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The best I’ve faced: Juan Hernandez Sierra

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Juan Hernandez Sierra (right) poses alongside his longtime rival Oleg Saitov — Photo courtesy of Geraldo Saldivar

Cuban legend Juan Hernández Sierra was one of the top welterweights on the amateur circuit in the 1990s. During that time, he won two Olympic silver medals and four world championship gold medals.

Hernández, one of three brothers, was born on March 16, 1969 in the town of Guane, Pinar del Río, in the very west of Cuba.

“I had a very uncomplicated life as a child, but a content one,” Hernández told The Ring via Gerardo Saldivar. “Both of my parents worked challenging. My father worked as a food warehouse worker, and my mother worked as a cleaner in a hospital.

“My brothers and I hung out after school and played sports. I started out as a footballer as a center back.”

When he was around 11 or 12 years ancient, he saw boxing for the first time and it quickly became his chosen career path.

“I remember watching my cousin, Jose Luis Hernandez, on TV and that caught my attention,” he said. “He was a source of inspiration and I wanted to be like him.

Juan Hernandez Sierra (right) poses alongside his longtime rival Oleg Saitov – Photo courtesy of Geraldo Saldivar

“I was selected for the talent program and at a juvenile age I went to study at EIDE (Sports Institution School) in my province and then moved to ESPA (Excellence Training School) and then to the national team. I went from grassroots to elite level between 1987 and 2000. I was part of the national team and I am really proud of that.”

He has won nine national titles, no compact feat considering the enormous talent pool on the island. During his tenure with the national team, he boxed all over the world and represented Cuba in numerous tournaments.

Unfortunately for him, he had to settle for silver at the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, losing to Michael Carruth 13:10, and also in Atlanta in 1996, where he lost to his great rival Oleg Saitov 14:9.

However, it was at the World Championships, where he won top prizes in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1999, as well as bronze in 1997, that he managed to come to the fore.

“I was always well prepared for the Olympic Games, but at the world championships I was luckier,” he said.

After losing in the quarterfinals to eventual gold medalist Yermakhan Ibraimov at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Hernandez ended his boxing career with a record of 360-36.

Despite his amateur achievements, he claims that professional boxing did not appeal to him.

“Not exactly. At that time, there was no professional boxing in Cuba,” he explained.

Since then he has used all the extensive experience gained during his own boxing career.

“I am the coach of the national Olympic team, I am taking care of Saidel Horta, whom I want to teach how to move in the ring,” he said. “I have also been the coach of Kevin Brown, Emmanuel Reyes and David Morrell. The Cuban boxing school is unique, one of the best in the world and has adapted to the times, this fresh generation is different from our times. The integration into professional boxing has made our boxing improve.

“My goal is to utilize my experience in the national team and win one or more Olympic gold medals.”

Hernandez, now 55, lives in Havana.

He took time to talk to The Ring about the best fighters he has fought in the 10 most critical categories.

BEST JAB

Daniel Santos: “World Championship ’95 in Berlin. In the first fight I had to figure out how to get in and avoid his quick punch.”

BEST DEFENSE

Oleg Saitov: “The movement of his upper body was especially challenging and treacherous, because he could get into a position to counterattack.”

BEST HAND SPEED

Freddy Dominguez: “Agile and like ghost hands that you couldn’t see where they came from.”

BEST FOOTWORK

Damian Austin: “The way he walks around the ring is like dancing.”

THE SMARTEST

Saitov: “He had a masterful technique. We fought four times, I beat him at the World Championships in Berlin in 1995, and then he beat me three times.”

STRONGEST

Leonard Bundu: “The Italian at the World Championships in Houston. He always came forward, his style was complicated.”

BEST PUNCHERS

David Reid: “He’s the hardest boxer I’ve ever faced. He hit me in the chin and I felt like a doll flying through the air. I felt bad and had to get up and go back, then he hit me in the forehead again, I felt like I was off the floor and that was the only and first time I’ve ever been to Canvas twice. I’ve searched the internet for that fight with no luck. I wish I could watch it again.”

BEST BEARD

Bundu: “He was the physically stronger boxer.”

BEST BOXING SKILLS

Saitov: “He beat me three times. What can I say, great technique and boxing skills, nothing but respect.”

BEST OVERALL

Saitov: “Saitov has mastered the upper body technique and also has powerful punches, and it was challenging to figure out his style when we faced each other.”

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Boxing

Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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