A sparring session with Manny Pacquiao led to new faces in the corner of Samuel Contreras Jnr and a new level of confidence in his abilities.
Contreras faces Christian Avalos Friday night in a six-round lightweight bout at Thunder Studio in Long Beach, California.
Contreras, 3-0 (2 KOs), was set to work with Justin Fortune as his strength and conditioning coach only for other commitments to get in the way. Then Contreras, trained by his father, Sam Contreras Snr, was contacted by Los Angeles-based boxing trainer Marvin Somodio about sparring Pacquiao for his comeback fight against WBC titleholder Mario Barrios. The 21-year-old Contreras stands just one inch shorter than Barrios at 5ft 11ins.
“Justin was there that day, and he saw me spar with Manny Pacquiao,” Contreras said. “He liked how I sparred and told me to come down to the gym the next day.”
Since working with Fortune, Contreras recorded a first-round technical knockout over Cristopher Ramirez Moreno in El Salvador in September.
“He is an old school guy,” Contreras said of Fortune. “I like working with him.”
Contreras also carries a new level of confidence since his sparring sessions with Pacquiao: “It wasn’t just the sparring, but it was seeing Manny’s work ethic, how he trains and the amount of rounds he trains for. It showed me I could push harder.”
Contreras fights at home for this bout in Los Angeles.
“I haven’t fought locally since I started my pro career,” Contreras said. “I love showing the people who support me why I am worth the ticket price. In the ring, it gives me fuel, and motivates me to keep fighting.”
While Avalos' 4-3-2 record might look pedestrian to some, Contreras finds motivation deep within the numbers.
“He has never been stopped,” Contreras said. “I am going to listen to my trainer and stick to the game plan, but the plan is to go out there and stop him.”
Avalos, a 25-year-old from Carson City, Nevada, enters the bout on a win in September over Dyllon Cervantes Alvarado. Before that, he had lost two straight fights.
“I put in my head, I can’t be touched because I sparred Manny Pacquiao,” Contreras said. “I feel like no one is able to hurt me, because I sparred Manny.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
