By Ryan Songalia
Manager Luis DeCubas Jr. has a lot going for him in the sport of boxing. He is based out of Miami, FL, a hot bed for rising Hispanic prospects from the Caribbean region. He is bilingual, often working as a liaison and translator for his fighters who are less than proficient in English. He is the son of promoter Luis DeCubas Sr., who runs the DeCubas Presents outfit. And at only 21, he has time on his side.
His stable isn't bullet-proof, however. This past October, twin prospects Carlos Ivan and Juan Carlos Velasquez of Puerto Rico, suffered minor injuries to their arms within days of each other while sparring which have kept them inactive since the Fall. Carlos, a 2004 Olympian with a 9-0 (8 KO) record, was hit on his left bicep and is suspected to have torn some muscle tissue, though all x-rays turned up negative.
"If it was his back hand, we'd let him fight with just his left and he could still win decisions," says DeCubas Jr., who manages the prospects alongside Shelly Finkel. "We just want him to be confident while throwing the jab again."
Juan Carlos, 9-0 (5 KO), injured his left shoulder while throwing a left hook and suffered a slight shoulder tear. Both were examined by Dr. Allan Fields, the chief ringside physician for the State of Florida Athletic Commission. Both have healed nicely but DeCubas doesn't want to take any chances.
"They're slight injuries but I want to be very careful with these guys. I don't want them to be 50% and have them get reinjured. They should be ready to go by Mid-March or early-April. They've been dying to fight."
DeCubas says that his star client, former junior lightweight and lightweight champion Joel "El Cepillo" Casamayor, will "100%" fight again. Casamayor, aged 37 with a record of 36-4-1 (22 KO), suffered his first knockout loss in September against Juan Manuel Marquez and hasn't fought since. Though DeCubas admits that Casamayor is no longer in his prime, he feels he still has lots of fighting left in him.
"I really do. I'd be lying to you if I said he was still the fighter he was three or four years ago. Back then he would have knocked out Marquez.
"He fought ten rounds even with one of the best fighters pound for pound. He showed what type of talent he still has. He just has to make a comeback. [Casamayor's promoter] Golden Boy [Promotions] is talking about putting on a lightweight tournament maybe on Showtime or Versus. He will fight anybody in the world. All he needs to do is get one more win and we'll throw him in with the top guys.
"He already wants that Marquez rematch, only thing is to see if we can get it."
Odlanier Solis, the 13-0 (9 KO) heavyweight who took home the gold at the 2004 Olympics representing Cuba in Athens, will be taking a sabbatical to spend time with his newborn son, says DeCubas, who holds a minority stake in his management. The baby was born shortly before his previous fight, an eighth round TKO over Kevin Burnett January 9 in Nevada that was televised by ESPN2.
"He'll spend a little time with his son, get a little time off and whenever Ahmet Oner has got something for him, he'll fight."
In his last fight Solis weighed in at a career-high 259, a shockingly high weight considering that at 6'1 he routinely weighed in around 230 as an amateur. DeCubas agrees that he has trim down to perform at his best.
"I really feel he needs to get down in weight. He showed what type of talent he has, not just in hand speed. There aren't many big guys who know how to fight like him. I think his speed and velocity are the best thing he has going for him. That's why he dominated everyone in the Olympics."
DeCubas stopped short of comparing him to fellow Cuban heavyweight defector and amateur standout Jorge Luis Gonzalez, whom his father formerly managed. Once the toast of the sport after defeating Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe and Teofilo Stevenson in the amateurs, Gonzalez crapped out as a professional due in large part to his lack of work ethic.
"Those are two completely different situations. Gonzalez didn't want to train, this guy actually works. His body is just different. Gonzalez was a guy who was 6'7", 250 pounds who was ripped whether he trained or not. He just had that type of body. Solis has a lot more balls and heart than Gonzalez. It's just a little harder for Solis to get the weight off than Gonzalez because he just had a naturally stronger body."
Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be contacted at songaliaboxing@aol.com .
