Ra’eese Aleem says beating Victor Pasillas will put an exclamation point behind his name, when the two face each other Saturday night on the first Showtime Championship Boxing (9pm ET/6pm PT) telecast of 2021 from the Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Aleem (17-0, 11 knockouts) will be fighting for the interim WBA junior featherweight title against the undefeated southpaw Pasillas (16-0, 9 KOs) and feels his new training regiment may make a difference.

“Nothing has really changed in a year, other than getting one step closer to my ultimate goal of being a world champion,” said Aleem, who fought twice during the COIVD-19 pandemic year in 2020. “But I have implemented three-a-day into my workout regimen. I was working out three times on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“Before I had this fight on the books, I knew I had a big fight coming up and I wanted to make sure I put an exclamation point on my performance.”

Aleem gets up at 9 a.m. on the three-a-days, gets to his boxing gym around 10 a.m. for sparring, and wraps up about 11, 11:30 a.m., then goes right to his fitness gym, and instead of resting, he gets into his cardio routine in from 11:45 to around 3 p.m. He’ll go home, rest for a few hours, then close the day by going to the yoga gym, going from 5:30 to around 6:30.

That’s not only physically challenging, it’s mentally taxing.

What gets Aleem through those times?

“I do that three days a week and I feel great,” Aleem said. “Everyone has those days when you don’t feel like doing anything, but when you have a goal, it’s a lot easier to keep that peddle down. You have to want to reach that next level. I know by pushing myself will get me to the next level.

“I tell myself that doing this is necessary to reach the next level. This is what works best for me. I’ll be honest, there are days when I don’t feel like doing it. I know once that second gear kicks in, I’m going to be okay.”
Aleem doesn’t just wasn’t beat Pasillas, he wants to perform well, too.

“After I win this fight, I don’t want a long layoff, I want to get back in the gym,” Aleem said. “Honestly, I don’t know what kind of fighter Pasillas is until I stand in front of him. I feel like I’m the superior fighter. He’s never been in the ring with a fighter like me.

“I think he’s stepping into the fire a little too soon. First and foremost, it all starts with winning this fight.

“I have fast hands and a high boxing IQ. I’m a completely different animal from anyone he’s ever been up against. Winning is an absolute must, but it’s also about performing. I don’t want to barely win; I want to stand out. I’m looking to fight three times this year. I want to capture a world title.”

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on twitter @JSantoliquito.

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