By Ian S Palmer
Undefeated WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Brandon Figueroa of Weslaco, Texas is scheduled to take on unbeaten WBC Champion Luis Nery of Mexico in Carson, California this Saturday, May 15th. The bout can be seen on Showtime in America and on TSN 2 in Canada. Figueroa stopped Damien Vazquez in the 10th round in his last outing in September while Nery won the vacant WBC Title in September with a 12-round unanimous decision over Aaron Alameda.
The 24-year-old Figueroa captured the vacant interim WBA World Super Bantamweight Title when he stopped Yonfrez Parejo after eight rounds in April, 2019 before stopping Javier Chacon in four rounds in August and drawing with an overweight Julio Ceja in a slugfest three months later. He climbs through the ropes with a near-perfect record of 21-0-1 with 16 Kos.
Figueroa has boxed 116 rounds since turning pro in 2015 and is 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach. He has very good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 72.7 per cent and has also displayed a pretty solid chin up to now as well. The biggest wins in his career have been against Chacon, Parejo, Moises Flores, Oscar Escandon, Victor Proa and Fatiou Fassinou.
Brandon is the younger brother of boxer Omar Figueroa and an excellent young prospect. He stepped up in class for the first time against Flores and passed the test with flying colours. However, it could be argued that he hasn’t taken a step forward since with bouts against the limited Chacon and Ceja so this is going to be a good test for him against Nery. Figueroa has the potential to be an exciting world champion but needs to face these stiffer to prove he’s a legitimate champion.
Nery is a 26-year-old southpaw who has a perfect mark of 31-0 with 24 Kos. He’s boxed 142 rounds since making his pro debut in 2012 and stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 66.5-inch reach. He’s giving up three inches in height to Figueroa as well as 5.5 inches in reach. He also has above-average power as he currently boasts a 77.4 per cent knockout ratio.
Since turning pro Nery has he’s captured the vacant WBC Continental Americas Bantamweight Title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Martin Casillas in 2016 and the vacant WBC Silver Bantamweight Title with a fourth-round stoppage over Raymond Tabugon in 2016 after being dropped in the first round. He then stopped Shinsuke Yamanaka in the fourth round in 2017 to lift the WBC Bantamweight crown.
Nery fought Yamanaka in a rematch in March, 2018 but came in overweight to lose the title. However, he still managed to win the fight by second-round stoppage He then won the vacant WBC Silver Bantamweight title again in October, 2018 with a third-round stoppage of Jason Canoy. He defended that belt with a ninth-round KO over Juan Carlos Payano in July, 2019 four months after stopping McJoe Arroyo after four rounds.
Prediction…
This is a fine matchup and title unification bout between two young champions who carry a lot of power. The height and reach advantage should serve Figueroa well if he decides to utilize them but he can easily be drawn into a firefight as he was with Ceja. If he is, then anything can happen. However, Figueroa has displayed a rock-solid chin so far in his career and he will likely need it in Saturday night. This should be an exciting tilt from start to finish with any outcome being possible. However, if his chin is for real I like Figueroa’s chances of adding Nery’s belt to his collection.
