Cuban heavyweight Dainier Pero will have to ‘bang his way through the door’

Heavyweight Dainier Pero did what he was supposed to do against Mario Aguilar.

That was at least the takeaway from Bob Santos, Pero’s head trainer who hopes for an opportunity against a high-profile fighter this year. 

Pero was too much for Aguillar, who didn’t get off his stool for the third round on Saturday night’s bout from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. 

“If you are an elite-level guy, he did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Santos told BoxingScene. “He knows when he needs to mix and match. What I mean by that is, knowing when he has to box a little bit, and knowing when he has to sit down on his punches a little bit.”

Pero, 12-0 (9 KOs), now looks for the next step in his career, which is an opportunity. 

Last year, Pero had just one fight. He was supposed to fight on Gervonta Davis’ return to the ring, which never came to fruition, and then, for a card at the end of the year couldn’t get an opponent in time, which has been a theme of his career. Pero, a 26-year-old Cuban Olympian who trains in Las Vegas with Santos, is not lacking confidence.

“When Jared Anderson fell out for the [Jarell] Miller fight, they approached us with that,” Santos said. “Without hesitation, we said yes.”

Pero sits as one of the compelling potential new faces of the division. Fabio Wardley now holds the WBO heavyweight title. Agit Kabayel is on a murderers’ row type run in the division.

Beyond that, however, the new faces of the division have yet to announce themselves. 

The most promising is Moses Itauma, who had a David Tua-like rise in the ranks with explosive early knockouts but who has leveled off for the moment. 

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov has yet to make noise as a professional. U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jnr is starting to position himself for big fights, but truly, the division’s next era is unknown. 

Santos knows one thing: he is confident in matching Pero with any of the top names as soon as possible. 

“We are willing to step in [with the top names], the question is, will we get that opportunity?” Santos said. “Most likely the case is we won’t, and we will have to bang our way through the door.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.