By Jake Donovan
Photo © Top Rank Inc.
His last name translates to "safe" in English, though all of Giovanni Segura's past opponent will tell you he's anything but that, once the opening bell sounds. The only thing safe about the undefeated junior flyweight is offering the guarantee that he'll always bring excitement anytime he appears in the ring.
It is for that reason, among others, that has this week's edition of Telefutura's Solo Boxeo series in such high demand.
Segura's fight this Friday (Telefutura, 8PM ET/10PM PT, Cicero, IL) will be his fifth straight on the network, as he takes on Wilfrido Valdez in the televised co-feature. His last appearance was of the "Blink-and-you-missed it" variety, taking out Daniel Reyes midway through the opening round. The bout was supposed to be Segura's toughest test to date, but instead resulted in far and away the most impressive win of his young career. That Segura won the fight wasn't surprising. That it came with such relative ease was shocking to everyone – including Segura.
"I look back, and believe that he took me lightly," suggests Segura (18-0-1, 14KO). "He was jabbing soft, looking to make it a distance fight. If you give me an opening and I can hit you, I'm going to hit you. I'm not going to play and pose. I'm taking my opportunity because I don't know when the next one is coming."
Opportunities have been coming in boatloads for the diminutive slugger, who's racked up six knockouts in his last seven fights. In just four years in as a pro fighter, Segura has already made his way to a top five junior flyweight in all four major alphabet sanctioning bodies, and also rates high among most other respectable rankings. While most would bide their time, traveling the safest and quickest path towards a world title shot, Segura seeks the best, training and fighting accordingly.
Such is the regard in which he holds former title challenger Wilfrido Valdez.
"Valdez is an experienced guy. I haven't seen much of him, but know enough to recognize that he's a solid fighter, and someone I'm not taking lightly. Everything that happens, I just train for a hard fight and as is if it's going to get harder and harder. I'm getting to the point – and maybe I'm even already there – where everyone's watching me. For that reason, I always have to be ready to do my best."
Valdez was last seen this past May, succumbing to the power of former junior flyweight titlist Hugo Cazares, another huge puncher. Though hoping to avoid it, Segura is well aware that the comparisons – in punching power, and performances against Valdez – are inevitable.
"Hugo can punch, and so can I. He just fought this guy a few months ago, and I'm fighting him next, so of course everyone's going to compare us," Segura acknowledges. "But styles make fights, and that's why Hugo lost his last fight to Calderon. He can punch, but wants you to stand in front of you. Calderon moved around, and Hugo didn't adjust.
"When I'm in the ring, I come with my game plan, but also know how to adapt to my opponent's style. I didn't have a lot of amateur fights, and am still learning as a I go as a pro. I already have the power, but work more on improving my technique when I fight."
Segura is already making a natural transition from bomber to boxer-puncher. By his own admission, he's still a work in progress, having only taken up boxing eight years ago. He was always a fan, but spent his youth playing soccer in Mexico, where he lived until relocating to California in 2001. It was then that Segura gravitated toward boxing, much to the chagrin of his parents.
"My Mom and Dad wanted me to stay with soccer, they thought I was really good at it, that I had a future in it. They weren't happy when I told them I wanted to box. They thought I was too old to start learning, and that I can get hurt."
Segura has emphatically improved that you're never too old to learn. The only hurt in his fights is the pain he inflicts, with 14 of his 19 bouts ending inside the distance, including 8 in the first round. Of course, they all haven't been that easy, with his first knockout not coming until his third pro bout. By then, he was already 1-0-1, before avenging the lone blemish of his career with a first round knockout over the much more experienced Benjamin Garcia.
It was the first of five straight 1st round exits Segura provided for his opponents, before being extended the distance against previously unbeaten Felipe Rivas, though sending him to the canvas before "settling" for a six-round shutout decision win.
The closest Segura has come to losing have come in two of the three bouts he's had with Garcia. Two years after the aforementioned draw and subsequent 1 st round knockout, the two squared off for the third and final time. Segura was sent to the canvas in the 1st round for the first and only time in his young career, but came back strong to take a split decision win when all was said and done.
It's been smooth sailing ever since, with only Carlos Tamara surviving the distance, though also fighting as if it were his only goal. Segura never enters any fight with such an attitude, nor does he change gears once the opening bell sounds.
"I never worry about who I'm fighting, how many or few rounds it will last or whatever. My only concerns when the bell rings, are winning, learning, and giving the audience their money's worth."
It's the last part that keeps 'em coming back for more, and why his handlers have elected to bring him back to the Chicago area for this weekend's bout. While Segura is grateful for any opportunity he receives, the trek is the only part he never looks forward to.
"I love the fans in Chicago, and I love Chicago itself. But it's a long trip, and I'm always too tired to appreciate it when I first get there. Of course once I'm settled in, it's a beautiful city to be in, and a great fight town with lots of fans. It's just tiring."
What never gets tiring is tracking Segura's progress, as his career has seemingly fast-forwarded from prospect to top contender in the blink of an eye. For those who think enough of the alphabets to recognize four titlists per division, Segura's affiliation with Top Rank would make it easy to secure a fight with three – Edgar Sosa, Ulises Solis and the man many regard as the best little big man in the world. Ivan Calderon.
So naturally, Segura believes the hardest fight to make will in fact be the one that comes first.
"Right now I'm the mandatory challenger to the kid (undefeated Argentinean, Juan Carlos) Reveco. It's not written in stone, but my handlers are working hard for the fight to happen before the end of the year. The other guys are all with Top Rank, so maybe they're the easier fights to make. But nothing's come easy for me. Some guys get their breaks the easy way, others the hard way. It's been the hard way for me, so far, but now at least I'm close."
Fighter and promoter are certainly on the same page.
"Our hope and plans are that Segura next fights the WBA champion, Juan Carlos Reveco," says Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum. " Segura is a highly regarded at Top Rank and we really believe he will soon be a world champion."
Segura believes it will happen as soon as he gets his first shot, but that the good fortunes won't end there.
"If I can get a shot against Reveco, I know I'm going home with a world title. After that, I'd love to fight Ivan Calderon, it would be a pleasure to face him in a unification match. I was impressed with how he handled Cazares' style. I wasn't impressed with Hugo never making the adjustments necessary to win. If people want to continue comparing us, then I can use the Calderon fight to show just how much Hugo and I are different. Calderon is the slickest boxer in the game today, but I'm used to fights like that. I'm ready to beat him now."
Of course, it's all a moot point if he doesn't stick to the script this weekend.
"I don't mind discussing future fights, because I know that I don't bring that into the gym or in the ring. I'm 100% focused in the gym, so my opponent doesn't need to worry about me overlooking him. People dream about what they'd do if they won the Lotto, but they still go to work every day and do their job in the meantime."
What Segura does, he does damn well. And for a reason.
"When I fight, I try to improve, with each round, and each fight. But also, I respect the fact that fans are paying good money to watch me win and put on a show. I see myself in a place where I say to myself "What would you like to see if you were in the crowd watching the fight?" And that's how I fight. I want to see an exciting fight, which is why I can always guarantee to people that when my name is on a show, they're going to see an exciting fight."
Bet that.
LET US ALSO NOT FORGET…
The norm for the past few Segura appearances on Telefutura is that he is paired up with fellow unbeaten rising prospect Mike Alvarado. Top Rank and 8 Count, who present this Friday's show, deviate a bit from the script, but not exactly in unfamiliar territory. This time around, Segura is paired up with old stablemate Martin "El Gallito" Castillo, who headlines the show in a ten-round super flyweight bout against Jonathan Perez.
Castillo was regarded for a time as the best super flyweight in the world, but finds himself on the comeback trail following a fluke loss to Nobuo Nashiro last summer in Japan.
Long underappreciated, Castillo finally garnered some shine after his domination over previously unbeaten Alexander Munoz in December 2004, also on Telefutura. Munoz was regarded as a lights out puncher and favored to successfully defend his alphabet title. It didn't quite work out that way, as Castillo dominated Munoz, dropping him twice en route to a lopsided unanimous decision.
Showcase slots on the PPV undercards for the first and second battles between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao provided mixed results. His April 2006 win over Eric Morel was recognized as dominant, if not a bit monotonous, while his much-closer-than expected rematch with Munoz in January 2006 produced a Fight of the Year candidate, one in which Gallito barely escaped with a split decision.
Some felt Castillo was lucky to escape with the nod. Perhaps so, though his luck would run out six month later. Dispatched to Japan for the third time in just over two years, Castillo squared off against perceived novice Nobuo Nashiro, who entered the ring a mere 7-0. The night resulted in one of the year's biggest upsets, with Castillo suffering a cut over his left eye early in the fight, worsening as the fight went on before the referee stopped the bout midway through the tenth round.
To add further insult to injury (pun intended), Castillo was rallying at the time of the stoppage, having won the 8 th and 9th rounds on all three cards. What lost him the fight, however was abandoning his normal stick-and-move style, which produces plenty of contact on the shipping end and very little in return.
Castillo promised to revert to old form, which he's done to a degree in two subsequent performances, though both against pedestrian opposition. Perez is a step up from Castillo's past two opponents, but is no match for Gallito in skill or experience, which makes the fight what it is – a showcase for better things to come.
Assuming he registers his third (and most likely final) win of 2007, plenty of opportunities await Castillo, none of which will force him to travel overseas. Cristian Mijares is rapidly emerging as perhaps the man to beat at 115 lb, and Munoz is also once again hovering around the top, thanks to his decision win over Nashiro earlier this year.
However, one oft-rumored bout – and perhaps the most lucrative - has managed to once again push its way to the top of the queue.
"Castillo, if he wins, is in line to fight Jorge Arce in March, 2008," insists Arum, who promotes both Castillo and Arce. "This is an action fight that we are anxious to see. It is a fight which has been discussed at Top Rank for a long time and we are very close to making it happen."
Whatever transpires, Castillo is in a much better place in his career than he was a year ago – and more importantly, back on Top Rank's radar after being overlooked for far too long.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and presently serves on the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.
