Former Islington Boxing Club fighter Slavisa Gegic has signed his first professional contract, joining Priority Boxing on a three-year deal.
It sees the 27-year-old move to the Jab Boxing gym in Watford, joining his new coach Josh Burnham and manager Mark “Mo” Prior.
Gegic said: “It is brilliant. The opportunity came and I took it straight away with both hands.”
“I love the way Josh trains. He is very serious and very organised. He is a great coach.”
He added: “For me it is about chasing titles. I would love to hit at least British title level and then go on from there. I will take it a fight at a time, but I hope I can achieve it within three to four years.”
He ends his amateur career with a record of 32 wins and four losses.
The deal represents an “exciting” step for Gegic who will be managed by Mark Prior, promoter for current welterweight champion Chris Jenkins.
Gegic reflected fondly on his time at the Islington Boxing Club, calling them his “second family” and saying he still trains there on occasion.
“I started in March 2016 at Islington Boxing Club. I started at an academy class, where they test you out to see if they can put you with the competitive boxers. They said after two or three weeks: ‘You are moving up.'
“By the end of the year, six or seven months later, they had me on my first fight on a home show. From there, every year, I have had about eight to 10 fights with them.”
“As you are winning, it is easier to keep going. Because I kept winning it was easy to keep saying 'yes, yes, yes, yes'. Even after my first loss, my first reaction was: ‘Can I fight next week?'”
Gegic ended his amateur career on a high, fighting five times in 2020, winning the Elite University Championships, the Southern Area belt and progressing to the semi-finals of the ABA Championships before Covid-19 ended the tournament.
The Croatian-born, Serbian boxer is looking to fight between super-lightweight and welterweight and hopes he can make his debut in August.
Gegic is set to meet with the British Boxing Board of Control next week to be officially authorised as a professional boxer.
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