Former WBC lightweight champion Omar Figueroa (27-0-1, 19 KOs) made a big statement last Saturday night in New York.
Figueroa moved all the way up to the welterweight limit of 147-pounds, and scored five knockdowns in a three round destruction of former world champion Robert Guerrero.
The win was impressive as Guerrero had never been stopped and in the last two years had gone the full twelve round distance with hard punchers like Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, and in 2013 he headlined a major pay-per-view with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Figueroa believes boxing is on a big upswing in 2017, but he's far from a fan of next month's major pay-per-view event - when Floyd Mayweather snaps a two-year retirement to return to the ring against UFC superstar Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Many observers view the contest as a complete mismatch, because McGregor has no experience as a professional boxer - and Mayweather, while 40 years old, is regarded as one of the most talented fighters in the history of the sport.
"First off, I just want to say that I congratulate those guys because that is a epitome of boxing and being an athlete. You want to make the most money for the least amount of work but I feel that the fight is a joke, I feel like that fight is a slap in the face," Figueroa told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
"I know that fans want to see that fight, but it is a joke. I have no other PG-13 words to be able to describe that match up. Like I said, I’m happy for them and everyone who is involved, they’re going to make a lot of money. As for the fans and other boxers like myself, I feel that it is a complete joke. Anyone that knows boxing knows that the fight is a complete joke."
