Birth / death: July 2, 2016 / May 31, 1970 The 22-year-old from Los Angeles, who fights Luke Campbell on Saturday, is striving to become the latest in a long line of great Mexican-American boxers, those of Mexican descent either born or reared in the U.S. Oscar De La Hoya might be the best known of the lot. 15 Paulie Ayala, Sign up for the Boxing Junkie newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning, A critical look at the past week in boxing And nothing has changed of late. Ruiz showed good power and speed during the short fight. A shot against WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith is a possibility in the near future. In round seven, Ruiz knocked Joshua down once again with a short sequence of heavy blows. He took a big chance by facing the naturally bigger Errol Spence Jr., losing a wide decision, but bounced back to defeat Jessie Vargas in his most-recent fight. Each champion's professional boxing record is shown in the following format: wins-losses-draws-no contests ( knockout wins). Is Santa Cruz declining? Birth: Feb. 4, 1973 On May 14, 2016 Ruiz fought 45 year old, former world title challenger Ray Austin (29-6-4, 18 KOs) at the Sportsman's Lodge in California. Figueroa's last fight -- a draw against Ceja -- was an entertaining slugfest when the Texan, who is known as "The Heartbreaker," showed plenty of heart, which left viewers wanting more. -- Parkinson. Ruiz took an eight-month gap before he returned to the ring in February 2010, winning a four-round unanimous decision against Juan Luis Lopez Alcaraz. Usyk is a two-weight unified world champion and one of the best active boxers right now. The Mexican superstar, an obvious choiceconsideringhis careercredentials and current standing atop the overall men's P4P, beat off a solid number of fighters that includedTeofimoLopez and recent Manny Pacquiaoconqueror,YordenisUgas. Canelo Alvarez is the best Hispanic fighter in boxing today thats the verdict from The DAZN Boxing Show who put together a top ten listfeaturing fighters with Hispanic heritage. The gifted boxer-puncher, who would travel anywhere for a challenge, outpointed Lou Salica to win the 118-pound title in 1942 and successfully defended it 15 times before losing it to Harold Dade in 1947. Mendez could own the division in the near future. He's probably slick enough to outpoint Alvarado (although it won't be easy), but you wonder how he will do against guys who are a bit younger and fresher. He's knocked out four of his last six opponents, including former world champions Eric Morel and Alex Munoz. The judges scored the fight 10090, 9991, and 9991. Conwell especially looked good with his attacks to the body, which forced Agaton to retire on his stool after four rounds. The former 130-pound titleholder has been untouchable, with the A critical look at the past week in boxing Skills? 7 in the division by ESPN. Hes 33, an age when some fighters begin to fade. Ortiz pulled off the hat trick in that regard and finished them all, with none of the fights going past six rounds. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. The scorecards read 9892, 9694, and 9991, all in favour of Ruiz who retained his titles. Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia with body punch in Round 7, 'This is the fight to save boxing': Inside the making of Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia, Pain, hope, science collide as athletes turn to magic mushrooms, How a gym in California's Coachella Valley became an international destination for boxing. If Diaz can beat Fortuna, any respect he lost against Rakhimov will be largely forgotten. [51] Ruiz knocked Vargas out in round one. He lost two of his first 11 fights but then went on a dominating run that culminated with a decision over T.J. Doheny to win the IBF 122-pound title in 2019. Future/ceiling/expectations: It looks like a bout with Luke Campbell, which has been mandated by the WBC, is the best fight available for Garcia. The fight was Ruiz's first since a series of bouts with Anthony Joshua on DAZN", "From my latest jam-packed #notebook. In his most-recent outing, in January, he got up from a knockdown to stop former U.K. Olympic champion Luke Campbell with a single body blow in Round 7. Mielnicki took advantage of the opportunity, sending Cory Champion to the canvas in Round 2 and winning a four-round unanimous decision. Please check your email for a confirmation. The fighter: Figueroa, the younger brother of former lightweight world titlist Omar Figueroa, holds a secondary version of the WBA junior featherweight title. Top 10 Heavyweight Boxers - April 2022 Rankings Next up for him? He has continued to stop opponent after opponent even as he has raised the level of his opposition, an obvious sign that hes more than a flash in the pan. But the three-division world champion's resume prior to that setback is just too good to overlook based on getting caught one time against another great fighter. Birth: Nov. 25, 1965 No one can question the superstars place among his countrymen. Click Agree to accept our use of cookies or you can choose to opt out of our use of cookies by following the instructions in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice. [41] Two weeks later, it was reported that Ruiz had withdrawn because he did not want the fight. Rolando Romero, 14, T31. For the bout, Ruiz trained with Manny Robles. The Best Current Boxers. He has beaten a list of elite opponents that is longer than any rival in the sport, including Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Kovalev. . The Los Angeles fighter doesnt have special knockout power but that hasnt prevented him from succeeding on a high level. In recent decades, especially, boxing fans with Mexican heritage on both sides of the border have been essential for keeping the sport strong. Accomplishments/biggest moment: Dubois was British and Commonwealth champion by the age of 21 and is already in the top 10 of two of the world's governing bodies. Eduardo Hernandez, 8, T38. Alvarez deserves the respect he receives. That said, the Texan has made a strong impression thus far. Santa Cruz, Mares: The next generation of Mexican greats? The fans. Stevenson is the precocious type; he wants to go belt hunting as soon as possible and quickly cement his legacy at junior lightweight. The winner of the Ramirez-Taylor fight, which many believe is a 50-50 matchup, will reach new heights in the realm of public opinion. He has turned himself into a complete fighter, one who can outbox you to win a wide decision or knock you out in brutal fashion. Accomplishments/biggest moment: In his last fight, Nakatani stopped former world titleholder Milan Melindo in a six-round TKO victory. Valdezs reputation took a hit when he tested positive for a banned substance yet was allowed to defend his title against Robson Conceicao in September but there is no denying his unusual all-around ability. [38], Ruiz next fought on September 10, 2016 returning to the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in California to headline "Solo Boxeo Tecate" (UniMas) against 40 year old Franklin Lawrence (21-2-2, 16 KOs) for the WBC-NABF heavyweight title. The Best American Pound-For-Pound Boxers Right Now, Named - SPORTbible Background: Tapia was known best for his Vida Loca crazy and self-destructive life but he was also a damn good fighter, collecting five major titles in three divisions. -- Kim. They are known for their blend of brute force, punishing punches and quick feet. Based on his most. The well-schooled 2012 U.S. Olympian needed a few tries to win a major title but finally got it done in a career-defining fashion, clearly outpointing Tevin Farmer to win the IBF belt in January of last year. The dynamic boxer-puncher from Sonora claimed his career-defining victory by outboxing and then knocking out the feared Miguel Berchelt in 10 rounds to win a 130-pound title in February of last year, which lifted him to a new level of respect. He'll defend it Saturday against undefeated Jermall Charlo on the Saul Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo pay-per-view. I wanted to be with the family, I started investing my money. The 10 Best Boxers in the World Right Now, Ranked - Business Insider Accomplishments/biggest moment: Soto caused an upset when he knocked out Angel Acosta for the belt in June last year, which is probably his best win. Based on his most recent performances, the four-division world champion remains near the top of his game. His only other loss came in his fifth professional fight against future WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne, which was stopped after Lawrence injured his arm in round one. Davis defused virtually everything Garcia tried to do, outboxing and outfoxing him from the second round on. Pro boxing record: 57 wins (39 knockouts) against two losses and two draws. [39] Lawrence has won his last nine fights inside the distance dating back to 2009, with his last loss being against veteran Oliver McCall. 10 greatest Mexican-American boxers - Boxing Junkie [18] Ruiz mostly fought journeymen opposition earlier in his career but did knock out two amateur stars in 2006 US amateur champion Jonte Willis and 2008 Golden Gloves champion Tor Hamer. It's unclear what his next move will be, but for now, he still deserves the top spot on this list. BIGGEST WINNERS Background: Garcia is the crown jewel in a boxing family, one in which his father (Eduardo) guided brother Robert Garcia to a world title. 14 Art Aragon, No. Diaz surrenders to New Orleans police after brawl, Paul launches series for up-and-coming boxers, Ramirez to defend WBO title vs. Shimizu in July, IBA upset by 'rogue' boxing group as U.S. quits, Sources: Anderson-Kossobutskiy to meet July 1, Arrest warrant issued for Nate Diaz after brawl, Sources: Smith-Eubank rematch set for June 17, Ryan Garcia took a chance and lost, but boxing is better for it, Gervonta Davis says he's the face of boxing and he's right, Women's boxing divisional rankings: Ryan shakes up welterweight division after impressive win. 6-10 (in alphabetical order): Isaac Cruz (proved himself in loss to Davis), Julio Cesar Martinez (fights Gonzalez next month), Emanuel Navarrete (needs a few more big wins), Gilberto Ramirez (has done nothing but win), Rey Vargas (almost was No. -- Kim. DAZN presents: The top 10 Hispanic boxers today #10 - Gilberto Ramrez #9 - Jose Zepeda #8 - Jos Ramrez #7 - Emanuel Navarrete #6 - Chocolatito Gonzlez #5 - scar Valdez #4 - Yordenis Ugs #3 - Juan Francisco Estrada #2 - Tefimo Lpez Jr. #1 - Canelo lvarez Titles: WBO junior bantamweight (1994-98); IBF junior bantamweight (1997-98); WBA bantamweight (1998-99); WBO bantamweight (2000); IBF featherweight (2002) Oscar De La Hoya (; born February 4, 1973) is a Mexican-American former professional boxer who, in 2002, also became a boxing promoter and, in 2018, a mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter. Record: 38-2-1 (17 KOs) Future/ceiling/expectations: Ortiz returns Friday to face Samuel Vargas, and many already consider Ortiz a contender at welterweight. Future/ceiling/expectations: For the time being, Mielnicki will be guided carefully, and perhaps by the end of the year he'll be in six-round fights.