Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa on Friday both made the junior featherweight limit for their fight Saturday in Carson, Calif.
Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa are ready to roll for their junior featherweight title fight Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Showtime).
Nery, who will be defending his WBC title, weighed in on Friday at the limit of 122.0 pounds. Figueroa came in at 121.2.
Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) defeated Aaron Alameda by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC 122-pound title this past Sept. 26, his first fight as a full-fledged junior featherweight. That ended the Mexican’s knockout streak at 11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nxw0TYYpvM
Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) bounced back from a split draw against an overweight Julio Ceja in November 2019 to stop Damien Vazquez in 10 rounds on the same card Nery defeated Alameda.
The resident of Weslaco, Texas, will be fighting for his first major world title.
In two other featured fights, Xavier Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos weighed 131.6 and 131.8, respectively, for their junior lightweight bout. And Daniel Roman weighed 122 for his junior featherweight bout against Ricardo Espinoza, who came in at 121.6.
Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa on Friday both made the junior featherweight limit for their fight Saturday in Carson, Calif.
Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa are ready to roll for their junior featherweight title fight Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Showtime).
Nery, who will be defending his WBC title, weighed in on Friday at the limit of 122.0 pounds. Figueroa came in at 121.2.
Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) defeated Aaron Alameda by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC 122-pound title this past Sept. 26, his first fight as a full-fledged junior featherweight. That ended the Mexican’s knockout streak at 11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nxw0TYYpvM
Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) bounced back from a split draw against an overweight Julio Ceja in November 2019 to stop Damien Vazquez in 10 rounds on the same card Nery defeated Alameda.
The resident of Weslaco, Texas, will be fighting for his first major world title.
In two other featured fights, Xavier Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos weighed 131.6 and 131.8, respectively, for their junior lightweight bout. And Daniel Roman weighed 122 for his junior featherweight bout against Ricardo Espinoza, who came in at 121.6.
Luis Nery said he wants to fight at both 118 and 122 pounds for the time being and then add 126 to the mix.
Luis Nery has a clear vision of his future. And to say it looks bright is an understatement.
The Mexican slugger’s immediate future features a showdown with unbeaten Aaron Alameda for the vacant WBC 122-pound title on the Sept. 26 pay-per-view card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
If he wins – and he’s favored to do so – he plans to fight at both 118 and 122, depending upon opportunities. And, as if that weren’t enough, he wants to become a three-division fighter by adding 126 soon.
Yes, Nery thinks big. And, yes, he’s confident.
“At this moment, I want to fight at both 118 and 122-pounds,” Nery said. “There are a lot of great fights to be made in those weight classes. Sometime next year, I want to move up to 126 pounds so that I can dominate all three divisions.”
Luis Nery has left many of his opponents on the canvas, including veteran Juan Carlos Payano here. Ethan Miller / Getty Images
All that said, Nery (30-0, 24 KOs) insists he isn’t looking past Alameda (25-0, 13 KOs).
The product of Tijuana has been training for the first time with Eddy Reynoso across the U.S. border in San Diego, alongside countryman Canelo Alvarez and a growing stable of top fighters.
Nery has no issues with power. “Pantera” (the Panther) is riding an impressive streak of knockouts, which stands at 11 going into Sept. 26. No, he joined forces with Reynoso and Co. to lift the rest of his game to a new level.
“Coach Reynoso has been helping me a lot with my defense,” Nery said. “We’re working on boxing with my hands up and on my accuracy. He’s helping me do everything possible to maximize my power and speed.
“I feel very strong and I’ve been sparring 12 rounds for a while now. I’m extremely ready for September 26 and focused on nothing but that.”
Nery and Alameda were scheduled to fight in March but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then Rey Vargas gave up his junior featherweight belt because of an injury, a move that now allows Nery and Alameda to fight for the vacant title. Nery won the WBC 118-pound title by stopping Shinsuke Yamanaka in 2017 and then lost it on the scales before the rematch seven months later.
Nery is taking nothing for granted against Alameda even though his fellow-Mexican is taking a significant step up in opposition.
“I know that Alameda is a tough, undefeated fighter who’s going to leave it all in the ring,” he said. “I know he wants to win, just like me, and I know he’s working every day so that he can perform to his maximum potential. I believe that my speed and my overall talent will make me the winner.
“The postponement has given me even more time to train and prepare for this matchup. I’m 100% ready.”
And then?
“After I win this belt on September 26, I want Brandon Figueroa next,” said Nery, referring to what would be his fellow 122-pound titleholder in Figueroa defeats Damien Vazquez on the same card. “I’m not overlooking Alameda at all, but if I had my choice, me and Figueroa would give the fans a great show my next time in the ring.”
Luis Nery said he wants to fight at both 118 and 122 pounds for the time being and then add 126 to the mix.
Luis Nery has a clear vision of his future. And to say it looks bright is an understatement.
The Mexican slugger’s immediate future features a showdown with unbeaten Aaron Alameda for the vacant WBC 122-pound title on the Sept. 26 pay-per-view card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
If he wins – and he’s favored to do so – he plans to fight at both 118 and 122, depending upon opportunities. And, as if that weren’t enough, he wants to become a three-division fighter by adding 126 soon.
Yes, Nery thinks big. And, yes, he’s confident.
“At this moment, I want to fight at both 118 and 122-pounds,” Nery said. “There are a lot of great fights to be made in those weight classes. Sometime next year, I want to move up to 126 pounds so that I can dominate all three divisions.”
Luis Nery has left many of his opponents on the canvas, including veteran Juan Carlos Payano here. Ethan Miller / Getty Images
All that said, Nery (30-0, 24 KOs) insists he isn’t looking past Alameda (25-0, 13 KOs).
The product of Tijuana has been training for the first time with Eddy Reynoso across the U.S. border in San Diego, alongside countryman Canelo Alvarez and a growing stable of top fighters.
Nery has no issues with power. “Pantera” (the Panther) is riding an impressive streak of knockouts, which stands at 11 going into Sept. 26. No, he joined forces with Reynoso and Co. to lift the rest of his game to a new level.
“Coach Reynoso has been helping me a lot with my defense,” Nery said. “We’re working on boxing with my hands up and on my accuracy. He’s helping me do everything possible to maximize my power and speed.
“I feel very strong and I’ve been sparring 12 rounds for a while now. I’m extremely ready for September 26 and focused on nothing but that.”
Nery and Alameda were scheduled to fight in March but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then Rey Vargas gave up his junior featherweight belt because of an injury, a move that now allows Nery and Alameda to fight for the vacant title. Nery won the WBC 118-pound title by stopping Shinsuke Yamanaka in 2017 and then lost it on the scales before the rematch seven months later.
Nery is taking nothing for granted against Alameda even though his fellow-Mexican is taking a significant step up in opposition.
“I know that Alameda is a tough, undefeated fighter who’s going to leave it all in the ring,” he said. “I know he wants to win, just like me, and I know he’s working every day so that he can perform to his maximum potential. I believe that my speed and my overall talent will make me the winner.
“The postponement has given me even more time to train and prepare for this matchup. I’m 100% ready.”
And then?
“After I win this belt on September 26, I want Brandon Figueroa next,” said Nery, referring to what would be his fellow 122-pound titleholder in Figueroa defeats Damien Vazquez on the same card. “I’m not overlooking Alameda at all, but if I had my choice, me and Figueroa would give the fans a great show my next time in the ring.”
