As the blazing South Florida sun sizzles on the massive turf field complex of Ft. Lauderdale’s Holiday Park, one of the region’s most sought-after quarterback prospects continues his workouts week-after-week.
There are lots of passes being thrown, of course.
But there are also a lot of punches being thrown.
Punch mitts aren’t part of typical quarterback drills, but Davi Belfort isn’t your typical college QB prospect.
The incoming Virginia Tech freshman QB and son of legendary MMA fighter World Champion Vitor Belfort, Davi, has combined his passion for boxing and football into one of the most unusual workouts you’ll ever see on a football field.
Yeah, Belfort partakes in the typical drills that focus on QB development, like footwork and passing mechanics. One of his QB coaches, Oliver Bozeman (who also worked with Mike Vick, among others), always focuses on mechanics.
But then there is boxing. Davi has trained with his father and other MMA fighters over the years, and he claims it all could make him even better as a Hokie QB of the future.
“Punching and throwing are essentially the same rotation with my hips and my torque, and my core,” Belfort told me. “It’s the same rotation. I’ve been boxing since I was a little kid. Actually, I was born when my dad was fighting Tito Ortiz (in Las Vegas at UFC’s famous pay-per-view main event in February of 2005), so boxing has always been a part of my life since the moment I was being born. Even now, I can focus two or three times each week on boxing, which mentally helps me.”
Belfort arrived in Blacksburg last Saturday, beginning his career as a Virginia Tech quarterback, leaving his South Florida home to start the next chapter—one that began in South America with a stop in Nevada before his family settled in Florida.
“I was born in Brazil and spent six years in Rio de Janeiro before we moved to Las Vegas. And I had always played soccer but fell in love with football when we lived in Nevada. We moved to South Florida when I was 11, and that’s when things really took off.”
As a junior at Miami’s Gulliver Prep, he completed 66 percent of his passes, accounting for 2,358 yards of offense and 16 total touchdowns despite playing only seven games. Last year, Belfort accounted for 3,115 total yards and 34 touchdowns at Western High School. He was a three-time team captain in high school.
Ranked a 4-star QB by ESPN and Rivals, Belfort had over 30 scholarship offers from around the…
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