Compton’s Louis Rose continues rise with ‘ShoBox’ main event

For Southland boxer Louis Rose, the boxing gym has been a sanctuary.

It was there that the Compton fighter took refuge to escape what he called a “horrible” life of working in construction and sleeping in his car.

And it’s where he found a calling that has taken Rose (13-2-1, five knockouts) to the main event of Friday night’s Showtime-televised “ShoBox” series at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre.

Rose, 26, will fight Rob Brant (17-0, 11 KOs) of St. Paul, Minn., for a vacant minor World Boxing Council middleweight belt, the continental championship.

“I’m ecstatic ... and I’ll be even happier tomorrow when I win that championship,” said Rose, who currently holds an NABF title.

Rose didn’t begin to compete professionally until he was 20, compiling a 20-5 record.

He said he decided to lace up the gloves because of the necessity of his homeless situation.

Boxing was “to relieve stress, because life was so horrible at the time,” Rose said.

He trained in the gym only to gain access to the shower. Rose said he’d train as long as he could, shower at the gym, then sleep in his car until his work shift began, then return to the gym immediately after.

There, he found a mentor, trainer Peter “The Greek” Carabatsos, who was scouting a different fighter and was impressed immediately with Rose.

“Pete is definitely more than just my trainer,” Rose said. “He’s like a father, a trainer, everything to me. When we’re in the gym, we interact like a fighter and trainer, but at home, because we live together, we talk about everything, just talk about life in general.”

Now, with Brant awaiting, Rose has a chance to blemish another unbeaten record. He already has done so to opponents Milorad Zizic, Fabian Reyes, Delen Parsley and Eugene McClellan.

“I just think fighters overlook me because they are undefeated and I am not. They underestimate me,” Rose said. “They feel maybe I don’t have such a large amateur background, no power, but little do they know.”

“ShoBox” can be seen live on Showtime East at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time, tape-delayed at 10:30 p.m. on Showtime.