Glenn Defends NBA Title in Martinsburg

MARTINSBURG – Chris “Tha Blueprint” Glenn believes everything happens for a reason.

So, when he looks back at not making the basketball team in middle school, it was actually a blessing in disguise. Not making the team forced him to figure out something else to do, and that something was boxing.

“When I was younger, I was into football, basketball, all the team sports. I tried out for the basketball team, and I didn’t make it,” he said. “I was trying to find something else to do. Me and my father talked about boxing. My father used to box in Philadelphia and joined the Navy boxing team before the armed forces stopped the program. He knew how dangerous the sport is. He took me to the gym, and he saw I was kind of a natural, and he knew I had the fundamentals, so I started boxing, and I haven’t stopped since.”

Now, it’s boxing that the 28-year-old Glenn puts most of time and effort into, and all of that time and effort has paid off in a big way for the Martinsburg native, who currently holds three titles in three different associations and a perfect 9-0 record, with just one draw. On Feb. 21, Glenn will take on Erick Rosado at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., as he defends his National Boxing Association Super Bantamweight title in an eight-round fight.

“He’s definitely a guy we’re not talking lightly. He’s a solid guy. He has 15 wins and four losses, but he’s never been knocked out,” Glenn said. “This is what we call a step-up fight. I’m willing to step up and put the boxing world on notice that the kid from Martinsburg – we’re good. He’s a strong fighter, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

This month’s fight is another big event for Glenn, who has been training twice a day. Depending on the day, you can find him doing anything from bag work, weights, calisthenics and shadow boxing to sparring and conditioning, where he’s running 5-6 miles and doing sprints.

All that preparation is to help him win this month’s fight, but there’s a bigger purpose in winning the fight, and that’s to represent his hometown in a positive way and inspire the younger generation to follow their dreams.

“When you look at the landscape, there’s nobody out here that’s a big-time boxer that took this road. I’m trying my best to pave the way and show the kids you can do whatever you want to be,” Glenn said. “(Martinsburg) is a football town, so I’m just showing that world that we have athletes in all different types of sports, and I enjoy carrying that weight on my shoulders.”

Glenn, who started training when he was 13 and fighting as an amateur when he was 14, discussed the origin of his nickname, “Tha Blueprint,” one that he reluctantly admitted was his idea.

“I kind of gave myself my own nickname, which you’re not supposed to do,” joked Glenn, who turned pro in 2021. “What’s the blueprint? It’s the foundation of how to build something or to be something – it’s the blueprint on how to be the perfect boxer or how to come from a small city or small town to make it out.”

Glenn has his sights set on bigger and better things as he continues to rack up wins and gain notoriety.

“I want to be world champion, a future pay-per view star,” he said. “I want to go down in the hall of fame, leave a legacy.”