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Junior middleweight contender Charles “Bad News” Conwell finally got some good news about his career last month when he signed a deal with Golden Boy Promotions.
Conwell (18-0, 13 KOs) has been sidelined since beating Juan Carlos Abreu in November 2022 while working out kinks in his team.
All’s well that ends well now that new manager Mark Habibi of Wise Owl Boxing arranged the multi-fight deal for Conwell, 26, who was formerly linked with manager David McWater and co-promoters Probellum and DiBella Entertainment.
Conwell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian and the WBC’s No. 1-ranked 154-pound contender, is anticipating fighting on the April 20 Golden Boy show headlined by Devin Haney–Ryan Garcia.
“It was the perfect timing for me to sign with Golden Boy,” Conwell told Boxing Scene. “They have a lot of shows coming up, and I want to stay active. I want to fight as much as I can. I’m training like I’m fighting for the world title so that there are no stones left unturned and [so] I’m best prepared for whatever they throw at me.”
Although PBC has ties to the cream of the crop at 154 pounds – including Jermell Charlo, Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora, Jesus Ramos Jr., Erickson Lubin, Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman, among others – Conwell was intrigued to sign with Golden Boy due to the future fight it can yield against knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“It’s inevitable for it to happen,” Conwell said. “We’re with the same company, at the same weight, and at the same level of our careers as contenders. I definitely see that fight happening in the future.”
Ortiz is slated to fight April 27 in Fresno, California, against Thomas Dulorme.
The Detroit-born, Cleveland-based Conwell considers himself a full-fledged junior middleweight for the long run, and he plans to make his mark against the best in the division, which could soon also include the likes of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.
“There are a lot of great fights to be made in the division,” Conwell said. “I’m excited and looking forward to getting a chance to collect my belts.
“The second half of my career is going to be the best part of my career. It’s going to be the part where I show the world who I really am.”