Staten Island Advance

Fight of his Life

Marcus Browne's path to boxing stardom has hit its fair share of turbulence en route to his first world class title fight on Saturday.

Yet, there's no denying the fact that the 28-year-old southpaw has made a name for himself in one of sports' toughest industries, and he stands to further cement his status as one of the light heavyweight division's best fighters when he meets two-division champion No. 1 Badou Jack (22-1-3).

Browne (22-0, 16 KOs), No. 2 in the division, will fight for the WBA's vacant interim light heavyweight belt on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao/Adrian Broner fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Paradise, Nev..

The fight will also air on Showtime Pay-Per-View.

The prize fighter out of Clifton, once dubbed a Staten Island hero, has seemingly overcome legal troubles and missed opportunities to regain his position as one of boxing's up-and-coming names.

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Staten Island Advance

Started From the Bottom

At 6-foot-2, Browne displays impressive reach with quick hands to match, and as a teenager he found himself training at renowned trainer and ESPN personality Teddy Atlas' Cops & Kids boxing gym in Park Hill.

While attending Tottenville and later Concord HS, Browne used the gym as a sanctuary and ultimately accrued three Golden Gloves crowns under trainer Gary Stark, Sr.

The hard-hitting lefty still trains out of the Park Hill gym, and has been known to help younger fighters.

"I'm from 280 Park Hill, apartment 3C," Browne once said. "I've purchased a home, but this is where I'm from."

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Staten Island Advance

U.S.A.

In 2012, 21-year-old Browne was gearing up for an Olympic run, and ultimately qualified for the U.S. team at the Summer Games in London.

Later that year, he made his professional debut in California on a Golden Boy promotion card -- upending 33-year-old Codale Ford by third round TKO.

Renowned welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. debuted on the same card and Browne eventually fought on one of his undercards in 2017.

From there, Browne was on a steadfast path to the upper echelons of the sport.

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Staten Island Advance

To the Top

A month after his debut, Browne KO'd Ritchie Cherry in the very first round of a fight on Amir Khan/Carlos Molina's undercard.

In 2013, he fought six times, and emerged victorious from each bout.

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Staten Island Advance

The Bigger They Are ...

Browne began to earn a reputation as a regular at the Barclay's Center, and in 2014 he took on George Blades.

Originally scheduled to fight Henry Buchanan at 175 lbs, Blades was a late replacement and entered the fight 20 pounds overweight.

Nevertheless, Browne toppled the bigger Blades in the opening round by referee stoppage.

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Staten Island Advance

Household Names

Browne's impressive fighting resume includes appearing on a number of significant undercards headlined by household names: Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Paulie Malignaggi, Daniel Jacobs and Andre Berto.

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Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez

Champion

In 2016, he took on fellow undefeated 25-year-old Radivoje Kalajdzi (25-0) for the vacant WBC USNBC light heavyweight title, and emerged victorious on the cards after the fight went the eight-round distance.

A year later, he knocked off undefeated Sean Monaghan (28-0) in the first fight at the Nassau Colliseum since 1986 -- when Mike Tyson headlined.

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Staten Island Advance

Crush the 'Krusher'

Fast forward to this past year, 2018, when the rising contender was set to challenge boxing icon Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev at Madison Square Garden for the WBO light heavyweight title -- Browne's first and only world title shot to date.

The fight was announced in March, and was seen by many as a potentially huge stepping stone toward catapulting Browne's already impressive career into a new stratosphere of the boxing realm.

"Gonna crush the 'Krusher'," said Browne ahead of the bout. "I've been training for this moment since I was 13.

"I won my first Golden Gloves at MSG and by the grace of God I'll win my first title there too," he added.

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Staten Island Advance

The Dream is Dead

A month later, the dream was dead.

Browne was arrested for the second time in four months on domestic violence charges, according to reports, and Kovalev opted to take a fight with Eleider Alvarez instead.

An inspiration and a role model to so many at home, Browne's reputation took a massive hit in both the community and boxing circles.

The local hero, once celebrated by Borough President James Oddo with his own "Marcus Browne Day," had his back against the proverbial ropes.

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Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez

Redemption?

By the summer of 2018, he was back in the ring, and in August he defeated Lenin Castillo (18-1-1) by unanimous decision.

Two months later, he was back in court following a third arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident.

Browne is due back in court later this month, but he'll return to the ring this weekend.

He'll take on Jack in the biggest fight of his life on Saturday.

"I'm ready to take care of business," said Browne on a recent conference call. "I know he knows what's coming to him and I really haven't got too much to say.

"I'm going to let my hands do the talking."

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