Temple University Athletics
Football Alum Travis Shelton Assists in World Boxing Championship Victory
1.21.20 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - As the crowd of cameras and media personnel gathered around the stage in the Liacouras Center lobby, former Temple Football wide receiver Travis Shelton stood off to the side, watching his friend and fellow gym mate, Jeison Rosario, take questions about his upcoming fight. Shelton helped train Roasrio in preparation for the biggest fight of his career to date. Rosario was set to fight West Philadelphia native Julian Williams for the unified middleweight titles and all eyes were on the champ and the challenger. Although this was a very important and special weekend for Rosario, it was also a homecoming for Shelton, who hadn't been back on campus in five or six years.
"It's so good to be back in Philly and be back on campus," said Shelton with a wide smile on his face. "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and hard work for Jeison to get to this point and its funny how I put in a lot of the same hard work when I played [football] here."
Shelton played wide receiver at Temple from 2004-2008 and was a dynamic returner on special teams. He is Temple's all-time career returner with 2,242 return yards on 84 returns and is seventh in school history with 3,510 all-purpose yards. He also had three consecutive seasons with 700+ return yards and led the nation with a 31.3-yard kickoff return average in 2008.
"Now the hard work that Jeison and I put in in the gym will all come together with a championship win on Saturday night," he said. "We have been training hard and sparring so much, I have been trying to give him the best looks possible so he's ready to go."
But the journey wasn't straight to boxing and training for Shelton. Because of his sustained success at Temple, he had stints in the NFL, CFL, and UFL. Following his football career, Shelton began boxing in 2013. He now has boxed a handful of times professionally, and helped train and spar Rosario throughout his preparation for the championship fight.
"Every day in camp I was trying to keep him motivated and let him know that he is great," he said. "Boxing is a very lonely sport sometimes. Coming from football and Temple, you know we are a family no matter what. Having that team and brotherhood throughout [Jeison's] training is key because it keeps you accountable."
That accountability was on full display Saturday night as the main event began at the Liacouras Center. Rosario was a heavy underdog against the champion, Williams, who was fighting in his home city for the first time since 2011.
Emotions were high throughout the weekend, but Rosario remained quiet and confident leading up to the match, despite it being his first shot at a major title. When the first bell rang Rosario came out calculated but striking hard and often. He was very well prepared and calm throughout the five-round match, and was even smiling at times throughout the match when Williams would connect on a jab. It was almost like he enjoyed being hit, like he knew what was coming and how hard the hit would be.
"We trained for this moment right here," said Shelton. "It's almost like watching tape for football, it's very similar in preparation. Football and boxing are both chess in their own right."
All of the preparation Rosario, Shelton, and the entire team put into this match came to fruition. Rosario cut Williams in the second round, which impacted his vision and caused him to bleed throughout the bout. Surprisingly to everyone in the arena, Rosario led through the first five rounds and was definitely gaining momentum as the fight continued.
Rosario finished off Williams with a right uppercut that hobbled Williams against the ropes as the referee stepped in and waved off the fight with a minute and a half left in the fifth round to solidify the upset and become the champion. Shelton and some of the rest of the team jumped up and down in celebration as the rest of the Philadelphia crowd stood shocked and headed for the aisles. Shelton even called the setup and punch combination that led to the TKO, a true testament to how much they trained and how well he knew Williams' style. The whole Roasrio team celebrated triumphantly ringside in their own rendition of the Dominican Rocky.
"I'm so emotional in this moment right now," Rosario said through an interpreter. "When I lost my [first] fight I said, 'I will never lose again until I become champion of the world,' and that's what happened tonight. I came prepared. I knew before the fight that I was going to win it."
Now with the titles by his side, Rosario will await his contractually-obligated rematch with Williams. Shelton said he hopes to be on the fast track to fight on the undercard for Rosario's title defense, helping his friend train while winning a bout himself along the way.
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"It's so good to be back in Philly and be back on campus," said Shelton with a wide smile on his face. "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and hard work for Jeison to get to this point and its funny how I put in a lot of the same hard work when I played [football] here."
Shelton played wide receiver at Temple from 2004-2008 and was a dynamic returner on special teams. He is Temple's all-time career returner with 2,242 return yards on 84 returns and is seventh in school history with 3,510 all-purpose yards. He also had three consecutive seasons with 700+ return yards and led the nation with a 31.3-yard kickoff return average in 2008.
"Now the hard work that Jeison and I put in in the gym will all come together with a championship win on Saturday night," he said. "We have been training hard and sparring so much, I have been trying to give him the best looks possible so he's ready to go."
But the journey wasn't straight to boxing and training for Shelton. Because of his sustained success at Temple, he had stints in the NFL, CFL, and UFL. Following his football career, Shelton began boxing in 2013. He now has boxed a handful of times professionally, and helped train and spar Rosario throughout his preparation for the championship fight.
"Every day in camp I was trying to keep him motivated and let him know that he is great," he said. "Boxing is a very lonely sport sometimes. Coming from football and Temple, you know we are a family no matter what. Having that team and brotherhood throughout [Jeison's] training is key because it keeps you accountable."
That accountability was on full display Saturday night as the main event began at the Liacouras Center. Rosario was a heavy underdog against the champion, Williams, who was fighting in his home city for the first time since 2011.
Emotions were high throughout the weekend, but Rosario remained quiet and confident leading up to the match, despite it being his first shot at a major title. When the first bell rang Rosario came out calculated but striking hard and often. He was very well prepared and calm throughout the five-round match, and was even smiling at times throughout the match when Williams would connect on a jab. It was almost like he enjoyed being hit, like he knew what was coming and how hard the hit would be.
"We trained for this moment right here," said Shelton. "It's almost like watching tape for football, it's very similar in preparation. Football and boxing are both chess in their own right."
All of the preparation Rosario, Shelton, and the entire team put into this match came to fruition. Rosario cut Williams in the second round, which impacted his vision and caused him to bleed throughout the bout. Surprisingly to everyone in the arena, Rosario led through the first five rounds and was definitely gaining momentum as the fight continued.
Rosario finished off Williams with a right uppercut that hobbled Williams against the ropes as the referee stepped in and waved off the fight with a minute and a half left in the fifth round to solidify the upset and become the champion. Shelton and some of the rest of the team jumped up and down in celebration as the rest of the Philadelphia crowd stood shocked and headed for the aisles. Shelton even called the setup and punch combination that led to the TKO, a true testament to how much they trained and how well he knew Williams' style. The whole Roasrio team celebrated triumphantly ringside in their own rendition of the Dominican Rocky.
"I'm so emotional in this moment right now," Rosario said through an interpreter. "When I lost my [first] fight I said, 'I will never lose again until I become champion of the world,' and that's what happened tonight. I came prepared. I knew before the fight that I was going to win it."
Now with the titles by his side, Rosario will await his contractually-obligated rematch with Williams. Shelton said he hopes to be on the fast track to fight on the undercard for Rosario's title defense, helping his friend train while winning a bout himself along the way.
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