Jesus Cuellar: I Want The Best, Here To Fight The Best!

By Francisco Salazar

You reap what you sow.

Jesus Cuellar has planted the seeds of hard work and traveling to Oxnard, California to work with one of the best trainers in boxing today.

What has resulted is an eight-bout unbeaten streak and an interim world title belt to boot. According to Cuellar, that is only the tip of the iceberg, as bigger and more lucrative bouts await in 2015.

He hopes to cap a successful 2014 campaign on Saturday night, when he fights Ruben Tamayo in a 12 round bout at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington. Cuellar will defend his interim WBA World featherweight title belt.

The bout will be the main event of a Goossen Promotions card and will headline a four-bout Showtime telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT.

The southpaw Cuellar has had a modest career prior to winning the interim title by unanimous decision over Claudio Marrero in August of last year.

However, Cuellar (25-1, 19 KOs) has had a stellar 2014 campaign by scoring two victories over former world champions. Cuellar won a 12 round unanimous decision over Rico Ramos on May 2. He followed that up with a spectacular second round knockout over Juan Manuel Lopez on September 11. Both bouts took place in Las Vegas.

Cuellar finishes the year facing Tamayo, who is unbeaten in his last bouts, including an eight round majority decision win over Efrain Esquivias on April 25. While Tamayo may not be highly-ranked, Cuellar is not taking him lightly.

"I don’t know a lot about him," Cuellar told Boxingscene.com during a recent workout earlier this week. "I know he has a good record. He has a strong punch and has scored a lot of knockouts. I’m sure he will be prepared to fight."

One could say Cuellar has paid his dues of sorts. Mostly toiling in small venues in Argentina, Cuellar is now fighting under brighter lights and big stages in the United States.

Cuellar can thank his more meaningful success in the last year and a half with training at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard. The work Cuellar has done under Garcia's supervision, coupled with the stellar sparring he gets at the gym has given him confidence and has improved his skill set.

"It has helped me a lot working with Robert and his team. I have my family in Argentina, but when I come to Oxnard, it is to work. I like to be very focused against any opponent before my fights and I do that here in Oxnard."

"I came to Oxnard because there are (world) titles and opportunities here (in the United States). I came to prepare with the best trainer. I’m very happy that I came to the United States and I’ve been well-received by people here."

The featherweight division is one of the deepest in boxing today. Fighters with world title belts that jostling for featherweight supremacy are Jhonny Gonzalez (WBA), Nicholas Walters (WBA), Evgeny Gradovich (IBF), and Vasyl Lomachenko (WBO).

While other featherweight contenders such as Abner Mares, Jayson Velez, and Marvin Sonsona are also in the hunt for featherweight supremacy, Cuellar seems to be in a great position.

While Cuellar has had a solid 2014 campaign, he is eager to have great success in 2015, one where he will eventually fight the elite fighters in the division and make his way to the top.

"I would like to continue triumphing. I need to get through my fight on Saturday, then enter 2015 waiting for my next opponent. I need to get over this hurdle this Saturday. I will pass through. I’m prepared."

"I’m prepared against anybody. I want to fight the best. I’m here to fight the best."

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