Future Star Promotions and the Rice Street Boxing gym will be presenting "The American Boys" Professional boxing being held at the National Guard Armory in Saint Paul, Minnesota on February 20th. Headlining the card will be Brothers, Jason and Allen Litzau of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Both Jason and Allen Litzau were rated as amateurs, placing near the top in most tournaments they entered around the world.
Jason Litzau has a professional record now of (6-0, 6 ko's) and has already been featured on National television when he fought on the undercard of the Charles Brewer and Freeman Barr ESPN Friday Night Fights card back in September of 2003. Litzau tko'd Rodney Jones in the third round of that fight and his knockdown of Jones was nominated on ESPN as one of the best of the year for 2003!
Allen Litzau (2-1) is also a prospect looking for big things to happen in 2004. Allen fought on the undercard of the Shane Mosely and Raul Marquez bout last year at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas along with with his brother. Although Allen was not as active last year due to a hand injury, he says he is looking to be very active this year as well.
With their show just around the corner I decided to sit down with the two and try and learn a little bit more about the fighters. Here is what the Litzau brothers had to say.

Lets start from the beginning, can you talk a little about how you got into boxing?

Jason: Yeah me and my brother were always fighting down at the rec center. So my dad told us we needed to stop fighting on the street and he brought us up to the boxing gym. My uncles Frankie and Pat Newton both boxed. One was pro and one was just amateur. I kind of followed in there foot steps. It was actually three generations. Before those two it was Donnie Newton, who died in a car wreck and my uncle Russell Newton. We have allot of boxing history in the family.

You were pretty well known around the country as amateurs. Can you tell us about your amateur boxing experience?

Jason: Well every tournament I've ever been in I placed in the top three. I can start when I was a kid, I won the National Silver Gloves, I was Runner up twice in the Junior Olympic Nationals, I won the National Junior Golden Gloves. Man I don't even know, there were so many tournaments! There was the Ohio State fair, I've pretty much beat everybody in the top ten as an amateur! So who ever goes to the olympics this year, I probably beat them. In fact I know that will be the case. I wish I would have waited for the olympics a little bit because then I wouldn't have to go the hard way but I'm not mad because life is not easy!

Allen: I had over 150 amateur fights. I won the Golden Gloves four years in a row at four different weight classes. In 1999 I won it at 112, in 2000 I won it at 119, 2001 at 125 and in 2002 I won at 132. So each year I went up one weight class. So I won four years in a row, then I won the American Boxing Classic Nationals, The Lincoln Douglas Classic in Illinois, took second in the Silver Gloves, third in the National Junior Olympics, third in the Blue and Gold, took the bronze in the Western Olympic trials in 1999. I took bronze in the PAL. I've been doing this for 10 years now and its just my life!

Your manager (Bob Van Syckle) was telling me that you both have been traveling around to different gyms in MN to prepare for this fight. Where have you been training and who have you been working with?

Jason: Yeah we usually don't train in Minnesota unless we are fighting here because there isn't much sparring.We have been going everywhere though like Anoka gym, White Bear Boxing gym and then we go back to the Rice Street gym. Really anywhere we can get somebody in the ring. Even if they are not the best fighter, just someone we can get in and move around with.

We just saw you in with Jose Leo Moreno who is going to be fighting on the card...

Jason: Moreno is really good sparring, actually there are a lot of good fighters out here that can help give us some good rounds, but most of them are just not around right now.

You are really just starting out as professionals, what goals would you like to accomplish in 2004?

Jason: Well boxing on the NBC network is going to be starting up so hopefully get on that. Maybe get a few more ESPN fights or get on HBO soon! I Guarantee something is going to happen soon though before im 10-0. Definitely this year I'm going to be making something! I really want to help bring boxing back to Saint Paul. I love Saint Paul and if that wasn't the case I would be signed with TopRank and just fighting in Vegas and I would have made that my hometown. I could fight on every big card and make it the easy way. But I want to be here, I really want to give love back to Saint Paul.

Allen, I know you hurt your hand last year and were not quite as busy. What are you looking at for this year?

Allen: Yeah I sprained my hand so I have been taking some time off. I'm looking at as many fights as I can get, maybe once a month! This year I want to try and get to around 10-1. So about another 8 fights hopefully. It all depends on how this show turns out. Like I said on KFAN radio, the Vikings and the Timberwolves haven't done it yet so we are just trying to bring a championship back to Minnesota! We are just trying to get the Minnesota boxing community behind us. We want to let the Minnesota fans see what we are up to because we are fighting in Vegas and really all over the place.

Is it in your plan to continue to fight in Minnesota a few times a year?

Jason: I definitely want to sellout the Excel Center at least once in my life. Me and my brother just bought a house here in Minnesota and I will never move out of Saint Paul. I go to New Jersey for training camp, Sparring in New York in the projects. Its the best sparring out there with world champions! All we do is spar with world champions out there. The Toledo brothers, Agapito Sanchez, you know, all these undefeated champions that are up and coming. I could not even tell you all the fighters we spar. They are all on TV the next day you see them! If you want to be a movie star you go to Hollywood, if you want to be a boxer you go to the East or West coast.

I want to ask you about your opponents for this fight on the 20th. Do you know who you are fighting?

Jason: Well nothing is ever set in boxing but it might be Anthony Ivy. There are actually a couple guys out here looking at a few different fighters for us right now. All I really want to do is have a great show, its going to be a fun night on February 20th. My goal is to make this show better than the last one we had, which was also a good show.

Allen: So far I am fighting a guy that is 7-10, Travis Gregory I think his name is, from Nebraska. He has been around for a while, he's a veteran. That is what I want, I want to test myself early. Test my self now and work the jitters out and just keep taking that extra step each fight.

Can you talk a little bit about the other fighters that are going to be on the card?

Jason: Kenny Kost is an Upper Midwest champ, really they are all Upper Midwest champs, they are my team. They are just sticking by my side. We are all rolling together. Moreno was an Upper Midwest champ, Kenny Kost, Quinton Osgood boxed with me when I was eleven years old and is coming off a fabulous knockout over Ira Humm who is 18-2 so we are just trying to keep him sharp. We will have about seven pro fights.

What would you like to say to everyone who will be at your show?

Jason: I promise you it will be a great show! Whether its me getting dropped six times or him, something's happening!

Allen: I just want to tell everybody to come down because its going to be a good show. We are going to have real tough opponents, Its not going to be a joke! There are going to be six or seven pro fights. Golden Glove champions will be fighting. I won the Golden Gloves four times, my brother won it three years, Leo Moreno won it three years, Kenny Kost won it three years. We have the Mid American Light Heavyweight champion Quinton Osgood on the card. It will be a great show and you will get a bang for you buck! That is what everyone wants and you wont be disappointed.

The six bout card will also feature a talented undercard of fighters including "KO" Kenny Kost (2-0) of White Bear Lake, MN , Jose Leo Moreno (6-0) of Saint Paul, Quinton Osgood of Saint Paul and Gary Stark of New York. Plus a special performance by R & B star Suia.

For info on purchasing tickets call 651-487-9578 or check out www.TheAmericanBoys.com. General Admission-$20, Gold ringside-$50, VIP-$100. Doors open at 6:30 pm with the first bout beginning at 7:30 pm. The Saint Paul National Guard Armory is located at 600 Cedar Street, St. Paul, Minnesota.