Dainier Pero’s status as a future heavyweight star remains an open question after Saturday night, but getting to the bottom of that mystery was never the intention of his main-event bout at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
Instead, it was all about getting Pero back on his feet – and keeping him there – after his wobbly win over Cesar Navarro in his previous outing in May. In Saturday’s scheduled eight-rounder, Pero met the moment (such as it was) by taking apart the limited Mario Aguilar in a second-round stoppage that ended with Aguilar on his stool.
Pero – a 26-year-old southpaw from Camaguey, Cuba, and now living in Miami – has a heartstrings-pulling refugee story and a style some have compared to that of undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Boxing needs more fighters like Pero to succeed, and there is no shortage of those invested in ensuring that happens.
Thus Aguilar, a 35-year-old low-level veteran who came into Saturday’s fight at a shapely 262 pounds and well out of his depth, was on the menu. A 34-fight veteran originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, Aguilar had previously fought as light as middleweight and in 2020 made the leap from light heavyweight to heavy – a difference of more than 55 pounds in little over a year and a half. Forget Aguilar not being fit to be in the ring with Pero. He simply wasn’t fit.
But Pero approached him with respect nonetheless, probing with his jab early in the first round, looking for openings and tells as Aguilar held his gloves high and tight. Eventually, Pero tested his opponent with a four-punch combination while Aguilar had his back on the ropes, then launched a few stinging power shots to the body.
Pero resumed trying to pry open Aguilar’s guard in Round 2, knocking upstairs with left hands but also sending humming jabs and right hooks to his opponent’s exposed midsection with thudding force.
After Aguilar had already spent a fair amount of time in the first seemingly gesturing that Pero had been coming in below the belt – he hadn’t – Pero did sail a left hand a little low. Aguilar made a show of it, found the closest corner, grabbed the ropes on either side and dropped to a knee, sucking wind. When the action resumed, Pero wasted no time going back to the body. He landed stabbing right hands and piledriving lefts across – and safely above – Aguilar’s waistline. The approach had the effect Pero sought: Aguilar’s elbows – and his gloves with them – were finally coaxed low. At the same time, Aguilar seemed to make the bold choice to press forward with his own offense.
Pero had his moment. It was then that he landed several left hands upstairs, and suddenly he was blistering Aguilar on both sides of the head and body. Aguilar’s left flank and much of his face had already turned pink, and his desperation was now just as visible. He complained to the ref about a low blow that had caught nothing but flesh, and then he bumrushed Pero, seemingly resigning himself that it was now or never.
Never, it was. As soon as Aguilar pushed forward, whistling a few wild shots that failed to connect, Pero spun him, backed him into a corner and started chopping wood. Pero thumped above the left hip – prompting Aguilar to shake his head behind his tight guard – before unloading at all angles with both hands. Piling it on, Pero landed no fewer than two dozen unanswered shots, including a right hand that snapped back his opponent’s head like a PEZ dispenser.
At the sound of the 10-second clapper and the ref’s command to get busy, Aguilar finally swung his way out of the corner just as the bell rang. But that was more than enough for all involved: Aguilar stayed planted on his stool and was retired before the third round commenced, falling to 23-11 (19 KOs).
Pero, 12-0 (9 KOs) and ranked No. 7 by the WBA, is presumably now suited to resume taking on legitimate threats somewhere within shouting distance of the top of the heavyweight division. Then again, he’s young enough that he could do with more seasoning before reaching for the brass ring.
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
