Middleweight prospect Euri Cedeno believes his counterparts at 160lbs took notice of him following his dominant victory this past Saturday over Etoundi Michel William.
Cedeno fought in Puerto Rico on the undercard of the Xander Zayas-Abass Baraou junior middleweight unification bout. Cedeno dropped William twice in the first round, withstood the 16-2 William’s attempted comeback, and triumphed via shutout on the scorecards.
Cedeno, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is now 14-0-1 (12 KOs).
“I came in and sent a message to the entire middleweight division,” Cedeno said. “I wanted to prove that I’m not just another fighter – I’m a force at 160 pounds. From start to finish, I controlled the pace and the ring. This fight wasn’t just about adding another win to the record. It was about showing I’m ready to step up and take on the big names.”
Cedeno is currently ranked fifth at 160lbs by the WBA. He sits behind Yoenli Hernandez at No. 1, followed by Vadim Tukov, Yoelvis Gomez and Michael Zerafa. The WBA middleweight titleholder is Erislandy Lara.
“I feel like this fight proves I belong on the world stage,” Cedeno said. “I’m not just a prospect – I'm a contender in the making. Wins like these open doors, and I'm ready to walk through them.”
Cedeno works with Boxlab Promotions, Kings Promotions and Top Rank.
“Euri Cedeno is the complete package – technically refined, mentally focused, and physically dominant,” said Amaury Piedra, president of Boxlab Promotions. “What he did in that ring was master-class boxing. He’s not far from making noise on the world level.”
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.
