Last December, Manuel Perez took a gamble in the big city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Perez stepped in the ring to take on former champion, Victor Ortiz. Many people advised Perez not to take the fight, even though Ortiz hadn’t stepped in a ring in over a year.
Ortiz was two weight classes heavier than Perez’s normal weight, and on fight night, the size difference was as clear as day. Instead, Perez walked in the ring with a fire in his eye, and he was ready to make an impression.
He did just that, creating an action-packed first round, and dominating Ortiz in the second. In the third round, Perez did what he normally does. He walked forward to take some heavy shots and counter off to push his opponent back on his feet. What Perez didn’t expect was for Ortiz to land a good combination of shots that knocked him to the canvas.
Perez made it up on the third count of 10, but still felt his legs were a little wobbly. As Perez was unable to walk forward, the referee waved off the bout, and Ortiz won his comeback fight.
“I had just won the second round. At that point I thought to myself, ‘I can knock this guy out.’ So I dropped my hands and he hit me clean. I admit that I didn’t respect his power,” said Perez as he recalls that night.
Even though Ortiz gave him a ton of credit, Perez still returned home with the loss. As Perez was hoping to return home with the W and a new path for his career, he had to now ask himself, what was he going to do next?
His career was at a standstill, and in quite the predicament. Admitting now that fighting at 147 pounds was not the best move for his career, Perez felt he had to from the lack of fight opportunities.
“I got a ton of calls after the Ortiz fight, which made me feel good, but they were all at 147. I couldn’t fight that heavy anymore, I walk around at that weight. It was very hard to turn down fights against some big names. But I had to do it, it was best for my career.”
Time was ticking, February and March had passed, and the beginning of April finally brought some sunshine to Perez. Perez was approached to face another former champ, a four-time titlist to be exact, in his hometown of Denver, CO, and at his natural weight class of 135 pounds. Perez then immediately signed a contract to face DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley on May 16 for the WBF lightweight title.
“Everything about this fight is the perfect opportunity to show everyone I’m not ready to hang up the gloves. At 30 years old, I still have a lot of fight left in me, and Corley is a big enough name to put my career back on track.”
After waiting for the right fight to come along, Perez will have been in training for three months before he steps in the ring with Corley. This fight camp is a little different than others, as Perez can train and focus on the game plan better without the distraction of bulking up in weight. And after sparring with the WBO World super lightweight champ Terence Crawford, Perez knew he had to take his training to the next level.
“Sparring with Crawford was an experience like no other. That man is a machine, and he works hard. You have to work just as hard to keep up with him.”
Perez kept that mentality for training camp, even when he wasn’t with Crawford. Perez and his team, which includes Jacob Ramos, Fidel Martinez, and sometimes two year old Samuel, added in new foot drills to keep Perez lighter on his feet. They increased the level of their workouts each night with the idea that Perez was already at the champion level, because that’s exactly how he’ll have to perform this Saturday night.
Boxing has always been a family affair for Perez, but his youngest son Samuel has the same kind of fire in his eyes as his dad which serves as extra motivation. When Perez laces up his gloves, so does Sammy. With all that inspiration, Perez admits he’s been on tunnel vision mode.
“I have the chance to redeem myself after the Ortiz loss. That fight could have been great for me, I just got caught with a clean shot. What I didn’t want was for that fight to end my career. So this fight means a lot more. It’s in my backyard, at my weight class, for another belt. This fight is for me, my family and my career. I don’t care how big a name Corley is, I want this more than he does, and I am ready to prove that Saturday night.”
