Joliet teen boxing champion sets new goals

The city of Joliet issued a proclamation Tuesday evening in honor of the achievements of Joliet teenager Joseph “Jo Jo” Awinongya Jr.

In December, Awinongya Jr. won the 2022 USA Boxing Nationals for his weight class at 145 pounds. He also at 16 has received full tuition to the University of St. Francis in Joliet. Awinongya Jr. recently earned an associate’s degree from Joliet Junior College. That means he will enter the University of St. Francis as a junior, Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy said Wednesday.

“What a nice accomplishment for a young man his age, to do as much as he has, and just continuing to grow,” D’Arcy said.

D’Arcy said Joliet has a number of other “amazing” young men and women and is considering “bringing a few more of them into the light,” which also reflects on Joliet schools and the parents raising these young people.

“People need to know what a good job our schools are doing and what a great parenting job these folks are doing,” D’Arcy said.

Awinongya Jr. and his father, Joseph Awinongya Sr., said Tuesday night’s proclamation was not the first. They said Awinongya Jr. had previously also received proclamations from the late Larry Walsh, a former Will County executive, and former Joliet mayor Bob O’Dekirk. But those recognitions didn’t take anything away from this proclamation. If anything, they enhanced it.

That’s because Awinongya Jr. said he loves knowing people in Joliet “are in his corner” and hopes he can be a role model for other youth.

“I felt a lot of pleasure to be able to get that proclamation as well,” Awinongya Jr. said. “To know that I’m always going to be received by my hometown is a great feeling. It’s amazing.”

[ Young Joliet boxer winning awards, wants to pursue nursing ]

By 2017, Awinongya Jr. had competed 13 times and claimed the 8-9-year-old, 80-pound division title at the Silver Gloves Nationals in Independence, Missouri, outside Kansas City. His father is his primary trainer.

Awinongya Sr. is from Ghana, where he was a professional boxer. He owned the Will County Boxing Gym on Scott Street from 2009 to 2013.

According to a 2017 Herald-News story, Awinongya Sr. was signed to a professional contract by Don King and compiled a 12-9-5 record with three knockouts as a cruiserweight known as “The African Assassin.”

But Awinongya Sr. said he’s always stressed to his son that education comes first. So, although the father sees professional boxing in his son’s future, Awinongya Jr. said his ultimate career goal is nursing.

He said he will first focus on earning his marketing degree.

“To know that I’m always going to be received by my hometown is a great feeling; it’s amazing.”

—  Joseph “Jo Jo” Awinongya Jr. of Joliet

“It’s to help me with my boxing so I’ll be able to market myself in that field,” Awinongya Jr. said.

USF President Arvid C. Johnson said in a written statement that the university is “looking forward to Joseph joining our student community as part of our incoming freshman class.”

“He and his classmates will join the university’s welcoming community of learners as they pursue their goals and as they prepare to contribute to the world through service and leadership,” Johnson said in the statement.

Awinongya Sr. said he is happy about the full tuition his son will receive from USF, but he also stressed to his son that with the honor comes a great responsibility.

“When you get to school, you will have to find a way to give back to the school and the community,” Awinongya Sr. said. “He needs to try to give more to the school than he received. I told him he needs to work extra hard now.”