The third of a five-part series. We reached out to lifelong boxing insiders who have various skills and experience in the industry. In this installment: What up-and-comer are they following and why?
Meet the panel:
Aaron Navarro, a cutman who has worked for more than 20 years at the highest level of the sport. He is the cutman for WBC junior lightweight titleholder O’Shaquie Foster and former champion Regis Prograis, among many other fighters.
Mike Rodriguez, a cutman who has worked with 29 world titleholders, including Manny Pacquiao, Katie Taylor, Julian Williams, Dmitry Bivol and Vergil Ortiz Jnr.
AJ Jafari is one half of 3pt Management along with David Suh. Jafari’s company manages the careers of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, John “Scrappy” Ramirez, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Darius Fulghum.
Roberto Diaz is the president of Sheer Sports and the former matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions.
John Pullman is a boxing coach who currently trains women’s lightweight Stephanie Simon and flyweight Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu.
Rudy Hernandez is a boxing coach from Los Angeles, California, who currently trains two world titleholders: unified bantamweight titleholder Junto Nakatani and flyweight titleholder Anthony Olascuaga.
Pepe Reilly is a 1992 US Olympian, a former professional fighter, and a trainer at Wild Card Boxing in Los Angeles.
Mark DeLuca is a former professional boxer who now trains fighters in Massachusetts, working with Abraham Nova, Thomas O’Toole, Francis Hogan and other up-and-coming fighters.
Eddie Croft is a former professional boxer and is currently a trainer at his gym, B. St Boxing, in San Mateo, California.
***
Mike Rodriguez: I like Callum Walsh as a fighter. I have worked with him since the beginning of his career. What I love most about him is his fighting spirit and warrior mentality. He was thrust into the spotlight as soon as he turned professional and he has handled the pressure like a true pro. It’s not a single fight that convinced me of these things, but rather a cumulative observation of watching him train and working his fights. He has been cut badly in two of his fights. Most recently, in his last fight on the 360 promotions show on UFC Fight Pass, he did not waver or panic in his approach. He's a very mature fighter.
John Pullman: I am watching lightweight Andy Cruz. His accolades speak for themselves. He was a gold medal Olympian in 2020, and now the IBF No.1 contender in the lightweight division. He has flawless technique along with natural gifts that you can’t teach. His most recent fight against Hironori Mishiro sealed it for me, but he looked great in all his fights. He seems to be really adapting to professional boxing very well after coming from such a prestigious amateur background.
Pepe Reilly: I have big expectations for a fighter that I co-train. His name is Darial Kuchmenov. Darial is 9-0 (7 KOs). His head trainer is Ernie Zavala, and he co-trains him at Wild Card Gym. He spars with all the world champions that come by the Wild Card and shows his ability to be at that level and beyond.
AJ Jafari: Of all the young fighters knocking on the door of contention, Abdullah Mason stands out as a future, longstanding world champion. He has a very fan-friendly style that will make for many great fights in the future. His fight against Yohan Vasquez, where he got dropped and got up to score the KO, showed his toughness and grit, as well as showing he's resilient. His last few fights have proved that, as he looks like he's getting better after each fight.
Mark DeLuca: There are a few up-and-coming prospects, but the best-kept secret is Thomas O’Toole from Ireland. His last performance against Vaghun Alexander showed me a lot of what potential O’Toole has. All he needs to do is keep refining his tools while his team works on timing the right opportunities for him.
Roberto Diaz: The up-and-comer I am watching is Joel Iriarte. I am somewhat biased [Diaz works with Iriarte], of course, but truthfully, he is special and the real deal. He has talent, experience, and most of all, tremendous desire and dedication. Emiliano Vargas, in and out of the ring, his branding and marketability are fantastic! Benjamin Johnson is the total package: skill, experience, and looks. I don’t think a specific performance has yet to convince me that I am correct, but it is still early; however, you see the signs of greatness.
Jolene Mizzone: I am biased since the up-and-comer I am watching for is Justin Figueroa, who is under the Fighters First Management Banner. In boxing, there is a thing called the “IT” factor, and I believe he is the total package. He sells tickets, he has the looks, he listens, and most of all, he can fight. What sealed the deal for me is that in his sixth fight, he fought a fighter named Jeff Lentz from the same area he is from. Though Lentz isn’t a world beater, Justin handled the fight and didn’t let all the pressure get to him. Was it the best fight I've seen? No. But Justin learned a lot in that fight, and I have only seen him get better since that fight. It is not about looking good in every fight, but about learning and dealing with adversity.
Eddie Croft: Keon Davis, because he beat a fighter I train, Dante Kirkman, but also middleweight Amari Jones. I think Amari is really good. It isn’t just one performance from Amari since I haven’t seen all of his pro fights. I have seen him train many times. His skill set is what I like to see in a fighter. Someone relaxed and fluid, able to slip punches, has a good jab, and he can fight on the inside and outside.
Aaron Navarro: A couple of the guys Robert Garcia is working with stand out: Raymond Muratalla and Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez. We have seen a lot of good fighters, and every now and then, you see a fighter that looks a little different. That kid “Chop Chop” looks like he is going to do something.
Rudy Hernandez: It is sad for me to say, but I don’t know. The last fighter that I saw that was up-and-coming was Jaron “Boots” Ennis. I thought he was a bigger version of Terence Crawford. If he could knock you out in one round, he’d take you out. All of a sudden, he is no longer where I thought he’d be. Right now, he should be one of the biggest stars in boxing.
