Light heavyweight Tristan Kalkreuth, a 17-year-old standout amateur from Duncanville, Texas, is turning professional after signing a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions on Friday.
The 6-foot-4 Kalkreuth is only the second 17-year-old Golden Boy has ever signed. The other was junior welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr., who is now one of boxing’s elite prospects and happened to attend the same high school where Kalkreuth will be a junior this fall.
“This is a great opportunity,” Kalkreuth said. “I’m looking forward to all that comes my way. I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity my whole life. I’m very excited. I’ve always been a big fan of [Golden Boy Promotions CEO] Oscar De La Hoya. I watched a lot of his fights when I was growing up. Just to be in this place right now is a dream come true. I’m ready to take off. I’m ready to get in the ring today. You can give me some gloves and a pair of trunks and I’d get in the ring right now.”
Kalkreuth’s pro debut likely will come in August on a card in Texas, Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told ESPN.
Because Kalkreuth is 17, he is limited on where he can fight in the United States. Most states require professionals to be at least 18, although states such as Nevada and Texas will issue a special permits to fighters before they turn 17 if they have a strong amateur background, which Kalkreuth, who turns 18 in November, does.
Kalkreuth, who had more than 100 amateur fights, is a two-time USA Boxing national champion in the youth division (under 18). He also participated in the 2018 World Championships in the youth division.
Kalkreuth has boxed since his father, Sean, introduced him to the sport at age 9. As a professional, his head trainer is the renowned Ronnie Shields, who had trained numerous top fighters. He is managed by veteran Texas manager Lester Bedford.
Kalkreuth was pursued by several promoters before picking Golden Boy.
“We’ve had our eye on Tristan Kalkreuth for quite some time,” De La Hoya said. “We finally met him in Texas during fight week for the Jaime Munguia card earlier this year, and we were impressed with how big he was in person. He’s talented, charismatic and has a great amateur background, so we expect big things for him in the future.”