Paul Kroll can’t change the past. He knows that. He’s 26 and hopefully, as time continues, the North Philadelphia prospect will try and gain more distance from what started as a small situation five years ago that blew up far larger than it should have and almost changed his life’s course.

What began as a beef over money with an ex-girlfriend escalated into a gun fight on Saturday, August 20, 2016. Consequently, what looked like a promising boxing career, beginning with a trip to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the U.S. boxing team, turned into a nightmare.

Six years later, Kroll still finds himself picking up the pieces of lost time, grabbing a little here, and a little there. Maybe a chunk of it will come this Friday night, when Kroll leads off Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation (9 p.m. ET/PT) from the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Fla.

Kroll (9-0, 6 knockouts) will take on 28-year-old Marquis Taylor (12-1-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Kroll doesn’t rewind past experiences in his head. It’s too much to relive. He was never in any kind of trouble, before going over one August afternoon in 2016 to approach a former girlfriend about money, bringing along two friends.

One of Kroll’s friends shot at a neighbor, and that’s when the brother and father of the Kroll’s former girlfriend broke out guns and began firing back at Kroll and his friends, according to a police report.

Initially, Kroll was pulled into it as firing the gun. Kroll’s friends were hit as was the former girlfriend’s brother. Kroll was originally charged with attempted murder, even though he never fired a weapon, and wound up pleading guilty to a lesser charge. He was placed on house arrest for 18 months and is still on probation.

“When you’re young, you make rash decisions based on emotions,” said Kroll, who’s opened his own gym, Paul Kroll Boxing Gym, on 9th Street in North Philly. “We’re here for the young kids in the community and I tell the kids to focus on themselves. I was an honor-roll student, who never got in trouble, and I really have learned not to care what people think.

“The media, all they care about is a story. If it was anyone else, that story would not have blown up like a beacon, like everyone said. I learned that not everything needs a reaction. I’m comfortable in my own skin. Not everyone gets a second chance like I did.

“I can’t look back at what I did. I have my four-year daughter, I have a beautiful fiancé and at 24, I started my own business. But I still have to watch everything I do. I’m on probation and I got12 years, and I’ll be 33, so when I’m done boxing, I’ll be off probation.”

Kroll’s nadir came while on house arrest. He was allowed to work for two hours, and then had to rush back home. It made no sense to him. He felt trapped.

Kroll, who had a 123-17 amateur record, keeps his circle tight around him. He has four-year-old daughter and his trainers, Dirk Gooden and Darnell Timms. Kroll credits his fiancé LaToya for getting him through the hard times.

“I was always confident in myself, my issue came with trusting people, and I needed to understand that not everyone was out to get me,” said Kroll, who works in his warehouse managed by his father, Paul Sr. “My fiancé was there with me every day. She was there when I thought the world turned its back on me. My family and her had my back.

“I haven’t lost any confidence. I think I’m the best fighter on this card—I know I am. This is a fight where I can make a statement and people can start putting respect on my name again. There was a time when no one wanted to fight me. I was that bogeyman. Hey, I just turned 21 back then, and you make dumb decisions. I learned that not everyone you think is in your corner is actually in your corner.

“I worked my whole life. I don’t want these young kids I speak with to make the same mistake I made.”

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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