As I sat at a Perkins Restaurant with Jake Giuriceo and his manager, Joe Corvino, the different phases and a progression of expectations were pretty well outlined to me by both men.  As your career as a boxer grows, the rounds you fight increases.  As you train and master skills, you work hard to develop new tactics to remain unpredictable.  Giuriceo has a unique mindset, very much against the typical athletic stereotype.  He is pretty quiet, but talks when you get him going a little.  He has very strong beliefs and holds sacred his religious values – a rare mix.

Paneech: I said earlier that the mix of boxing and religion could seem barbaric to some, which you quoted a passage in the Bible to counter with.  Do your Christian acquaintances come to the fights?

Giuriceo: Oh yeah.  They are very supportive and a lot of them do come to the fights.  My pastor comes to the fights.  We group up in the locker room and pray before the fight.  I can’t say that everybody from my church comes because I am not that close with everyone that goes, but there are quite a few people from that avenue who support me when I fight.  As far as praying with people that I work out with goes, there are a few guys at the gym – Dunner, Big Shawn – we talk a lot.

Paneech: Do you feel like you could be an ambassador to spread the message you believe so strongly in?

Giuriceo:  I believe that God called me to boxing. I also believe that I shine the light of Jesus on everything that I do and by winning these fights, I believe that I am doing exactly that, being somewhat of an ambassador.  I would rather see somebody go to heaven than me winning a fight, it’s definitely more important.  That doesn’t mean that I am not going to work as hard, or go lose a fight so somebody might get to heaven, it just means that you never want to see anyone die and go to hell.  You don’t want to see that.  At the end of Matthew, you have the great commission, we are told to spread the word of Christ.  So many things have been changed.  I’m not a guy that could stand in front of a crowd and give a sermon, that’s not me.  This is the way I do it.

Paneech: Have you ever thought about adding a religious side note to your name.  Something like “Sugar” Ray Robinson… like Jake “The Apostle” Giuriceo?

Giuriceo: (laughs)  No, I haven’t thought of doing anything like that.  One thing I am doing though is on my next t-shirt, on the back I want them to say ‘Blood, Sweat, and Prayers’, because I believe that is everything that I put into this.

Paneech: You have a unique situation in your training.  You will go to California and work with Frank Duarte (above) for about five weeks, and then when you come home, you work with Keith Burnside.  How do you sort through what two different trainers tell you and decide what is best for Jake?

Giuriceo: That is actually a pretty easy question.  Whoever is my lead trainer at the time is who I listen to.  For the first nine fights, I worked very good with Keith and listened to everything that he told me to do.  When I went to California and started working with Frankie, for the last four fights, I listen to Frank.  I am out there for five weeks with him.  If Keith and Frank have a disagreement on something, we get them together and try to work it out.  Ultimately though, I am working more with Frank now, so I have to listen to what he is telling me to do.  I listen to the head trainer who is training me for my next fight, and the last four, it has been Frankie.

Paneech: How has Keith reacted to having to take a backseat to Frank with the current arrangement?

Giuriceo: The great thing about our team, is that we are actually a team.  We want to do everything together.  I don’t really hear any complaining from Keith or Frank.  They keep it between themselves and Joe [Corvino] and keep it away from me.  We work together, and if it is a situation that they need my input, they will pull me in and ask me what I think.  Realistically, Keith is one of the guys that pushed me to go to California.  He was honest and up front with me and told me there was only so far he was going to be able to take me.  Keith is a great guy, like a father-son type relationship, and they all really want the best for me.  Anything he can do to be there for me he does.  People say things to get into his head.  Sometimes it gets hard because Keith and Frankie miscommunicate.  Sometimes Frankie doesn’t answer the phone, sometimes Keith never calls.  It goes both ways, maybe a little power trip on both ends.

Paneech: Joe Corvino is someone who is very involved in your career.  You have told me that he is a good guy and that he has done great things for you.  Expand on his role in your betterment.

Giuriceo: Joe is my boxing manager/promoter/father/public relations guy (laughs) – he really does everything.  There isn’t anything that Joe does not do.  We have built a solid relationship because of boxing.  He runs his business like a family, which is why he is in the lead role of my team.  When I go to California, he foots the bill or I wouldn’t eat over there.  He takes care of me, I work part time for him.  It is hard to find a job where you can leave for months at a time and just come back, he took care of that for me.  He helps me in all aspects and I love him.

Paneech: How supportive are your family, friends, future wife, future in-laws, and everyone else?  It’s nice when you are winning, but those people will be there for you in the end.  How supportive are they as you ascend?

Giuriceo: My family is pretty small.  There is really only my mom, two brothers, and an uncle.  I have a few aunts that are here and there, but they all love me and are very supportive, and it is nice to know they will always be there, no matter what happens.  The family that I am marrying into is absolutely awesome.  My fiance is very family-oriented.  We go to those birthday parties and there are twenty or thirty people there.  They have embraced me and love me as long as I treat Jackie right.  My closest friends are just people I share my Faith with.  The close friends I had growing up, I only associate with about three or four of them.  The whole big group is very supportive though.

Paneech: Joe said maybe doing some stuff out of town to increase exposure, maybe grab some television time.  What is on the recent agenda?

Giuriceo: My next fight is on November 19 and will be for a UBO Lightweight Title.  It is a vacant title that we will be fighting for over at St. Lucy’s in Campbell.  The card is called November Fury and is being put on by Mike Cefalde and Lights Out Promotions.  It is to be the biggest fight of my career,so far.

That career can extend quite a ways if Team Giuriceo can start to grab that bigger spotlight.  Win or lose, Giuriceo has the heart and spirit of any athlete I have ever interviewed.  He is someone that large circle of friends and relatives can be proud of for his beliefs, his Faith, and his never say stop work ethic.

There will be a complete preview for the November 19 card here next week.