Javontae Starks is a professional junior middleweight (154 lbs) boxer from Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

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Personal life

Starks has received much attention for his comeback from a serious injury. In August 2007 Starks was shot in the leg in his hometown of Minneapolis, and the bullet nicked a major artery. For a time it was uncertain whether he would survive the injury, but having done so Starks has recuperated and returned to competition.

Amateur Boxing Career

Starks competed as an amateur boxer from 2001 until 2009. Starks represented Circle of Discipline boxing club in Minneapolis. He won his first major championships in 2003, and completed his amateur career having won the following regional and national championships:

• 2002 State Silver Gloves
  Silver Gloves
  The Silver Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. The contest is sponsored by Ringside, Inc.The Silver Gloves are open to all non-professional pugilists age 10 to 15 years old. The Silver Gloves is not the Golden Gloves amateur tournament, which is for amateur...
  
   champion
• 2003 Ohio state champion
• 2003 Regional Silver Gloves champion
• 2003 Ringside World Champion
• 2003-2005 State JO champion
• 2003 and 2005 Regional JO Champion
• 2006 Region I Golden Gloves
  Golden Gloves
  The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
  
   champion
• 2006 Silver Medalist in the Under 19 Tournament
• 2007 Finalist Ringside World Tournament
• 2008 State USA champion
• 2008 Upper Midwest Golden Gloves champion
• 2008 Future Stars national champion
• 2009 Upper Midwest Golden Gloves champion

Professional boxing career

It was announced on October 5, 2009 that Starks had spurned advances from promoters Main Events (New Jersey) and TKO Productions (Las Vegas) to sign a contract with Minnesota promoter, Midwest Sports Council. Starks made his professional debut on November 13, 2009 with a second-round knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

of Dan Copp.