Meghan Markle's estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. revealed he is forging a full-time career as a celebrity boxer and will fight baseball legend Jose Canseco next.
Markle, 53, who shares the same father, 74-year-old Thomas Markle Sr., with Duchess of Sussex Meghan, was crowned celebrity boxing champion on Saturday.
Calling himself Thomas 'The Duke' Markle Jr., he beat boxing radio host Tim Kudgis, 34 in front of a crowd of 400 people at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.
Markle had dedicated the fight to 37-year-old Meghan, married to Prince Harry, and also to Meghan's first child Archie, born on May 6.
He told DailyMailTV after the fight that he desperately wants to reunite with his estranged half-sister and meet his nephew, hoping this will happen by Archie’s first birthday.
He said: ‘Meghan, remember you have a brother and a family in the United States. I’m looking forward to seeing you again someday.’
DailyMailTV can reveal plans are now underway for Markle to go into the ring to fight former Oakland A's slugger Canseco, 54, a two-time World Series champion.
Markle hopes he will earn a living as a celebrity boxer while also helping to raise money for charity. His fight against Kadgis raised $1,000 for veterans group Wounded Warrior Project.
Thomas ‘The Duke’ Markle Jr. (pictured with baseball cap-wearing fight promoter Damon Feldman) is awarded the belt after his opponent was disqualified on Saturday in Atlantic City
Markle had dedicated the fight to his sister Meghan and nephew Archie (pictured with Prince Harry) and said he desperately wants to reunite with his sister
Celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman, who organized Markle's fight with Kudgis, told DailyMailTV he is arranging the Canseco match for either August or October.
Feldman admitted to DailyMailTV he had not initially been confident of heavy-smoker Markle's success against Kudgis but now believes Markle could have a great career if he adheres to a tough fitness regime.
Feldman said: 'At first I wasn’t too happy about the shape he was in but with some training he could make a name for himself in this business. He has potential.'
Markle spoke with DailyMailTV after the fight and said he was ready to earn a living from boxing more celebrity fighters.
He said: 'I now know what to expect when I get back into the ring. I think I did pretty good for my first time.’
And Feldman believes Canseco, who gained infamy when he admitted to using steroids during his baseball career, will be the perfect opponent for Markle.
He said: 'I’m going to see if they can be on the card for my next Celebrity Boxing match on August 17th in Atlantic City or in October in Los Angeles.
‘Jose is in shape, if Thomas actually trains I think it would be a great match,’ continued Feldman.
Philadelphia-based boxing promoter Feldman is known as the '16-minute man' for giving headline-makers their 16th minute of fame in the boxing ring through his Celebrity Boxing events.
Retired Oakland A's baseball star Jose Canseco, pictured at the height of his career in 1997, will be fighting Thomas Markle Jr. later this year in a celebrity boxing match
Former Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale, center, holds up Jose Canseco's arm as they stand alongside Canseco's competitor Danny Bonaduce at a January 2009 celebrity boxing match. Judges ruled the fight a draw
Canseco, who retired from baseball in 2002, fought former child star Danny Bonaduce in a boxing match organized by Feldman in 2009. It ended in a draw.
Markle won his debut on Saturday when Kudgis was disqualified for twice hitting him in the groin.
Markle was originally scheduled to fight Henry ‘Nacho’ Laun, a childhood friend of actor Mark Wahlberg, but the night before the fight he was replaced by Kudgis.
The 6’ 3” Markle weighed in at 261 lbs while Kudgis topped the scales at 222lbs.
The fight was scheduled for three one-minute rounds, but Markle was
