By Jake Donovan (Photo by Top Rank)
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Simple enough words to live by, but it doesn't necessarily mean that such advice will always be followed.
In the case of undefeated prospects Giovanni Segura and Mike Alvarado , someone is apparently paying attention.
The dynamic duo will share a card for the fourth time in less than two years when they appear in separate bouts on Telefutura this Friday (8PM ET, 7PM Local Time, live from Hudson Campbell Sports Center, Gary, IN). Segura returns to the network in the main event, facing former strawweight titlist Daniel Reyes in a 12-round junior flyweight bout. Alvarado takes on battle tested Francisco Campos in an over-the-weight junior welterweight co-feature scheduled for eight rounds.
Segura (17-0-1, 13KO) has become a Telefutura staple, with his bout against Reyes being the fourth straight on the network. The diminutive slugger has scored eight knockouts in his last ten bouts, including early exits on all three cards he and Alvarado have appeared on together.
That a junior flyweight can consistently score knockouts against respectable competition is something of an anomaly. What comes as a bigger surprise is that Segura has only been a fighter for eight years, between pro and amateurs.
Born in Mexico, much of Segura's childhood was spent playing football (soccer, to us Yanks), though was always a fan of the sweet science. His love for football carried over when his family relocated to Downey, CA at age 12, but abandoned corner kicks and square fields for four corners in a squared circle during his senior year in high school.
Segura found much success in the little bit of time spent in the non-pay ranks, going 36-4 and winning regional titles in California and Arizona along the way. Admittedly troubled by speedy opposition, Segura relied on his power to get him through most of his brief amateur career before turning pro in 2003.
Despite being a late bloomer, Segura wasn't afforded a feeling out process at the start of his pro career. He was matched with iron-chinned Benjamin Garcia in just his second pro fight (Garcia was 7-1-2 at the time), with the bout resulting in a four-round draw. Just two bouts into his career, the noted puncher was a mere 1-0-1, still in search of his first knockout. He would get his shine just two weeks after the lone blemish on his career, dropping and stopping Garcia a mere two minutes into their rematch.
The two would meet again, this time with Garcia introducing Segura to the canvas in the opening round. Showing his fighting heart, the Mexican slugger dusted himself off, and did enough to escape with a split decision, going 2-0-1 in their three-fight series.
It was the only time, pro or amateur, Segura has been down. Fitting, since Segura remains the only fighter to knock out Garcia.
Since the hard-fought third battle with Garcia, Segura has gone on a tear, scoring five knockouts in his last six fights, including an explosive fifth round stoppage in his last bout, against Jesus Martinez this past February in Cicero, IL. The Martinez bout was his third straight on Telefutura, accompanying impressive televised wins over Carlos Tamara (W12) and Jair Jimenez (TKO4).
It was the Jimenez bout, last August in Pasadena, TX, where Segura proved he was more than just a face-first slugger. Flipping back and forth between a conventional and southpaw stance, Segura showed a new dimension to his game, attempting to develop into a boxer-puncher, as well as a force to be reckoned with at junior flyweights.
He'll need every trick in the book in order to conquer Daniel Reyes, who accepted this assignment on short notice after his stablemate, Cesar Canchila, was forced to withdraw after suffering a cut just last week while training for this bout. Reyes remained relevant after escaping a trip to Puerto Rico with a split-decision over Nelson Dieppa this past March. The win was the third straight for the Colombian slugger, after having lost three of his last four.
Even in coming in on late notice, Reyes still represents the toughest challenge of Segura's career. Luckily for the Mexican, he has his good luck charm appearing in the co-feature. Alvarado may not require as much positive reinforcement as Segura, as he is presented with the far less daunting task of the two as he faces Francisco Campos (20-9-1, 11KO). The Costa Rica native is unstoppable in his homeland (19-0-1, 11KO), but out of luck everywhere else. His lone win away from home came early in his career, registering a majority decision in Denmark in 2000. All nine of his losses have come in the United States, and all within his last eleven bouts, though against respectable competition ranging from 140-154 lb.
It almost doesn't matter who's in the opposite corner of Alvarado; he's going to find a way to win, regardless. Like Segura, Alvarado is also a late bloomer, taking up boxing at the age of 20. He boasted an amateur record of 36-5, including a win over eventual 2004 US Olympian Andre Dirrell. While Dirrell was gearing up for the Olympic games, Alvarado decided to make a living of the sport, turning pro in February 2004.
Finding opponents willing to face the boxer-puncher was almost as tough as getting them to last very long once they stepped in the ring; his first five bouts ended inside of the first round, and was only extended beyond the third round once in his first ten fights.
Backed by a pair of legends in promoter Bob Arum and manager Shelly Finkel, Alvarado would see his level of competition improve, as it became befitting of a top prospect. While Segura has stopped five of his last six, Alvarado's last half-dozen have produced the exact opposite results. His lone stoppage in that stretch came a year ago against grizzled veteran Maximo Cuevas. Since then, it has been familiar faces with familiar results; sharing venues with Segura, and being extended the eight round distance.
Alvarado received the toughest test of his career in his most recent bout. An hour or so before Segura thrilled the crowd with his aforementioned thrashing of Martinez, Alvarado was forced to dig deep against tough-as-nails Carlos Molina in eking out a majority decision. Much like his pair of bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Molina forced a fast-paced early. While he is the only fighter to date to put a blemish on Chavez Jr's record (a six-round draw in their first fight), he failed in attempting to snatch Alvarado's "0", as Colorado's finest rallied midway through and dominated down the stretch to win the bout on two of the three cards.
The knockouts are not as frequent these days, but the exposure continues to grow. Friday's bout will be Alvarado's sixth straight on a card televised by Telefutura. Not all have made prime time, but he has obviously done enough to make an impression on the country's premiere Spanish-speaking network.
Telefutura obviously recognizes a good thing when they see it, or in this case two good things in Segura and Alvarado. Thanks to their faith and the efforts of Top Rank and this weekend's lead promoter One In A Million Boxing, the rest of the country will have the chance to see that good news often travels in pairs.
