NEW YORK — Though Rohan Polanco doesn’t live in New York City, he was feeling at home at Friday night’s club show in Times Square.
The 26-year-old Dominican boxer has become a popular boxer in the city in recent years, fighting three times down the street at Madison Square Garden, which is located in the city with the largest Dominican population in the country.
“I feel like I’ve made a second home at Madison Square Garden. I love fighting there. The support I get from my Dominican fans at Madison Square Garden is great. I’ll be back there for sure,” said Polanco, 17-0 (10 KOs), through interpreter Sebastian Mazeneth.
Polanco tells BoxingScene that he’s ready now to make his move in the welterweight division, and hopes to get himself into position in the 147lbs division for a world title opportunity - sooner rather than later.
“I’ve been ready and I can’t wait to show the world the real talent that Rohan Polanco possesses. Soon I hope to be in a mandatory spot and a high ranking so I’m ready to challenge for a world title,” said Polanco.
Trainer Hector Bermudez, who has guided the former Olympian since he turned professional in 2020, also believes Polanco doesn’t need to be held back at this point.
“He's definitely ready,” said Bermudez, who trains Polanco out of the Springfield, Massachusetts gym where Polanco also lives. When asked who he thinks would be the best matchup for Polanco when he gets a title opportunity, Bermudez offered a few perspectives.
“I think for the fans it would definitely be [WBO champion] Brian Norman. If I want to be selfish and get him just to be a world champion, I would go with either [WBA titleholder] Rolly Romero or [WBC titleholder] Mario Barrios,” said Bermudez, whose stable includes Kurt Scoby and Thomas Blumenfeld.
Polanco is currently rated no. 7 by the WBO at 147lbs, plus no. 9 with the WBC and no. 10 by the IBF.
Polanco is coming off his second straight decision win in July, a unanimous decision over Quinton Randall. Bermudez says the reason he hasn’t gotten a knockout since his second round blowout of Jean Carlos Torres is that his opponents have been in survival mode, but Polanco feels the experience in his last outing helped him grow as a fighter.
“I learned that you can’t knock every boxer out. Some you’re going to have to use the skills that you learned in the gym to break them down and go the distance if you have to. Winning over Quinton Randall was a very good victory because he’s an opponent with a very good record and good experience so that definitely progressed my career and will develop me more as a fighter,” said Polanco.
A source with Top Rank, which promotes Polanco, says a date hasn’t been set for his next outing - most likely December or January - but says they want him to “fight anyone in the rankings.”
