Photo by Carlos Delgado/Hogan Photos
When we last saw WBC Lightweight champion Omar Figueroa (23-0-1, 17 KOs) in action, he won a close split-decision victory over Jerry Belmontes at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA.
After five previous losses to Belmontes in the amateurs, the 24-year-old native of Weslaco, Texas finally got the win that had eluded him for so long.
It was a close fight and, as he’ll admit, it wasn’t his best performance.
Figueroa looks to erase the memories of his less-than-stellar performance against Belmontes when he returns to the StubHub Center to defend his title in a 12-round fight against Daniel Estrada (32-2-1, 24 KOs) this Saturday on August 16.
The bout will be the televised opener of a Showtime triple-header that will be headlined by Shawn Porter (24-0-1 15 KOs) and Kell Brook (32-0, 22 KOs) as they fight for Porter’s IBF Weltweight title.
The co-main event features Sakio Bika (32-5-3, 21 KOs) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KOs) for Bika’s WBC Super Middleweight title.
Figueroa knows he has a tough fight ahead of him against Estrada.
“We know that he’s ready for a great fight, that he’s ready for 12 hard rounds,” said Figueroa.
Estrada is a 10-year veteran who also boasts a win over Nihito Arakawa.
He won via a technical decision in a fight that was stopped in the 10th round due to Arakawa’s accidental elbows.
Despite 10 years as a professional, Estrada will be vying for a world title for his very first time.
Needless to say, as Figueroa states, “He’s going to come with everything. He wants that title.”
Figueroa has prepared differently for the fight, taking only a week off between training camps and taking care of his diet, an action caused by his performance with Belmontes in April and the realization that making the Lightweight limit of 135 may not be an option in the future.
Figueroa used to blow up to almost 160 pounds, as can be seen by an Instagram post shared a few days before his fight with Arakawa.
“I used to [blow up in weight] before. I learned my lesson after looking the way I looked against Belmontes. I shouldn’t have looked that way. It shouldn’t have been a close fight. It should have been another Abner Cotto-style fight,” said Figueroa
“I told myself ‘I’m not going to do that to myself again. I’m not going to do that to my family because my mom hates to see me struggle with the weight at the end. It just makes everyone worry,” said Figueroa.
I asked about possible unification bouts if he is successful against Estrada, but Figueroa admitted that 135 might not be an option in the future.
“I’m all up for it. The only thing is that I’m getting big for 135 and I’m having to dig deep and maybe even take something away from myself to keep fighting at 135, so we’re going to see if this may be my last fight at 135,” said Figueroa.
Figueroa says that he’s tried a water management system, which has made cutting weight easier, but that it is nevertheless a struggle he wants to avoid.
Moving up to bigger fights in a higher weight division, a thing not uncommon among growing fighters, is a future he welcomes with open arms.
“I’ll be even stronger; I’ll be even more complete than at 135 so I’m excited for the kinds of fights and the kind of fighters that are out there at 140.”
