Super welterweight Lamont Powell earned the nickname ‘The Blessed One’ in the most dangerous way imaginable.
The undefeated prospect, 6-0, came through a 2018 near-death experience in Providence and was lucky to walk away.
Powell is a three-time Silver Mittens champion who compiled a 45-4 amateur record. He miraculously turned pro the same year as a shocking incident in 2o18 after surviving a hail of 36 bullets.
Hampered by the pandemic, Powell ended a two-and-a-half-year ring absence in January by stopping Jerome Clayton. Never mind winning. He shouldn’t even be walking this Earth.
Lamont Powell
On that near-fatal night in 2018, Lamont and his uncle were sitting in a car in front of Powell’s home. Another vehicle suddenly and surprisingly stopped near them.
Two unidentified young men jumped out and started firing automatic weapons in Powell’s direction.
Thirty-six rounds were shot, one hit Powell’s uncle in the leg, but Powell somehow miraculously escaped without a scratch.
“No bullets hit me,” Powell explained about the shooting. “I’m blessed. The reason is God and my mother. We lost her [Melissa] when I was three. She is my guardian angel.”
On that fateful night, Powell added: “We were sitting in a car. Two kids got out of a car and started shooting our car.
“They had extended clips, but I don’t know who they were. Neither do the police to this day. My uncle was taken to the hospital. I had to start watching myself closer.”
Powell’s grandparents – Phillip Copper and Mary Ann Powell – brought him up. That’s due to his mother’s passing. His father was in and out of his life.
His grandmother took legal guardianship, and his grandfather was like a father since he was a baby.
Naturally, after his surreal experience, Powell dramatically changed his lifestyle. Instead of running the streets and ending up like many people he knew, dead or incarcerated, Powell dedicated himself to boxing.
Super welterweight run
He created a charity for high-risk kids, Gloves Up, Guns Down, sponsored by Big Six Boxing Academy in Providence.
After the shooting, somebody who had been shot in the head reached out to Powell. They met to talk about what they’d been through and soon created Gloves Up, Guns Down, which “blew up” overnight, according to Powell.
“Gloves Up, Guns Down” offers at-risk youngsters an opportunity to try boxing as part of an after-school program to keep kids active and out of trouble. Kids are supplied with boxing equipment and taught valuable lessons through boxing with proper coaching and support.
“I started boxing when I was eight years old,” Powell added. “Boxing kept me off of the streets and busy.
“This is a sport outside school that everyone can get involved in,” he added.
Lamont Powell is due back in the ring at super welterweight this coming spring.