By Jake Donovan
In an era where more superstars are on the way out than entering the game, the search is always on for “the next so-and-so.” With Oscar de la Hoya freshly retired after a career spent as the highest grossing athlete in the history of the sport, his name is the one most often preceded by “the next.”
Naturally, Mexican-Americans from the left coast will garner the first look, particularly those fighting under the Golden Boy Promotions banner. As if the bar isn’t set high enough for the sport’s next generation to live up to, those actually promoted by the future Hall-of-Famer now have to satisfy an even higher standard.
Most fighters eventually find a way to fall short of such lofty expectations, some melting under the pressure, others simply proving to never warranting the hype.
Then there are fighters like Charles Huerta.
On paper, he perfectly fits the bill – a good-looking Mexican-American kid based out of California with a credible amateur pedigree.
But can he fight?
Eleven bouts in, the early returns look good.
They look even better on national television, where he will once again appear this Thursday, when he headlines the latest installment of Fight Night Club series.
You’d think the series was designed for Huerta, a local attraction in every sense of the word. Living and fighting out of Paramount, just 20 minutes from the Club Nokia venue, the foundation is already laid by Golden Boy Promotions for a box office star to be born.
The journey for Golden Boy to bring along the soon to be 23-year old began with his pro debut two years ago. For Huerta, it began the first time he stepped foot in a boxing gym some15 years ago.
A successful run through the amateur ranks included a pair of Under-19 National championships over the course of 100 or so fights before turning pro in September 2007, a month after his 21st birthday.
All but one of his pro fights to date have taken place in his home state of California. Given the reception he continues to receive, those plans don’t figure to change any time soon.
From the moment he scored his first win, a 1st round knockout of Yoshifumi Momoki, has been put on the fast track to success. Less than a year into his pro career – 51 weeks, to be exact – came his stateside televised debut.
Early knockouts in the main event and co-feature of a Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast allowed Huerta to make his way in front of the cameras. He was given his 15 minutes of fame, but wound up returning 13 ½ of them, scoring an early knockout of Efrain Perez.
The night was all about left hooks, rocking Perez 30 seconds into the fight and then ending his night with a clean-up hook about a minute later.
Huerta is normally far more reserved and economic with his punches, but he clearly had knockout on the mind in the televised swing bout. The next time he would play in front a live televised audience, boxing fans would see a type truer to form – boxing first, seeking openings and then either sealing the deal or putting away enough rounds to enjoy a comfortable lead by night’s end.
That the composed performance came against an opponent who didn’t know how to lose spoke volumes of Huerta’s performance, clearly not feeling pressured to overcompensate in front of a hometown crowd. Not that previously unbeaten Noe Lopez Jr gave him much of a chance to plant his feet and dig in. The Mexican remained in Huerta’s face for much of their brief encounter, playing the role of aggressor for the first two rounds of their VERSUS-televised co-feature.
More impressive than Huerta’s overall performance was his ability to adapt on the fly. At the end of the first round, his corner mentioned demanded more head movement in fluidity in his attack, as he was just marching in, standing straight up and offering punches for the sake of punching.
An adjustment was made the very next round, resulting in a momentum swing midway through the round that would remain in his favor for the rest of the night. Not that the night would last much longer – three knockdowns in the third put an end to the fight, just over a minute into the round.
The first knockdown came courtesy of a compact left hook, perfectly timing a Lopez right hand that never had a chance to land. Lopez took the full mandatory eight count before rising and convincing referee Pat Russell that he could continue. That would change 30 or so seconds and two more knockdowns later, both of which came as the result of textbook 1-2 combinations, with the 2 being a thing of beauty.
Seven weeks later, Huerta returns to the venue and the series, this time as the headlining act. He once again gets the chance to snatch another fighter’s “0”, as Derrick Wilson heads into the fight with a record of 4-0-1, with the draw coming against another undefeated prospect in Kermit Gonzalez.
Upon signing with Golden Boy Promotions, Huerta felt confident that his career was in good hands.
“I feel confident Golden Boy can move me along pretty well,” Huerta was quoted as saying when first signing with the Los Angeles-based promotional outfit. I think as we go along step-by-step, I will get the recognition I’ve always wanted.”
He’s already fighting in front of the television cameras for the third time in just 12 pro fights. His popularity only increases with each passing performance, currently a cult favorite but already high on the list of “the ones to watch.”
As the wins keep coming and his popularity continues to increase, so will the claims that he could possibly go on to become the next Oscar de la Hoya.
At this rate, boxing will gladly settle for the first Charles Huerta.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.