This week I wanted to provide the second of three pieces on the solid undercard talent for November 17th’s “Capital Punishment” at Myth in Maplewood, MN. Let’s take a look at the fighter of note, Blaine, MN’s Jon “The Iron Man” Schmidt. Jon “Iron Man” Schmidt, a super middleweight, will face off on November 17th against Jason Medina from Moline, IL, a veteran of 12 professional fights.
“Iron Man”, (3-1, 3 KOs) earns his moniker from a tireless work ethic in and outside the gym. Jon attributes his physical fitness and punching power as two of his greatest strengths, and his fitness will surely pay dividends when he graduates to 6, 8 and 10 round bouts. Outside of the ring, Jon recently completed the Twin Cities Marathon, which he says was “fun, but (tough)”.
Schmidt’s father was a fighter and that is how Jon came to know Ron Lyke and his Anoka-Coon Rapids gym so well. “When I got in trouble with the law, my Dad dragged me in to see Ron to get my (stuff) straight,” Schmidt told SO Promotions. “I’ve been with Ron ever since, about 7 years now.”
Schmidt, 27, says his amateur career consisted of about 40 fights in which he maintained a near .500 record. “I started out my amateur career with a lot of wins and knockouts of fighters with similar experience,” Schmidt said. “But when I had to begin fighting guys with more experience I lost close decisions, but I learned a lot.”
“Experience is priceless,” Schmidt continued. “I had a few fights with (regarded Minnesota amateur) Cerresso that were real close and with Joe Davis and Phil Williams, all good fights that provided me a lot of valuable experience.”
Schmidt, 6’1”, says he is comfortable at his current weight, but may move down to the middleweight limit of 160lbs down the road. His biggest goal in the fight game is to see, “how far the hard work and great people he has surrounded himself with can take him in the sport.”
“Iron Man” suffered his first defeat in June of this year – on the undercard of “The Brawl in St. Paul", Matt Vanda versus Kenny Kost – a razor thin four round unanimous decision loss to Maplewood's respected pugilist Bobby Kliewer.
It was a very close fight that many ringside observers were split on. “At best, it was a draw,” Schmidt said. “I think his odd style was messing me up. I’m interested in a rematch, but maybe a little further in my career. For now, I’ll just worry about who they put in front of me.”
Whoever Seconds Out Promotions puts in front of Schmidt better be ready for a strong, all action fighter who can scrap and is ready to prove at “Capital Punishment” that he is someone to be considered in the Upper Midwest around 168lbs.
You won’t want to miss out when Jon “The Iron Man” Schmidt steps between the ropes on November 17th, eager to prove his work ethic thus far has paid off. Another fantastic reason to get your tickets for “Capital Punishment” before it’s too late!
