By Brent Matteo Alderson
There are all types of prospects in boxing. Usually most of them are accomplished amateurs that won numerous regional titles. Some of them don’t even have an extensive amateur background and are willing to work to make it to the top of the professional boxing landscape through sheer will and determination. Then there are those special prospects. Fighters that the boxing fraternity anoints as future champions, as future fixtures in the sport.
Then there are those rare special prospects that create a buzz. A buzz is more than just the fact that people are talking about them or that people in the game attach positive predictions to their career trajectory. A buzz is something intangible, something that can’t be touched, seen, or heard. It’s kind of like charisma, you either have it or you don’t and it’s rare, very rare.
Most of the prospects that create a buzz are Olympic gold medalists like a Mark Breland, a Cassius Clay, a Joe Frazier, or a Sugar Ray Leonard. Sometimes and in more infrequent cases, a fighter without the Olympic hoopla can create a buzz.
There was a buzz with Mike Tyson, there was a buzz with Prince Naseem Hamed, and more recently there was a buzz surrounding Francisco Bojado and Miguel Cotto. The thing with being a prospect is that’s exactly what you are, you haven’t really accomplished anything yet, you’re just plying your trade trying to see your prospects for success in a very hard game. Some say the hardest.
As in most things in life prospects don’t always pan out. Mike Tyson’s career did yet Francisco Bojado’s hasn’t. Remember Bojado, we saw him turn professional on Showtime in January of 2001 and he created an instant buzz. He was 18 years with the power, the looks, and the technique that made him look like he was a shoe in to be a world champion in multiple weight classes, a pound for pound type of guy. Reportedly Bojado wasn’t disciplined enough. He ballooned up to over 170 pounds in between fights and started to believe the hype, not realizing that the hype was about his potential as a fighter not his accomplishments.
Well there’s a buzz going on in the boxing game again and it’s surrounding a young welterweight lad by the name of Joel Julio. He’s 21 years old, has a professional record of 26-0 (23 KOs) and he has power, a lot of it. And he just turned 21 this past January. The X-factor that make him special is his power. Everyone knows you can’t teach power or go to the weight room and work for it. You have it or you don’t and this kids got it. Even though he hasn’t fought any legitimate top ten contenders, he’s fought a couple of guys that usually give you rounds and he’s gotten them out of there easily.
He took Carlos Viches out in three rounds who two fights prior had gone 12 rounds with current undisputed 140-pound champ Ricky Hatton. More recently he took out Robert Kamya in three rounds, a fighter who had recently lost a close majority decision to 154 pound perennial contender Alex Bunema. That’s why people are so high on this kid from Montería, Colombia because he has power and is abnormally young for being on the cusps of boxing stardom.
“Julio is arguably the hottest prospect around," noted Steve Farhood who is currently the resident boxing expert for Showtime as well as a Former Editor and Chief of the venerable Ring Magazine. Numerous other industry insiders are also high on Julio as is Julio himself.
The young Colombian slugger that likes to listen to Hip-Hop and Reggae-tone wants to make his mark in the sport, represent his beloved country of Colombia, and earn his spot along the side of Colombia’s boxing greats, men such as Antonio Cervantes and Rodrigo Valdez.
“I feel as though my punching power and my talent is God given and I want to make the most of it. I don’t want to waste it and that’s why I’m working hard in the gym every day. I run for over an hour in the mornings and feel that I’m ready for the best fighters in the world."
"I want people to watch the fight this Saturday because a lot of people think that I’m just a puncher, but I can fight moving side to side, inside, moving back, I’m a real versatile fighter and want to have the opportunity to show the fans. I have a fight scheduled for June, a WBA eliminatory bout with Carlos Quintana. Then after that I want to fight Mayweather, Margarito, Collazo, whoever. I don’t care, I want to fight the best, but realistically my first title shot will probably come before the end of the year against [Luis] Collazo for the WBA title.”
So when you watch the Molsey-Vargas fight this weekend, don’t just forget about the under-card. Take a look at Joel Julio and see for yourself if he gets you buzzed.