Fairfield County Boxer Breaks in with First Professional Fight on July 19
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Emanuel March has led a life of activity in Fairfield County, whether working on his family’s farm in Blair or playing football and basketball at Fairfield Central High School.
For the past two years he’s kept busy with amateur boxing and training to become a professional fighter. On July 19, the 6-3, 175-pound March will fight in his first professional bout as a light heavyweight at the Jamil Shrine Temple in Columbia.
“I don’t know anything about him to be honest,” March said about his undercard opponent. “He’s got a very tough fight coming up, that’s all I really know.”
March exudes confidence when you talk to him, but the more you talk to him the more you realize that his confidence has come from a life of hard work and determination. He grew up in the Blair area of western Fairfield County—Blair, Jenkinsville, and Lake Monticello is where he still calls home, and where he got his start in training.
“There’s fresh air,” he said about the area. “When I’m out there running I can feel the fresh air. I stay real close to Lake Monticello. I grew up there, I do a lot of fishing there and a lot of hunting around there.”
He added, “I grew up on a farm, raising cows all my life. Cows, hogs, chickens, the whole nine yards. I think that’s where I get my power from, chopping a lot of firewood and carrying animals, doing a lot of work around the farm helped me out a little bit on power.”
March refined his athleticism at Fairfield Central. He played as a center/forward on the basketball team and played on defense for the Griffins football team before graduating in 2020.
After graduation March wanted to keep in athletic shape, and a relative persuaded him to think about boxing. He did some training at a gym for a little while, but finally broke in with White Rock Boxing in Chapin a couple of years ago. That gym pushed March exactly where he wanted to go, he said—toward the professional ranks.
“White Rock turned me into a complete fighter. I have a lot of people to spar with and I’m surrounded by a lot of pros. That’s why I’ve gotten so good, because of my coaches and stable mates. Great coaches, great support team.”
Once there, March fought in amateur matches throughout the Southeast. Breaking in with his first fight was exhilarating, but also a nervous moment for him.
“I’ve always been used to being on stage, but I had a lot of butterflies,” he said. He won the match, but he added “I was antsy and nervous. It was kind of wild, a new experience. Luckily my second match was a rematch, and the second time around with him, I was calm. I knew what I had in front of me and I blew through him. I was on a roll from there.”
In 10 amateur fights he attained a 9-1 record. His latest fight was a spit-decision loss in a Golden Gloves match.
“It was a very controversial decision,” he said. “I felt like I landed the most punches, but then nobody really took over the match. I understand why they would give it to him, and he understood why I could’ve won.”
Going into his fight July 19, March will fight before a fellow White Rock boxer, DeAundre “Dixianimal” Pettus, who will be fighting in the night’s main event. Pettus, 31, is 5-11 and weighs in at 161 pounds and has 16 professional fights under his belt and his 12-4.
“He’s a big reason why I grew as fast as I did,” March said. “We spar a lot, I’m one of his main sparring partners. Sharing the ring with him helped my game a lot.”
March may not know much about his opponent July 19, but he knows a lot about himself and what he wants to do in his career as a boxer.
“Everything I do I go hard. I’m aiming to be a champion,” he said. “I just have to keep working hard and get my gas tank up there with the champions.”
And he’s also doing it for his home.
“I’m very proud to be representing Fairfield County and South Carolina,” he said. “The boxing community as a whole, they sleep on South Carolina. I’m proud to be showing South Carolina has the grit to be great.”
Emanuel “The Madness” March will fight on Saturday, July 19 at Jamil Shrine Temple, 206 Jamil Rd., Columbia, SC 29210. Doors open at 5 p.m., fight begins at 6 p.m. General bleacher seats – $45; premium ringside front two rows with two free house drinks – $100; ringside seats on the floor – $75. VIP – $125. VIP Table – $800. Super VIP – $1350.
