By Francisco Salazar

Not even a month after graduating high school, Michael Dutchover made the decision to leave his hometown of Midland, Texas to the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Fe Springs to turn pro and fulfill his dream of making it big.

So far, that decision has paid off dividends.

After impressive victories over modest opposition, including a candidate for knockout of 2018, Dutchover may be on his way towards becoming a legit contender.

The unbeaten lightweight prospect will face late-sub Rosekie Cristobal tonight at the Omega Products International in Corona, California. The eight-round bout will precede the main event bout between unbeaten Ruben Villa and Luis Alberto Lopez.

Both fights, including the bantamweight clash between unbeaten Saul Sanchez and Brandon Leon Benitez, will air live on Showtime (10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, both fighters made the contracted weight of 138 pounds. Dutchover weight 138 pounds, while Cristobal weighed in at 137.5 pounds.

Dutchover (12-0, 9 knockouts) last fought on Nov. 16 in nearby Ontario, knocking out former fringe contender Ruben Tamayo in round three of a scheduled eight round bout. Dutchover has stopped five of his last six opponents, amongst them a highlight-reel one-punch knockout victory over Sergio Ramirez on July 20.

The 21-year-old Dutchover is one of Thompson Boxing’s top unbeaten fighters, and it is not just because of the impressive way he has stopped his opponents. Dutchover believes he has gotten better, thanks to manager/ trainer Danny Zamora.

“I was a pretty good amateur and I had lots of heart,” Dutchover told BoxingScene over the phone on Wednesday. “The difference I believe in my development has been that I’ve improved my skill-set. The biggest thing now is that I’m using my I.Q. and I’m making things easier for me. I learn and I want to keep learning with each fight.”

“Having a trainer like Danny has been a blessing for me. Danny was put in front of me from the beginning for a reason.”

Dutchover, a star football player in Pop Warner and at his local high school, took up boxing as a way to stay fit. What was supposed to be a way to maintain being in shape turned into a lifestyle that Dutchover has benefitted.

“Boxing has been my life, but football was my dream at first,” said Dutchover. “I wanted to stay in shape during the off-season. I went to Soldier’s Boxing Gym with my brother, Junior Dutchover. I wanted to try this out. I was 9-10 years old and I won my first nine fights. After my first loss, I began to have a passion for boxing. I trained harder, I fought again, beat the guy who beat me, and then I developed a passion for it.”

Dutchover has found a passion for it that he was a National Golden Gloves runner-up and an Olympic qualifier, winning a bronze medal.

After missing the opportunity to make the Olympic team, Dutchover decided to move forward with his boxing career in the pro ranks.

“I’ve always had hard power and I went through the amateurs as far as I could go, especially with the Olympics as a goal. I turned pro because my style has always been one for the professional ranks.”

An impressive victory tonight could push Dutchover into more opportunities to fight on a platform like ‘ShoBox’ or DAZN.

Dutchover is also aware of the potential of fighting other top lightweight prospects in boxing in the next two-three years, including Ryan Garcia, Karlos Balderas, amongst others. He is all for facing them.

“I’ve known them all from the amateurs. Balderas, Devin Haney. They all know me. I’d love to have that opportunity to fight them. I’ve improved so much since the amateurs.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing