ORLANDO – It was entirely in character for Lucas Bahdi to be standing in the center of the Caribe Royale hotel lobby Thursday, right in position to mingle and schmooze with whatever boxing dignitary might walk past him here to check in for this weekend’s World Boxing Association convention.
“You never know who you may meet and how they can help you,” Bahdi said.
A 30-year-old lightweight who produced the breakout moment of his career in July with a knockout-of-the-year punch on Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions prospect Ashton Sylve in nearby Tampa, Bahdi 18-0 (15 KOs) has moved up to No. 8 in the WBA lightweight rankings.
By virtue of the Sylve knockout, he joined MVP Promotions and fought on Paul’s wildly viewed card with Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15, winning by majority decision.
“I’m a businessman, too. Yes, I’m a fighter, but I think of what I need to do outside the ring to erect myself into getting those title shots,” Bahdi said.
“Obviously, you’ve got to win your fights, but you’ve also got to be seen every place you go, be in the right place at the right time.”
Bahdi has continually taken ownership of each step of his career, personally financing his own training and development and estimating he was “$100,000 in the hole” before dropping Sylve.
“It was definitely no surprise to me or anyone who knows me. I’m a guy who built and financed my whole career. You’ve got to be 100 percent invested mentally and financially. You’ve got to have extreme confidence,” Bahdi said. “I showed I have a big set of nuts on me.”
Now, his arrival at the WBA convention has double meaning. He can lobby to rise in the WBA ratings and also closely inspect the sanctioning body’s No. 7 lightweight, Fradimil Macayo 17-1 (13 KOs) of Venezuela, to increase his climb toward fighting for the belt that leading pay-per-view draw Gervonta Davis now wears.
Macayo fights on the MVP card to be streamed on DAZN Friday at Caribe Royale.
Not every top-15 fighter in the world is working as diligently as Bahdi to ensure he’s getting the exposure he deserves. He feels that’s one more step he’s taking to separate himself from the pack.
“I’m climbing in the top 10 in two sanctioning bodies (he’s No. 9 in the IBF). My next fight, I want to fight somebody in the top 10, and 2025 is my time,” Bahdi said. “I want to get a world title shot. With MVP behind me, they’ve got the budget behind them and the platform to showcase real fights.”
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