Through the years, boxing trainer Franco Gabaldon would talk to Robert Diaz about the fighters in the former’s gym in Mexico.
One name that came up in conversation time and again was Rene Palacios.
“He would always bring him up,” Diaz, the longtime matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions who is now president of Sheer Sports Management, said in an interview with BoxingScene. “He kept telling me, ‘Robert, I’m working on this kid.’”
The kid went from project to prospect, then on to national championships, amateur successes, and a professional debut in 2019, when he was still just 18 years old. Palacios kept developing, mostly at fights in his home state of Chihuahua and neighboring Sonora, and mostly on cards promoted by Gabaldon.
They declined the promotional offers they received. Instead, Gabaldon ultimately decided to reach out to Diaz.
“I’ve known Franco for many years. He’s never called me to say, ‘Roberto, you really need to look at this kid.’ And when he called me and said, ‘Roberto, you really need to look at Rene Palacios, this kid has a lot of talent,’ I didn't doubt it for a minute. And I think we have something special,” Diaz said.
Palacios – whose nickname is “Zurdo” – is now a 24-year-old featherweight with a record of 18-0-1 (10 KOs). He has largely flown under the radar. Palacios has only had one fight in the United States, and his progress has not been shared widely, or is even located easily, online.
Gabaldon and Diaz believe in his talent and potential. And boxing fans will see if they agree this Friday, when Palacios takes on fringe contender Sulaiman Segawa in the co-feature bout on ProBox TV. The show is being held at Live! Casino and Hotel Maryland in Hanover. (Note: BoxingScene and ProBox TV are both owned by Garry Jonas.)
“I think it’s time to take a leap forward, and I think that Zurdo is ready,” Gabaldon said. His and Palacios’ quotes have been translated from Spanish to English via a translation app. “Like I said to Zurdo, we’re here to take risks. I think that Segawa’s style suits Zurdo a lot. Zurdo is too fast for Segawa.”
This is indeed quite a leap forward, at least on paper. Palacios’ recent victories have come against opponents with records of 20-10-1, 9-9 and 20-8-2. Palacios does have two 10-round decisions under his belt; this bout with Segawa is scheduled for the same distance.
“I’m not the same fighter I was five or six years ago when I made my debut,” Palacios said. “I have more experience. I’m calmer in the ring. I have a lot of patience, a lot of intelligence. I know how to read the moments. I think that characterizes me a lot.”
Segawa, meanwhile, is rated fourth at 126lbs by the WBC. He is better than his record of 18-5-1 (7 KOs) might otherwise indicate. Boxing fans largely know Segawa for his debatable majority decision loss to Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington in 2024. But he has been in with a number of recognizable names, beating some and losing to others.
Segawa has victories over Ruben Villa, Elijah Pierce, the 10-0-1 Hector Lopez Jnr and the 10-0 Gadwin Rosa. Meanwhile, in addition to the loss to Carrington, Segawa has suffered defeats against Mirco Cuello, Jamaine Ortiz (the only time Segawa has been stopped), Abraham Nova, and the 7-0 William Foster III.
And if recent performances are a better guide, Segawa bounced back from the Carrington disappointment by returning last September with a seventh-round TKO win against the 20-1 Bryan Acosta, whose only other loss was a close decision against junior featherweight contender Ramon Cardenas.
“He’s a great fighter. I recognize it. I know he has fought good opponents. But I think it’s my time,” Palacios said. “I’ve been training my whole life, half my life training like a monster, so I’m not going to waste it.”
Palacios’ only previous bout in America was in September 2023 in South Carolina.
“It’s a very different country, but I don’t think it changes much for me, because at the end of the day, we are two fighters who go up to the ring,” Palacios said. “So psychologically, I feel well prepared. I don’t have any problems with that. I don’t think it affects me.”
Gabaldon and Palacios also have an advantage over Team Segawa – there is more footage available to help them study and prepare.
“Without belittling Segawa, I think the last opponents he’s faced, mainly Bryan Acosta, missed something very important, which is to disrespect Segawa. I think Acosta had too much respect for him,” Gabaldon said.
This could be a good introduction for boxing fans and decision-makers to get to know Palacios, which in turn could open up more doors for the future, just as other prospects and contenders have announced themselves in style.
“I believe that boxing is everything about opportunities. And when those opportunities come, you have to take them, you have to jump on it,” Diaz said. “And if you believe in yourself and you train hard, anything can happen inside that ring. And I believe that Zurdo is hungry. He wants it. He's motivated. He's disciplined.
“He has everything there is to become a world champion and be another good world champion for Mexico. I'm very confident. I know we have a very tough task at hand, but I'm very confident that a star will be born.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
