Photo | Michael Browning

Jordan Moore is declared the winner over Ryan Britton in his first pro bout back in November.

slideshow

Ever since his first professional boxing match, Jordan Moore has been itching to get back into the ring.

Six months ago at the Coal Area Toughman event at Logan, Moore, a former two-time Toughman boxing champion, stepped across the ropes for his debut in front of his home fans.

It was a successful debut at that as Moore defeated Smithville’s Ryan “The Rock” Britton via unanimous decision in a four-round professional men’s light heavyweight fight.

Moore is scheduled to have his second pro fight on Saturday, June 16, as part of a two-night boxing event, which also will be held at the Logan Memorial Fieldhouse.

“It’s going to be a tough fight for me,” Moore said. “The boxer I’m facing has a record of 3-3 but he’s faced a lot of good opponents. It’s going to be a two-night event at the field house June 15 and 16 and there’s going to be a lot of good fights coming up.”

The two-night event is being sponsored by Chase Hill of Hill Chiropractic in Logan.

“We’ve got a good thing going here in Logan and we’re trying to bring boxing back to Logan County. It’s not been that big over the years. Our objective is to bring boxing in and get more kids involved.”

Going back to his first pro bout, Moore said it was a rewarding experience to be able to win in his hometown.

Moore defeated Britton, a tough fighter and former Parkersburg area Toughman champion in his own right, who had brought a 2-0-1 record into the bout.

“He came into the bout undefeated in three pro fights and I was a little bit nervous about that,” Moore said. “For my professional debut I probably shouldn’t have boxed against someone that was undefeated for my debut. But I wanted to show him, the City of Logan and the state of West Virginia that I could compete in the sport of boxing. It’s all about hard work and dedication. I showed that I can compete at the world class level.”

Moore said he’s stayed in shape and has trained with many locals.

“I’ve trained with Daniel Hensley of Chapmanville, Carlos Turner, Jason Smith, Terrance Kelly and Noah Kirk,” he said. “I’ve trained with just about anyone I could get my hands on on the weekends.”

Moore came onto the boxing scene in 2006 and won the Logan area Toughman’s men’s light heavyweight championship as an 18-year-old senior at Logan High School.

Moore, nicknamed “The People’s Champion,” was an all-state baseball player at Logan and had also played football and a little bit of basketball for the Wildcats.

The next year, he returned to the ring and successfully defended his title and went on to box at the Toughman World Championships in Mississippi.

Moore’s brother, Jason McCloud, was also a former two-time Logan area Toughman champion and was popular with the fans.

Moore said he plans on sticking with pro boxing and hopes he can continue to climb up the ladder.

“The objective is to get to 10-0,” he said. “If I can do that I think that we will get that big fight call for a big pay day, anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. We’re going to be taking that call and we’re going to go fight to win. That’s what we’re training to do. What I mean by ‘we’ is me and my camp, the people that have been with me since 1999.”

Moore said Hensley is coming out of retirement to box at the Logan event in June.

Hensley retired with a perfect 6-0 record and stepped out of the ring in 2000 as a pro boxer.

“We’ve got a good card of fights,” Moore said. “We’ve got Daniel Hensley, who has trained me and my brother. He’s trained me for 12 years and he’s coming out of retirement. He was 6-0 as a professional. Daniel’s last professional fight was in November of 2000. He is, believe it or not, looking better than he’s ever looked.”

Moore said he’s encouraged Hensley over the years to made a second go at the sport.

“I’ve stayed on him for the last six years since I competed in my first Toughman event in Logan,” Moore said. “I’ve actually rode him pretty hard about it but he’s made me a much better fighter. He was ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the Toughman competition. He’s a good fighter.”

Moore said tickets are currently on sale at Hill Chiropractic at the Fountain Place Mall in Logan for the June boxing event.