By Jake Donovan
First it was Erik Morales, and then archrival Marco Antonio Barrera, to depart from the 130 lb division. A year later, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez decided to move on to bigger and better adventures.
Factor in Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero both moving up to lightweight as well, and you’re not left with very much at the super featherweight division. Sure, you still have Humberto Soto. There’s also the arrival of young lions like Jorge Linares and Robert Guerrero. The key word is young, as in plenty of time to treat 130 as a pit stop before chasing big money fights.
On the surface, the future of the super featherweight division appears to be bleak. But that’s only if you focus on the present. A more promising outlook is found when you expand your search and focus on the future, in hopes that today’s prospect develops into tomorrow’s star.
Enter John Molina Jr.
The name might sound familiar to older boxing fans, who will immediately conjure up memories of Juan “John John” Molina, the Puerto Rican super featherweight who was in many a great TV fight in the late 1980’s and much of the 1990’s.
This John Molina would be very, very different, in addition to not even being related. The rangy boxer-puncher based out of Covina, CA has left many a Left Coast boxing fan singing his praises dating back to his brief yet notable amateur career earlier in the decade.
On Friday night, he’s ready to expand that audience by several hundred thousand. Those tuning in to the next edition of Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation will have the opportunity to watch Molina ply his trade in front of the camera, as he makes his series debut in the televised co-feature against Joshua Allotey (Friday, 11PM ET/PT, Lemoore, California).
The bout will be his second nationally televised appearance in the ring, having surfaced on a Telefutura telecast last March. His six-round bout with Carlos Madrid was designed as a swing bout, and made its way to the broadcast thanks to a pair of early knockouts leaving plenty of time to fill.
One of the knockout victims was previously unbeaten Juanito Garcia, whose record at the time was 14-0, much as Molina’s currently reads. Garcia was just one of several notable prospects and contenders who landed on the wrong end of the highlight reel in a 2008 filled with upsets.
A student of the game, Molina is already wise enough to learn from his past to build toward the future.
“We’re always well prepared,” he simply states, approaching every fight as if a world title is at stake. “ We never go in there to not do well. We go in there to fight. Every time I fight, I go in there 100% prepared.”
It’s more natural for Molina than it is for most to walk around with the mindset that nothing comes easy in the sport no matter how good you are or how many headlines flaunt your name. The 26-year old comes from a fighting family, with his father John Sr. and grandfather Ysidro having both boxed in the amateurs.
His father’s amateur stint is what laid the foundation for John John to lace ‘em up, though not the first sport in which he excelled. His high school years were spent excelling in varsity wrestling and track and field, in addition to of course gaining a quality education, having graduated in 2001 from Charter Oak High School in Covina, CA.
From there, it didn’t take very long for the boxing bug to bite. Molina began his amateur in 2002, compiling a record of 22-2 (17KO). Among his achievements included winning the California Golden Gloves in 2002.
In choosing quality over quantity, it was clear that he was anxious to ditch the headgear and start punching for pay. That day came in March 2006, scoring a 2nd round knockout in Maywood, CA, roughly 30 minutes from his hometown of Covina.
Molina’s kept it close to the vest in terms of where he’s fought. All but three of his 14 pro bouts to date have taken place in California. The three road games all came in succession early in his career, fighting once in Texas and twice in Las Vegas before remaining exclusively in California beginning with his sixth pro fight.
Despite his amateur background not running very deep, Molina’s already been moved at a brisk pace. His first step up fight came in August 2007, just 17 months into his pro career. It also resulted in his lone knockdown suffered to date, hitting the deck less than two minutes into his fight with DC-based Ron Boyd, before coming back with a vengeance to stop him in the very same round.
Most handlers would’ve applied the brakes and kept it on the tomato can circuit, but his father John Sr (who is also his co-manager) and Ben Lira kept charging forward. Next up was Eddie Brooks, undefeated going in, not so much on the way out, as Molina got rid of him in two.
Two fights later came the Telefutura-televised six-round win over Carlos Madrid, his second of five fights in a 2008 campaign that ended with his stopping Fernando Lizarraga in five rounds.
While progress was being made in his career, what was missing was promotional stability.
That problem went away late last year, when Molina signed with Sherman Oaks-based Goossen Tutor Promotions. His first fight under their banner airs on Showtime, about as promising an entrance as you can ask for. More importantly, Molina needn’t worry about anything except what to do once the bell rings.
“Signing with Goossen Tutor is the best thing that ever happened to me. We all have goals, but sometimes you have to step back and learn the craft. I get that with Goossen-Tutor.”
When you sign with a promotional company boasting ten siblings, chances are you’re bound to learn a little something from all angles. Molina’s most recent hands-on lessons come in the form of his new cornerman, Joe Goossen, who’s as well-known for his shirt collection as he is for the number of champions he’s produced through the years.
Molina had previously spent much of his career under the tutelage of Ben Lira, but was forced to move on after Lira suffered personal tragedy in his life.
“Everything happens for a reason. I loved training with Ben, but with the untimely death of his wife, it’s impossible to ask of him to dedicate the time and attention necessary to train a fighter. Ben played a huge part in bringing me here; I’m confident Joe will help bring me to the next level.”
What 2009 has in store depends on what goes down Friday evening. Providing he wins, a progression in competition is to be expected, with hopes of a title shot coming by next year, if not sooner.
The biggest question is, where will it come.
At 5’10 ½”, the first instinct would be to believe that he outgrows 130 and possibly even 135 before receiving a crack at a major title.
Molina insists he’s here to stay at 130 – not just until a title shot comes, but long enough to establish himself as the man to beat at that weight.
“When the time is right, I will receive my shot. But I have no question that I will be at 130 when that day comes. I want to win a world title at 130 and stay at this weight. There’s a lot of big money fights at 135 and 140 right now, but there will be a lot going on (at super featherweight) once I’m ready to compete at the championship level.”
And that day won’t come until everyone in his team is in agreement that he’s ready. There’s no timetable for when he moves on, because it’s a waste of paper and ink to draw it out if the present doesn’t cooperate.
“Now that I signed with Goossen-Tutor, we all wear hats,” Molina explains in gladly allowing others to help guide his career. “My hat is the fighter. As my promoter, Dan Goossen has my best interests at heart, and there’s never a moment that goes by in the gym when Joe Goossen isn’t teaching me something new. I feel with his knowledge and my knowledge and my skills, we can go really far.
“To work with him is a dream come true.”
The finishing touches of their first camp together will be on full display this weekend. From there, the dream continues, which includes restoring glory in the super featherweight division.
“Everything is lining up perfectly for me at 130. Being 5’10 ½”, 135 is right up my alley. All in good time I’ll be in there with them. For now, I’m just ready to take the next step and show the boxing world what John Molina is all about.”
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
