Aaron Alameda realizes he’ll take a steep leap in competition Saturday night.
Alameda admitted during a virtual press conference recently that he hasn’t fought anyone remotely close to the caliber of Luis Nery during his six-year, 25-fight pro career. The 27-year-old Alameda still believes he is completely capable of pulling off an upset in this battle between Mexican southpaws, a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC super bantamweight championship.
“In all truth, maybe the names that you see there on paper are not the best, are maybe not in Nery’s class,” Alameda said, according to his translator. “But when you see me on the 26th of September, you’re really gonna know what Aaron is made of that night, on September 26th against Luis Nery. And [that’s] respecting that he’s a great fighter. There’s no doubt about that.”
Tijuana’s Nery (30-0, 24 KOs) and Nogales’ Alameda (25-0, 13 KOs) will fight for a piece of the WBC’s 122-pound crown because Rey Vargas is recovering from a fractured leg. Mexico’s Vargas (34-0, 22 KOs) has been designated as the WBC’s super bantamweight champion in recess until he can return.
Nery-Alameda is part of the Jermell Charlo-Jeison Rosario undercard, which will be distributed by Showtime Pay-Per-View from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The 25-year-old Nery has moved back up to the 122-pound division from bantamweight for this title shot. Nery has won 11 straight fights by knockout or technical knockout.
“There’s no doubt Luis Nery is a powerful puncher,” Alameda said. “We have to see how he comes out, if he’s gonna be coming out boxing, or if he’s gonna try to look for the knockout immediately. We have a strategy for that day for him. And either way he comes out, strong or boxing, we’re ready for him.”
Alameda considers Enrique Beranche (24-12, 12 KOs, 1 NC) the toughest opponent he has faced thus far. He beat Beranche by split decision in their eight-rounder in July 2017.
“Definitely, it is a step up,” Alameda said of facing Nery. “We’re not denying that, fighting a Luis Nery. But strategically, we have worked on certain things. We’ve seen a lot of video on Luis Nery, on how to approach this fight. We’ve got a couple things that we can work on, and that’s what we plan to do on September 26th, against Luis Nery.”
Nery and Alameda originally were scheduled to meet March 28 at Park MGM in Las Vegas. That Showtime tripleheader was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been training very hard,” Alameda said. “And we know it’s a tough opponent, Luis Nery, but we’re ready for this fight.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
