John Fernandez @SJCBoxingCoach

PROSPECT OF THE WEEK 19-year old Yahir Diaz-Martinez is one of the best amateur boxers in the United States. Originally from Puerto Rico, Yahir now resides in Winter Park, Florida, where he trains under Jason Galarza at the School of Hard Knocks Boxing Gym. He is currently ranked #2 by USA Boxing in the Elite Men’s 132-pound weight division.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Congratulations to the SJC Competition Boxing Team for an outstanding performance this weekend in Clearwater, Florida. Jose Diaz (blue uniform) and Walter Flores (red uniform) won unanimous decisions under the guidance of coaches Felix Malespin and Carla Da Silva.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Aaron Pryor, down in the 1st round, rallies to KO Antonio Cervantes in the 4th round, on August 2, 1980, to capture the WBA Junior Welterweight Championship at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati. Ohio. From The Ring magazine: The bounding Pryor met Cervantes three-quarters of the way across the ring when the opening bell sounded and instantly went to work by swarming him with bunches of punches. Expecting this, Cervantes coolly snapped out jabs, maintained a high guard and kept his eyes peeled for countering opportunities. During those rare times when they were at long range, Cervantes cracked Pryor with long-armed hooks and crosses. With 30 seconds remaining in an active opening round, Cervantes floored Pryor with a sneaky right to the jaw. Up at one, Pryor whirled his right arm in windmill fashion as Rozadilla administered the mandatory eight count, then proceeded to land the first hook he threw once action resumed. Cervantes affixed a tight clinch, then rode out the rest of the round. Round two saw plenty of the long-range boxing that favored Cervantes, but it was fought at the kinetic pace that suited Pryor. “Kid Pambele” continued to connect with well-timed counters while the challenger pumped in quick flurries. Pryor then unveiled a wrinkle in his game by suddenly cutting wide circles around the champion and flashing swift, Ali-like jabs. A combination visibly moved Cervantes and Pryor showed off his superior upper body strength by using his shoulders to shrug off Cervantes in the clinches. Pryor picked up his pace even more in the third and Cervantes had little choice but to do the same lest he be swallowed whole. The champion responded well to the challenge as he landed a meaty right that caused Pryor to fall forward into a clinch but moments earlier a left hand opened a gash under Cervantes’ right eyebrow. As if dealing with Pryor wasn’t enough, the crimson only added to Cervantes’ increasingly desperate situation. Once the blood started gushing into his eye his previously pinpoint punches had a flailing look to them. Not only that, the older champion looked weary, as if he had suddenly hit a wall. Cervantes’ corner feverishly tended to the cut between rounds but their work did little to ease the crisis as the blood resumed flowing mere seconds into the fourth. The energized Pryor bounced around Cervantes and speared his gory face with jabs and crosses, content to pile up points and inflict ever-mounting damage. Pryor also showcased his underrated defense as he rolled under the champion’s blows. A triple jab set up a heavy one-two to Cervantes’ face, which then ignited a torrent of punches. A thunderous right to the face floored the Colombian legend near one of the corner pads. Cervantes’ crumpled form turned his back to Rozadilla and Pryor, then tried to rise by pulling on the ropes. His attempts to clear the cobwebs were in vain as Rozadilla tolled the final ten-count.

Thomas "Hitman" Hearns TKO's Jose "Pipino" Cuevas in the 2nd round on August 2, 1980 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to win the WBA Welterweight Championship. Cuevas'career unraveled after this fight, which was his 12th title defense, and he would lose seven of his next twelve fights and never again fight for a world championship. From boxrec: In this fight between the shorter, scrappy champion and the extremely tall, long-armed undefeated challenger, much was expected. However, it really wasn't much of a contest. Cuevas could never penetrate Hearns' relative force field, created by his lightening fast hands and very long arms. In the first round, Hearns battered Cuevas with both hands, while also keeping him at bay and measured with his left jab. Cuevas went careening off the ropes several times, but never went down. In the second round, it was more of the same, as every attempt by the champion to attack was quickly picked apart by super-quick and accurate punches from the challenger. Pipino's illustrious four-year reign as champion came to a sudden and dramatic end when Hearns landed a monstrous right hand to Cuevas' head. Cuevas stayed up for nearly two seconds on extremely wobbly legs before Hearns stepped in with another right that sent Cuevas face-first into the canvas. He somehow made it up before the ten count, but referee Christodoulou waved the bout off when Cuevas's trainer came in to save him. It was one of the most memorable knockouts in boxing history.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

@StephenCMeyer @DrJamesTour @leecronin @PiersUncensored Thank you, James Tour!

August 2, 1980 was a day that hit the boxing world like an earthquake. It signified a seismic shift in the lower weight divisions that would make boxing's little men big dollar superstars like they had never been before. The big men had always dominated the boxing scene. The lower weights, it seemed, were always stocked with talent, but the big draw (and big money) had always been the heavyweights. That would change, dramatically, in the 1980's. Roberto Duran, of course, had already shaken up the division a bit with his victory over Sugar Ray Leonard in June. Six weeks later, Aaron Pryor and Thomas Hearns would electrify with their title-winning efforts and a third champion would suffer a shocking upset loss. As dawn broke on Aug. 2, 1980, most boxing fans' attention was centered on two of the three cards held in the United States, where three pillars of the sport prepared to defend their championships. Antonio Cervantes, Pipino Cuevas and Samuel Serrano each had registered 10 or more defenses of their respective WBA belts, though Cervantes’ total was earned over two reigns. Cervantes was the first to risk his championship, CBS televised his bout against the dynamic Aaron Pryor in the challenger’s hometown of Cincinnati, while Cuevas and Serrano put their titles on the line a few hours later on a closed-circuit card emanating from Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. Along with a heavyweight slugfest between Randall “Tex” Cobb and Earnie Shavers and Hilmer Kenty’s WBA title bout against obscure (and many said undeserving) mandatory challenger Young-Ho Oh, Serrano fought Japanese bomber Yasutsune Uehara, while Cuevas defended against Detroit's Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns in the main event. In less than 12 hours’ time, the boxing world experienced a seismic shift unlike few others in the sport’s history. Three champions that boasted a combined 37 defenses in four reigns spanning 14¼ years lost their belts in crushing fashion. Two of the victors, Hearns and Pryor, went on to join Cervantes and Cuevas in the International Boxing Hall of Fame while Uehara’s one-punch KO victory was so shocking that it was declared The Ring magazine's 1980 Upset of the Year. Antonio Cervantes had been a 140-pound champion for all but 15 months since October 1972 and the classy Colombian boxer-puncher was among the sport’s most experienced titleholders in terms of ring action. The Pryor fight was to be Cervantes’ 17th defense overall and the seventh of his second reign. The reason why Cervantes’ latest title defense was being showcased on CBS was his opponent. Aaron Pryor was an up-from-the-bootstraps star in the making thanks to a whirlwind style that conjured memories of Henry Armstrong, Jack “Kid” Berg, Fighting Harada and Harry Greb. During the early and mid-1970s Pryor had been a standout amateur that harbored dreams of making the 1976 Olympic team, and his 204-16 record gave him reason to believe those dreams would come true. But a pair of close decision losses to eventual gold medalist (and Val Barker Trophy winner) Howard Davis Jr. threw cold water on his aspirations. With Davis wearing the medal he coveted and owning the multi-fight network TV contract that came with it, “The Hawk” was forced to take the long, hard road toward a title shot by fighting often for small purses away from TV screens. Back-to-back victories over Julio Valdez (KO 4) and Leonidis Asprilla (KO 10) on NBC and CBS ran Pryor’s knockout string to 16, also giving him exposure to more fight fans, and positioned him for title shots against lightweight belt-holders Jim Watt (WBC) and Kenty (WBA). Neither titleholder was eager to risk their bauble against the likes of Pryor. Most may not recall that Pryor had fought at 135 up until April of 1980. The bounding Pryor met Cervantes three-quarters of the way across the ring when the opening bell sounded and instantly went to work by swarming him with bunches of punches. Expecting this, Cervantes coolly snapped out jabs, maintained a high guard and kept his eyes peeled for countering opportunities. With 30 seconds remaining in an active opening round, Cervantes floored Pryor with a sneaky right to the jaw. Up at one, Pryor whirled his right arm in windmill fashion as referee Larry Rozadilla administered the mandatory eight count, then proceeded to land the first hook he threw once action resumed. Cervantes affixed a tight clinch, then rode out the rest of the round. Round two saw plenty of the long-range boxing that favored Cervantes, but it was fought at the kinetic pace that suited Pryor. “Kid Pambele” continued to connect with well-timed counters while the challenger pumped in quick flurries. A combination then visibly moved Cervantes and Pryor showed off his superior upper body strength by using his shoulders to shrug off Cervantes in the clinches. Pryor picked up his pace even more in the third and Cervantes had little choice but to do the same. The champion responded well to the challenge as he landed a meaty right that caused Pryor to fall forward into a clinch but moments earlier a left hand opened a gash under Cervantes’ right eyebrow. Not only that, the older champion (Cervantes was listed as 34 yet to this day many insist that he was pushing 40 at this time) looked weary, as if he had suddenly hit a wall. A triple jab in the fourth round set up a heavy one-two to Cervantes’ face, which then ignited a torrent of punches. A thunderous right to the face floored the Colombian legend near one of the corner pads. Cervantes’ turned his back to Rozadilla and Pryor, then tried to rise by pulling on the ropes. His attempts failed. Aaron Pryor had become Cincinnati’s first world champion since Wallace “Bud” Smith lost the lightweight title to Joe Brown in August of 1956. Mere minutes after certifying Pryor’s spectacular triumph, famed ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr. was on his way to the airport, where he would fly to Detroit to work the night-time card at Joe Louis Arena. After Randall "Tex" Cobb had broken Earnie Shavers’ jaw en route to an eighth round TKO, and Hilmer Kenty had administered a leather shower to challenger Young Ho Oh, in registering a ninth round TKO, hometown challenger Thomas Hearns entered the ring to ear-splitting cheers. Hearns’ stylistic transformation from amateur to pro couldn’t have been more stark. As a simon pure Hearns scored just 12 knockouts in his 155-8 record, which translates to a .074 knockout percentage. But once he turned pro he learned the wonders of leverage and the results were nothing short of spectacular. Hearns ran off 17 consecutive knockout victories to begin his career and entering the Cuevas fight his record was an intimidating 28-0 (26) – a .929 knockout percentage. What was equally outstanding was the reputation crafted by the hard-hitting Cuevas. At only age 18, Cuevas became history’s youngest welterweight champion by blasting out Angel Espada in two rounds. Over the next four years he became arguably one of the most feared fighters in the sport. At the time of the Hearns fight more than a few experts believed Cuevas to already be among history’s greatest welterweight champions, and at age 22 he was poised to make even more history. The opening exchange of hooks essentially decided the fight. Though Cuevas actually launched his hook a split-second earlier, Hearns’ shorter flight path and quicker trigger managed to beat Cuevas’ to the target. Both blows landed but Hearns’ carried enough force to make Cuevas stagger backward. From that point on, it was one-way traffic. With Cuevas uncharacteristically circling away, the stalking Hearns fired whipping jabs, thunderbolt crosses and blinding combinations that tested Cuevas’ cast-iron chin. A right to the ear, combined with Cuevas’ leather-soled shoes, caused the champion to slip and another quick cross knocked him into the ropes. As the round reached its final minute Hearns savaged Cuevas with blistering power shots and the champion could do little else but circle away and brace for the next assault. A whistling right buckled Cuevas’ legs and a final double-jab/double cross closed out a dominant first three minutes for the 21-year-old challenger. Hearns speared the still-retreating Cuevas with jabs to open round two and singular right hands landed with alarming frequency. The relatively slow pace at the start of the round was just the interlude before the crushing closing act. A quick volley of power shots now had Cuevas in full retreat and a flush one-two in ring center set the stage for one of Hearns’ signature moments. As both men measured each other with jabs, their left arms tangled for a long moment. Once Hearns drew his bead, he fired a trademark right to the temple that buckled Cuevas’ legs and sent his upper body into a slow-motion spin, while a second right put Cuevas on his face. Somehow, a woozy Cuevas managed to rise by referee Stanley Christodoulou’s count of eight but Cuevas’ manager Arturo “Cuyo” Hernandez had already climbed into the ring to signal his fighter’s surrender. In just five minutes and 39 seconds, Hearns had established the building blocks for his eventual Hall of Fame career while simultaneously destroying Cuevas’. Hearns was a first-ballot Hall of Famer while Cuevas, once considered a living legend at 22, had to wait a full eight years after he first became eligible before he was honored in 2002. Hearns’ title-winning blitz of Cuevas was among the most thrilling and destructive of the young decade. Over the next four years, after dethroning ben Villaflor, Sammy Serrano proved to be a fighting champion willing to risk his belt on the road. Besides five successful defenses in Puerto Rico, Serrano retained his belt in Ecuador, Venezuela, Japan and South Africa. This was his debut on the U.S. mainland as well as his first outing on American soil since the disputed draw with Villaflor prior to his title-winning effort (both fights were in 1976). Uehara was a massive underdog to the slick-boxing Serrano and few had reason to believe he’d be little more than a foil for the Puerto Rican world champion’s polished skills. For the better part of five rounds Uehara was just that. Serrano cleverly used his graceful footwork and darting jabs to maintain a safe distance, occasionally landed chopping rights and slapping hooks for a change of pace and slapped on clinches nearly every time Uehara managed to close the gap. Uehara’s only moment of glory to that point came in the third round when he trapped Serrano against the corner pad and pumped away with both hands. But Serrano escaped by clinching, forcing a break and dancing back to ring center. Serrano’s confidence grew with every passing round. Starting in round four he began putting more mustard behind his punches and late in that session he even tried a Gavilan-esque bolo punch. In round five, Serrano’s stinging right stunned Uehara and a follow-up hook to the head had the Japanese challenger holding on for the first time in the bout. After five rounds, judges Harold Lederman and Stanley Berg, along with referee Luis Sulbaran, had Serrano ahead 50-45 – the only sensible score that could be submitted given the champion’s dominance. The sixth unfolded much like the first five had: Serrano dancing, jabbing, crossing, clinching and piling up points while Uehara doggedly — and some would say quixotically – chugging in behind power shots that sailed off target. The crowd that had been so energized by Hearns’ triumph had settled down considerably. Their barely perceptible volume mirrored the nature of Serrano’s quiet, clinical dissection of Uehara. A 15-round title-retaining decision appeared all but inevitable. In the final minute of round six, however, Uehara produced a positive sign in the form of a lead right that caused Serrano to blink. Moments later another Uehara bull rush positioned Serrano against the ropes, where the champion landed a light hook to Uehara’s chest. Uehara, now in a southpaw stance, exploited the split-second opening Serrano’s move created with a compact right hook to the champion’s exposed jaw. The effects of Uehara’s short, explosive punch were jarring and instantaneous. Serrano’s head snapped violently to the side, his upper body swiveled leftward and his legs crumbled like a skyscraper’s foundation under the wrecking ball. Serrano’s head lightly bounced off the canvas as it came to rest back-first on the canvas, his eyes blank and his left glove pointed toward the ceiling. The stricken champion tried his best to get up. He lifted his head only to put it down again when the fireflies within proved too intense. He vacantly looked toward his corner before rolling onto his knees to push himself up. But by the time he strung together the necessary moves to arise, referee Luis Sulbaran had already counted him out. All of the sudden, the inevitable gave way to the improbable. At 2:59 of round six, Yasutsune Uehara became the new WBA junior lightweight champion, the final act to a most theatrical and tumultuous day. Serrano would win his title back, eight months later, but for Cervantes and Cuevas . Cuevas would go 8-9 in his final 17 fights, finishing 35-15-0 for his career. He'd never get another title fight. Cervantes would fight five more times, going 4-1, and end his legendary career in 1983 at 67-12-1. (NOTE: The Uehara-Serrano pic is from their 1981 rematch won by Serrano)

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Larry Willis and his son, former professional boxer Quinton Willis, recently brought a team of young boxers to train and spar at SJC. Here they are with one of their boxers during a sparring session. Larry is currently head coach of the Fort Myers Police Athletic League.

@offFupdates85 God bless you, young man. It takes a lot of courage to proclaim the Gospel to a hostile audience. But rest assured, somebody in that crowd was listening and paying attention. Great job!

Walter Flores is looking sharp as he prepares for his next USA Boxing competition. Here he is working the mitts last night with coach Felix Malespin at the SJC Boxing Gym in Fort Myers, Florida.

Undefeated BKFC fighter Jancarlos “Baby Tank” Rivera takes time out from training to pose with active professional boxer Quincy "Chico" LaVallais and former professional boxer Quinton Willis at the SJC Boxing Gym in Fort Myers, Florida.

@FTTVBoxing Maybe the best conditioned fighter of all time. A fighter, not a boxer. Seemed to get stronger as the fight wore on. A 189-pound wrecking ball with absolutely no quit in him. Him and Joe Frazier would have been an amazing battle. Both are all time greats!

@HMBOXING These kids are not really beginners, but I get your point. They look like experienced amateurs with a high level of skill and conditioning for their age. Thanks for sharing this footage. Great post.

PROSPECT OF THE WEEK: Kmani Deihim is from Fort Myers, Florida. He has 33 amateur bouts. He won the 2026 Silver Gloves National Championship and he is currently ranked #4 in the USA Boxing Junior Division (15-16 year old). Kmani trains at Chief Boxing with Coach Jose Ojeda.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Coach Felix Malespin talks to SJC boxer Ryan Metelus between rounds during a busy night of sparring at the SJC Boxing Gym in Fort Myers, Florida.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Some of the best boxing coaches in Florida were at SJC Boxing Gym last night. Marcus Willis, Carla Da Silva, Imani Gregory, Felix Malespin, Jonathan Peralta, and current WBC Featherweight Champion, Tiara Brown, were all part of another special night at SJC.

This week marks the 50-year anniversary of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team’s amazing success at the Montreal Games. Here are the five gold medalists from that team: Leo Randolph Howard Davis Jr. Sugar Ray Leonard Michael Spinks Leon Spinks

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

@BoxingGoldenAge Excellent post!

In 1929, Jack Johnson lists his ATG Heavyweights. 'No matter how young or how old you are in boxing, there is always that temptation to compare a present-day fighter with an old-time fighter in the same class. I guess that is part of human nature. Every time a great young ball player comes up they say that he is another Ty Cobb; if a tennis player develops, they compare him to Tilden, and the same holds true in the fighting game. I guess it holds true in any sport in which there is no definite measure of comparison. Pole vaulting, measuring rods. In other sports, where there is no record or comparative time or distance, the temptation is great to call this fighter a second Ketchel or that fighter a second 'Kid' McCoy. So it is but natural that I, a former heavyweight champion, should have compared the champions who have held the title. I saw nearly the complete Queensbury line of heavyweight champions. I didn't see John L Sullivan, but I have studied his record so carefully that I know him pretty well, too. The greatest of the heavyweight champions undoubtedly was Robert Fitzsimmons, the great Cornishman who met every acid test of the ring in championship fashion. He met the acid test of weight, he met the double test of boxer and slugger and he passed all three with flying colors. They all looked alike to him. He gave weight away 40 and 50 pounds at a time, and won by knockouts. He beat boxers and he outslugged sluggers. And, to cap his marvelous record, he kept on boxing until he was nearly 52 years old. There was never a heavyweight like Fitz. There never will be. So you will understand why I placed him at the top of this all-time list of heavyweight champions. 1. Bob Fitzsimmons 2. James J Jeffries 3. Peter Jackson 4. James J Corbett 5. Sam Langford 6. Sam McVey 7. Joe Jeanette 8. John L Sullivan 9. Philadelphia Jack O'Brien 10. Tom Sharkey 11. Gene Tunney 12. Jack Dempsey You will notice that I have placed Tunney and Dempsey far down on the list. I did that for the very good reason that they don't belong with the old-timers at all. Tunney, hailed as the marvel of boxing skill by the youngsters of today, was only a very fair boxer. Joe Jeanette would have boxed rings around him. So would Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, despite Tunney's advantage in weight. John L Sullivan is a tradition of the ring, but actually he was nothing more than a strong, tough, game big fellow who knew little or nothing of what we understand of boxing today. His losing fight with Corbett was the best illustration of his short-comings. He was bewildered by a feint, completely at the mercy of every boxing trick. It took a great boxing master to do it, of course, but nevertheless it was done. Third place on my list I give to the gallant Australian black, the immortal Peter Jackson. Here was the first of the clever big fellows, and his caliber can be judged from the fact that when he had passed his prime he went 61 rounds to a draw with Jim Corbett. I put Langford fifth and yet might have won against any of the four. All "Tham" needed was one clean shot to the whiskers to end any fight, but I don't think he would have gotten that clean poke at Fitz, Jeff, Jackson or Corbett. Jeffries would have held off Langford with that jig-boom left hand he held out when he crouched. Where I fit in this ranking is not for me to say. It would have been great to have met any or all of them in my time. For instance, I always wished that I could have met Jim Corbett. He was faster on his feet, but I think I was faster with my hands, and I know I could have hit harder because of my weight. However, Li'l Artha had better stop right here or he'll be accused of blowing his own horn, and that would never do.' - Jack Johnson Source: Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey, USA) - Thursday 25th April 1929 h/t @LoneliestSport