There was a point where Hector Perez didn’t believe he would get to fight this year, much less in a televised appearance.
It took a little bit of compromise on his part, but the Florida-based prospect gets to have his cake and eat it, too—literally, in this case. The 29-year old DominiRican cruiserweight enters the spotlight for the first time in his young career, as he faces Texas-bred heavyweight Juan Torres (5-2-1, 2KOs). Their scheduled six-round bout will air live on ESPN from MGM Grand Conference Center (a.k.a. “The Bubble”) in Las Vegas, Nevada (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT).
“It took a little bit of compromising on my part in order to get this fight,” Perez (6-2, 3KOs) told BoxingScene.com of his televised appearance. “I normally fight at cruiserweight, but we agreed to fight at heavyweight in order to get this opportunity. I will drop back down in weight after this fight, but am very excited and grateful for the chance to put on a show for all the viewers.”
Perez enters riding a three-fight win streak, all coming in a productive 2019 campaign taking place in his Miami home region. His year began fighting just above the cruiserweight limit before working his way back down the scale.
Tuesday’s ring appearance calls for the Tamarac, Florida based prospect to punch above his weight, checking in at a career heaviest 221 pounds. His opponent, Torres tipped the scales at a plump 250 pounds—a near-career low for the otherwise portly southpaw from Cypress, Texas.
“I didn’t want to gain too much weight, just enough to where it wouldn’t be too much of a difference in size,” notes the 5’11” Perez. “I feel strong and still feel very fast. I just want everything to go well tonight and then work to take off this weight for my next fight.
Perez is co-managed by William Ramirez and Osmiri Fernandez—the latter also representing “Magic” Mike Plania, who faces top-rated bantamweight contender Joshua Greer in the evening’s headliner. Both managers are directly involved with several boxers earmarked for an off-TV show to take place mid-July in Miami.
With any luck, Perez will make his way onto that card or at least another in the near future to make up for the lack of ring action worldwide due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“After I win (tonight), the plan is to return to the ring in July—after I get to spend some time with my family, especially my kids,” suggests Perez, who has a boy and a girl. “My daughter called me up to wish me luck for this fight, and is all the reminder I need for why I fight.
“I had to miss out on a lot for this fight, including my own mother’s birthday and the time I would be spending with my family. I make that sacrifice as well as fighting outside my weight, just because I believe it will open the door to bigger opportunities in my career.”
There’s no better place to start than in front of a nationally televised audience.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
