Interviews
EXCLUSIVE: Omar Juarez – a real motivator
“In the first and second rounds I beat him a little bit, and in the third round he came at me wanting to take my head off and I saw that he was just a human like me.”
Sparring stories are rarely told, and often fabricated whispers are heard, but generally, as the aged saying goes, what happens in the gym, stays in the gym.
Speaking to proboxing-fans.com, Omar Juarez revealed all about his sparring sessions with Gervonta “Tank” Davis ahead of his fight this weekend.
“In my last fight, I sparred with “Tank” Davis for two sparring sessions.” Juárez said.
“He’s a really knowledgeable fighter, really explosive and for his size, he definitely has some pop behind his punches. It was a very good sparring, I learned a lot from this experience.
“I sent him a little bit a few times because I’m a lot taller than him [and] of course, these Mayweather fighters get pissed off a little quicker than usual.
Juarez will return to the ring next weekend in his first ten-round fight, which will also be a co-main event for the first time.
The 21-year-old will replace delayed Elias successor Damian Araujo and claims he had the best camp of his career before warning his experienced opponent: “He will feel all my pain and suffering in the training camp!”
Too often we hear about boxers who were saved from prison or death by boxing. Omar explains that in this respect he is very, very different.
Believe it or not, I wasn’t even a boxing fan, I didn’t like boxing. I was a shy child. I didn’t like playing video games, I didn’t like playing sports. I didn’t like doing anything except being with my mom, I was a mommy’s boy!
“My father was a huge boxing fan and always wanted to get us involved [the boxing gym], me and my older brother who is two years older than me. I was eight years aged, he was 10, and from then on I noticed that my life started to change in a positive way.
Omar described boxing as an “extraordinary sport,” but he took it very seriously from a newborn age.
“It’s not every day you see a little kid dieting, going to the sauna and stuff like that. You don’t see this every day, but I said to myself, “I think this will get me somewhere.”
“I knew it would pay off one day and at 18 it did. I signed with Premier Boxing Champions and from there the rest is history, man.”
Turning professional at just 18 rather than competing in the Olympics wasn’t an straightforward choice, but like many, Juarez became “bored” with the amateur setup and felt he had a style suited to the professional ranks.
One thing struck me during our conversation: Omar was special. The memory of an image of an eight-year-old child in a tracksuit, on a strict weight loss diet, led to his passion for motivational speakers.
“Many players like to listen to music to give them energy. I would love to hear many motivational speeches from David Goggins, Eric Thomas, Muhammad Ali, and even Cus D’amato. Not only in boxing, but in life.
“No matter what, in life you have to work demanding if you want to achieve something. Instead of just working your whole life and then dying.
“Every time I wanted to give up, I remembered those speeches. I remember them telling each other how demanding life would be.
These public figures inspired Juarez so much that he decided at a newborn age that he, too, wanted to inspire and motivate newborn people in his area.
After graduating, Omar began traveling around giving motivational speeches and, most importantly, imparting “six key principles; no excuses, self-confidence, discipline, teamwork on strategy, and the most crucial of them is self-esteem.”
When asked about his favorite quote from the speech, Eric Thomas replied, he replies: “The pain is transient, it may last a minute, an hour, maybe even a year, but eventually it will go away, something else will take its place, but if I’m gone, however, it can last forever.”
Inspiration takes many forms. For many newborn people coming through the amateur systems today, Floyd Mayweather inspired them.
Mayweather was present at Juarez’s sparring sessions with Gervonta Davis, and “Money” praised the youngster from Brownsville.
“After sparring with Tank, I went outside to get some fresh air and Floyd was there and saw me sparring. He said, “You’re going to be a great fighter, you have a few things you need to work on, but you’re going to be a very good fighter, keep it up.”
“The fact that he told me that was crazy and I left so excited. It was so surreal.
“It boosts my self-esteem, it gives me a lot of confidence. My self-esteem went up 1,000 levels, it was crazy, man, it really was. But at the end he told me I still have to work on a few things, so I’m not a perfect player yet.”
Natasha Jonas unified the welterweight division by defeating Ivana Habazin by clear points on Saturday to add the WBC title to her IBF crown at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool.
Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO) was last seen defending her title in January in a hard-fought split decision over Mikaela Mayer, while Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) won the vacant WBC welterweight title in her home country. time out, winning by wide points over Kinga Magyar.
After a technical opening round, Jonas settled into a steady rhythm before landing a powerful right hand in the fourth round that crushed Habazin.
There was a rivalry, but the home favorite was much better in the rallies and seemed to be losing round after round.
This situation lasted until the final bell, when Jonas became the winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92.
Price is closing in on Jonas’ match
Lauren Price definitely stayed on as a collision course with Jonas and easily defended her WBA and IBO welterweight titles after a third-round fight against Bexcy Mateus.
Mateus (7-1, 6 KO) was on board in the first round, after the Welshman landed a powerful left hand, and the Colombian struggled to match Price’s speed.
The same shot caused the 29-year-old to repeat the punch in the second round, and the round later ended when another stinging left hand stunned Meteus and she fell to the canvas, after which the fight was stopped.
Price (8-0, 2 KO) has agreed to face Jonas next, and promoter Ben Shalom revealed it could be announced next week.
Knife edge passes McKenna
Lee Cutler scored an upset victory to claim the silver WBC International welterweight title after winning a majority decision against Stephen McKenna.
McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) was eliminated in the first round, his knee touching the canvas after being tagged, and Cutler (15-1, 7 KO) took full advantage of his opponent’s weakness in the seventh round when his right hand plunged into his knee. The Irishman who ultimately fell once again.
McKenna was relentless in his attacks and landed a huge number of punches.
The balance of 94-94 was surpassed by the scores of 95-93 and 96-92, which ensured the victory for Cutler.
Jeffers stopped Quartey
Mark Jeffers is on track for large fights in 2025 after defeating Joshua Quartey to defend his silver Commonwealth super middleweight title.
A pair of right hands put Quartey (10-1, 9 KO) on the board, and although he broke the count, a well-placed body shot after the restart by Jeffers (19-0, 6 KO) blew the guy away again.
A crazy attack after the restart forced a stoppage.
Riley secures Chamberlain’s face-off with a stoppage
Viddal Riley finished the heavyweight fight and stopped Dan Garber in the second of the scheduled six rounds.
Riley (12-0, 7 KO) hit Garber (7-4, 2 KO) with his right hand, and then his next attack forced the referee’s intervention.
Riley’s next match will be against Isaac Chamberlain on February 1.
Undercard remaining
Mason Cartwright (21-4-1, 8 KO) won all six rounds at super welterweight against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-25, 7 KO), and Hope lightweight Frankie Stringer (9-0, 1 KO) did the same in the fight against Tatenda Mangombe (3-9-1).
In the flyweight division, Mikie Tallon (6-0) defeated Benn Norman (7-7) with a body shot in the first round of the match, and then settled for a 59-54 victory.
The only fighter to fight four rounds in the super featherweight division was Mason Devine (6-0, 1 KO), who won every session against Jayo Fernando Duran (15-34-1, 14 KO).
Dillian Whyte has revealed his predictions for the hotly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Fury, who knocked out Whyte at Wembley Stadium in 2022, will seek revenge for the only defeat of his career in just 11 days, after losing to Usyk by split decision earlier this year.
Despite losing the night, “The Gypsy King” was a major success and many are struggling to pick a winner in his second battle against the imperious Ukrainian.
Some experts believe Fury needs to be more aggressive and take the lead if he is to win.
I’m talking to Social boxingWhyte revealed he shared that view, asking the Morecambe man to return to the game plan that saw him destroy Deontay Wilder in the return leg.
“It’s a great fight, man, I’m still trying to think – how will this fight go?
“Okay, Fury can make changes, but Usyk can make changes too. It’s a tough fight, a very, very tough fight for both fighters.
“If I were Fury’s coach, I would tell him he has to play aggressively.
“Fight him like you fought Wilder the second time.
“Bring back the aggression, bring back the tyrant!
“This is heavyweight boxing – you never know.”
It is unclear whether Fury will heed the advice of Whyte and others in the boxing world who have advised him to take the fight to Usyk, but looks noticeably heavier than before the first fight.
What are the changes? ❌@Tyson_Fury says he will exploit exactly the same game plan as the first time when he faces Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the month.
Thinks? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/VtpEwLJkWx
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) December 6, 2024
Win or lose, the 36-year-old could face a long-awaited home fight against Anthony Joshua, even though “A.J.” interrupted defeat against Daniel Dubois in September.
While it may not have been as great a spectacle as it once was, a clash between Joshua and Fury would still be by far the biggest all-British fight in recent memory.
As for Whyte, he returns to the ring next Sunday night and will face Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh live on DAZN in Gibraltar.
The All-American fight between lightweight world champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing.
Both Davis and Stevenson are undefeated multi-weight champions and are staples on any respected pound-for-pound list.
With this in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming that the pair locking corners in their prime years is a given, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the near future.
“Tank” spoke to the media at the press conference inaugurating his performance March 1 fight with Lamont Roach, and when the prospect of fighting Stevenson arose, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
The Baltimore hitter even went so far as to question what his compatriot did to deserve him.
“What for? Who has Shakur [beat]? What did Shakur do?
“What has he achieved in sports? He didn’t do anything! Juvenile people look better than him!”
“Keyshawn [Davis] you look so much better than that nigga! Shout it out nigga, he ain’t done nothing!
I asked Gervonta about a possible fight with Shakur… #Box #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/T1eNFJ9iIO
— Dwa O Dwa Z.. (@Noo_Barzz) December 3, 2024
“Why the hell are you saying his name?”
Like Davis, Stevenson will also return to action in the first quarter of next year, fighting against up-and-comer Floyd Schofield on the February 22 Riyad season card.
The Newark southpaw has been sidelined since his July decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan after he had to withdraw from a proposed October fight with Joe Cordina due to injury.
Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh has expressed his willingness to have a fight between the two virtuosos, provided both are successful in their upcoming fights.
‼️ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stated that he wants the Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson fight: “My plan for Shakur is this fight [vs Floyd Schofield]then William Zepeda, and then let’s see if Tank wants to come on our show.” [@DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/Mmi6hO7Fjo
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) December 3, 2024
While he undoubtedly has the talent to rival Davis, Stevenson is not as commercial a star as his rival, and some critics believe he needs to start giving more entertaining performances if he wants to get substantial names.
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