Undefeated boxer Chris Colbert brings ‘Primetime’ to Las Vegas

The nickname was flattering at first. And an homage to Bernard Hopkins, a former undisputed middleweight champion and one of the greatest boxers of the modern era.

But Chris Colbert didn’t want to be “Lil B-Hop” anymore. The Brooklyn, New York, native and unbeaten junior lightweight wanted another nickname that accounted for the pizzazz and swagger he would bring to the boxing ring instead of one that referenced another fighter.

“Primetime,” he decided. Now that would be more fitting.

But first, he needed the blessing of another “Primetime.” The one who doubled as his favorite athlete when he was an undersized, peewee wide receiver, and who would cold call him before his fight against Miguel Beltran, playfully pretending he was Colbert’s father before wishing him the best in his boxing voyage.

“Deion Sanders is going to know that I’m ‘Primetime.’ And he rocked with me — heavy,” said Colbert, recalling that fateful phone call. “My mind was blown. My favorite athlete.”

Turned fan, friend and supporter.

Colbert, 25, is ready for prime time and his first fight in Las Vegas since a 2019 bout against Alberto Mercado on the Jermell Charlo-Jorge Cota’s undercard. But this time, he’s the headliner against undefeated Hector Luis Garcia, who represented the Dominican Republic in the 2016 Olympics, on a Showtime card at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

A victory would catapult Colbert toward a title shot against his original opponent, WBA champion Roger Gutierrez, who was forced to withdraw after contracting COVID-19. But Colbert isn’t fazed about the stakes, spotlight or prestige of the city in which he’s fighting.

“Same (expletive). Different day,” Colbert said nonchalantly while playing Madden 22 on PlayStation 5 at his suite at The Cosmopolitan.

“Primetime”

That even-keeled demeanor has helped Colbert (16-0, six knockouts) navigate a career he didn’t expect to have as the sixth of 10 born to his mother in Brooklyn. He loved football first despite a slight and gangling build.

And fighting on the streets instead of inside the ring.

He would fight anybody, anywhere — sharpening his skills informally until a brave challenger brought him to Atlas Cops & Kids Boxing Gym for the first time. The other boy, he said, was an experienced fighter who had been training.

But he was no match for Colbert, then a 13-year-old who would begin his amateur career 10 days later and connect with longtime trainer Aureliano Sosa. He would aggregate five national titles and a 103-3 record before deciding to turn professional at age 18 to help support his family instead of pursuing a berth on the Olympic team.

Colbert debuted in 2015 and built his billing with one clinical victory after another, adopting the “Primetime” moniker before the 2019 bout against Beltran.

“Look at me now,” he says, touting his unblemished record and New Jersey restaurant, Primetime Chicken, which he opened in 2020. “I want my kids’ kids’ kids’ kids’ kids to be good,” and to retire by 32 with his faculties intact.

Colbert will sport blue hair against Garcia (14-0, 10 KOs) to advocate for autism — with which the color is often associated — along with the bravado he carries inside and outside the ring.

“I don’t need no confirmation from anybody else. I was born this guy,” said Colbert, who fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner. “I’ve got people like Deion Sanders calling me that guy, I’m that guy. … I feel good. I feel strong. I’m just ready to dance and have fun. ‘Primetime.’ This is what I do. I love this.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.