COMMENTARY | There has been plenty of talk of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the ongoing saga with Manny Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum. I figured it would be nice to give the boxing fans a little break from all the drama. In this article I will be discussing five young fighters that I personally feel will have a good 2012 in boxing.
Every year boxing has a class of young fighters that have the potential to become “The Next Big Thing”. Many times, some of these young fighters are hyped so much by their handlers but at times fail to live up to the expectation. In some occasions we will see certain fighters meet our exception and those few are able to separate themselves from the rest because they show their dedication, heart, mental toughness and skills that others did not.
Let’s take a look at the potential fighters that could have a big year in 2012. Most of the fighters that I mention in this article many of you may not recognize but I am hoping after you read this, you will start keeping an eye on these fighters.
1. Omar Figueroa (14-0, 11KO’s): Omar “Panterita” Figueroa is an undefeated Mexican-American who fights in the Lightweight division out of Weslaco, Texas. Figueroa’s fight’s have been televised on Telemundo’s boxing program, “Solo Boxeo Tecate” which air’s on Friday night. he has had many exciting fights with some ending in impressive KOs.
Omar Figueroa is a tough young fighter who can be difficult to figure out, he comes at his opponents with speed, reach, quickness, right or left-handed, short or long distance, inside or outside and applies plenty of pressure. Recently, Figueroa fought on “Showtime Boxing : Next Generation” as he faced then undefeated Michael Perez. Omar would win his debut fight on Showtime by applying constant pressure and vicious power punches to the body, Perez’s corner would then stopped the fight in the 6th round. Omar Figueroa is defiantly one of those young fighters that you would want to keep your eye on in 2012. His style of fighting is a crowd-pleaser that promises to bring excitement to the ring.
2. Thomas Dulorme (13-0, 13 KO’s): People that have seen Dulorme are expecting great things from this 21 year old from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Many of these fans expecting big things from Dulorme are the his fans from Puerto Rico, they are hoping that Dulorme will become the next fighter to carry the torch after Miguel A. Cotto retires. Dulorme has big shoes to fill, the island has produced plenty of great champions in the past, Wilfred Benite , Wilfredo Gomez and the ever popular Felix Trinidad. Thomas Dulorme could be added to this impressive list of Puerto Rican Champions.
Dulorme had an impressive victory over Harrison Cuello in which he Knocked him out in 2 rounds on the Andre Berto vs Victor Ortiz undercard and he completely dominated DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley this past year on ESPN Friday Night Fights. Dulorme seems to have the complete package, he has speed, power, footwork and the ability to land the perfect punch on just about anyone he faces.
Thomas Dulorme has a fight coming up on February 17, 2012 on Showtime Boxing : Next Generation, against Jose Reynoso.
3. Shuhei Tsuchiya (11-0, 11 KO’s): It is a shame that fighters from Japan or any of the other Asian countries do not receive enough attention. These countries do have some very talented fighters and if given the chance, they will prove it to the world. One such fighter is Shuhei Tsuchiya who happens to be a knockout machine. Tsuchiya has faced 11 opponents and has KO all of them in very impressive fashion. He is quickly making a name for himself in Japan by having beaten 7 undefeated fighters in only 11 fights in brutal KO. Although we, here in the states may never get the chance to watch him fight on our soil, does not mean that we should ignore this young fighter and his accomplish thus far.
4. Javier Fortuna (18-0, 13 KO’s): Fortuna the undefeated WBC Youth Featherweight Champion from La Romana, Dominican Republic that fights out of Miami, Florida.
On March 12, 2011 Fortuna was featured on the undercard of the Sergio Gabriel Martinez vs Serhiy Dzinziruk , when he faced Derrick Wilson for the vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental featherweight title . Javier went on to defeat Derrick Wilson by the way of knockout in the 8th round. Javier has quick hands, good footwork, power and the talent to possibly become the next World Champion to come out of the Dominican Republic.
5. Yordenis Ugas (11-0, 5 KO’s): is from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba who is best known for winning the lightweight gold at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships at age 19. Ugas also captured a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and a bronze medal in the lightweight dvision at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Cuban defectors have not really made a big impact in boxing, except for fighters like Yuriorkis Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux who have captured fans attention with their style and will to fight. Yordenis Ugas seems to be heading in the same direction as his fellow countrymen.
Boxing fans have plenty to look forward to this year, plenty of good fights coming up and plenty of hopeful young prospect with bright futures. These young fighters give us, the boxing fans, hope.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on my part 1 of young fighters to look out for in 2012.