Those in the New York City boxing community will never forget the February day in 2006 when Junior Younan became the most famous 10-year-old boxer in the world.

Some would say infamous, as the youngster was introduced in a New York Times article profiling him and his dad, Sherif Younan Sr., as they practiced their craft, not as father and son, but trainer and pupil, in Brooklyn’s Gleason’s Gym. It wasn’t a particularly positive piece, and in its aftermath, many wondered if Younan Sr. was pushing his child too hard in the hardest sport. In other words, this was an accident or tragedy waiting to happen.

Yet on Saturday night, Junior Younan, now 29, will headline Star Boxing’s 50th Anniversary Event at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. He’s 21-0-1 as a pro and ranked ninth in the world at 168 pounds by the WBA. Not bad for the kid from that Times article.

“It's been brought up a few times,” Younan said of his first taste of media attention before he was even a teenager. “It's kind of funny how it panned out, though. It's what they thought would be a horror story. But it’s working out.”

Even at the time the article hit newsstands, Younan was aware of what was ahead of him. And though he was still a child, the adult world was something he was rapidly learning to understand, especially being surrounded by them in the gym and in the venues he was fighting in while still a grade schooler.

“Ever since I was young, I knew that this was going to be my life,” he said. “So, I take it with a grain of salt. But it was a weird thing. I don't like the way it was portrayed because it wasn't the full reality of my life.”

And dad, who earned his own stripes for his work with Paulie Malignaggi, among others, is still in his son’s corner.

“As I've gotten older, he trusts me more with my work and he trusts me more in the ring,” said Younan. “And our relationship is great. That's my best friend, and hopefully we make it to where we want to make it.”

Where they want to make it is the place every fighter wants to be – to a world championship, in the big fights, and with the big paychecks. After a stellar amateur career, it was believed that a world title wouldn’t be too far off in the future for the Brooklynite. But what’s expected and what’s reality are often two different things. And for some reason, after a 10-round draw in his 14th pro fight against Ronald Ellis on ShoBox, everything stalled.

“I took that fight when I was 21 years old,” said Younan. “I fought one six rounder, one eight rounder, and then went to fight Ellis who had fought on ShoBox already. So I came in as the B-side and I went straight to a 10 rounder with no experience. And I did what I did in that fight. If you look deeper into it, where was I going? I was only going up from there. And the powers that be, I guess there's a lot of politics in the sport.”

For comparison purposes, Ellis left the Younan fight and went on to fight the likes of David Benavidez, Matvey Korobov and Christian Mbili. Younan? Let’s just say he didn’t get any fights with opponents of that caliber. He did win them all, though bouts of inactivity along with less than elite competition didn’t do him any favors. But with an eight-fight winning streak that includes four knockouts, he’s in a good position heading into Saturday’s matchup with Ecuador’s Abel Mina. As long as he keeps his focus on Mina and not what a win can do for him.

“What honestly keeps me focused is knowing that I'm very close to something big,” Younan said. “I'm not here for these little fights. I want to make my mark in the sport, and it's going to happen very soon.”

To get ready for this next chapter of his career, Younan has been training in Colorado Springs, where he has good sparring and high altitude, and, as he approaches 30 years old, the change of scenery has helped him avoid burnout.

“It’s been a huge difference in my career,” said Younan, who just completed his fourth camp in the mile high state. “It's a new environment, new everything. So it's kept things fresh for me, and I love it out here. And you guys see it in the results that I've been getting.”

He’s looked sharp in back-to-back finishes of Ricardo Adrian Luna and Alexis Gaytan, both in the same ring he’ll be fighting in this weekend, and seeing him fighting regularly in the area does bring back some memories of when New York City fighters were the center of the boxing universe here in the States. The scene has changed, but Younan hasn’t in terms of his affection for his hometown.

“It feels the same to me,” he said. “When I turned pro, I was 18 and I fought a lot on Broadway Boxing, and it feels the same. It feels like home. Being in New York on a Star Boxing card, it's amazing. Honestly, I'm super grateful that at this point in my career, I could fight at home and be in front of the hometown fans. It's fun.”

It’s about to get more fun if he gets by Mina and start getting the fights he wants against the elite of the super middleweight division.

“I've been saying guys' names for a long time and they don't want to answer, but I'm here and I'm giving them no choice now,” said Younan. “I have to go in there and make a statement and put my name out there and let these guys know that I'm not playing around.”