lot to reach this point of his career, including spending 35 days in jail last year for violating a protective order against his then girlfriend. But, since that time Paschall has completely dedicated himself to training and trying to learn all he can about the fight industry.
This includes recently starting a promotion company, Paschall Promotions, which has started to put together amateur boxing cards in the Baltimore area.
“I?m at the stage of my life where I need to see where I can go in this industry,” Paschall said. “I?ve been fighting my whole life, but most of those have been in the street. Now, I?m completely focused.”
Paschall has also started to train for mixed martial arts, or MMA, fights. The state recently passed legislation, which will make MMA fights legal in Maryland.
Promoter Scott Wagner said he feels Paschall is ready for the test he expects to receive from a fighter as experienced as Marks.
“Mike has made some mistakes, but has learned from them,” Wagner said. “He?s got a lot of confidence and going to need it against a fighter like Larry Marks, who has fought on ESPN before. This is a large step up for Mike, but he?s ready for it.”
