The Bocanegra brothers have contrasting styles, but what they do share – outside of the obvious – is a trainer and a spotlight on the undercard of an upcoming show.

Xavier and Ranulfo, both junior lightweights who train with Eddy Reynoso, will fight this Friday on ProBox TV at the University of Texas in Arlington. Xavier will face Malik Lewis in a six-round bout while Ranulfo, who goes by Ray, will face Kevin Ronquillo Nunez of Lerdo, Mexico, in a four-round bout. 

Xavier, 9-0 (7 KOs), draws comparisons to junior lightweight beltholder Emanuel Navarrete. He stands at 5ft 9ins, two inches taller than Navarrete, and is a pressure fighter with unconventional angles to his punches.

“I get that a lot,” Xavier said with a laugh. “That I have a similar style to Navarrete, that I throw a lot of punches out of nowhere. It is crazy, but I see it.”

Xavier, 22, is the older of the two brothers and got the pair into boxing when they lived in Donna, Texas. 

“It has been an amazing adventure,” Xavier said. “The story started when I was seven years old. I was a hyper kid. My parents wanted to put me in a sport, and this is the sport that I liked.”

Ray, 4-0 (2 KOs), is the more traditional boxer, a cerebral fighter who a purist could be fond of. 

“I am a boxer,” Ray said. “[Xavier] is a straight-up brawler; he is always brawling.”

“He has his own style, where he can box, he can see punches coming, he has good defense,” Xavier said of his brother. “As the rounds go on, he is catching on to everything.”

Now 20, Ray started boxing at the age of 7. While Xavier was Ray’s inspiration to take up the sport, it was Ray who helped them get a major opportunity.

“It started with me messaging Roberto Diaz [a boxing adviser]. I sent him videos, and he liked what he saw,” Ray said. “He is the one who got us to Eddy.”

Now, they have been there with Reynoso for a little over a year, training in the San Diego, California area. 

“What I like [about training with Eddy] is that everything is serious work,” Xavier said. “There is no joking around…I am 4-0 with Eddy with four knockouts.” 

Three of those knockouts came against journeymen, but in his last fight Xavier knocked out Sergio Aldana, who was unbeaten at 4-0, in November. 

That knockout streak will be put to the test when Xavier faces Lewis 8-2 (5 KOs), who enters having lost two of his last three fights but has never been stopped before. Lewis, 32, does hold a win over unbeaten Tristan Gallichan, but his last fight was a loss to Oscar Alan Perez in September. Lewis will be coming down in weight, fighting at the junior lightweight limit for the first time since 2021. 

“All I have in my mind is I have got to win,” Xavier said. “That is my mentality.” 

Ray will face Nunez, 10-13-1 (2 KOs), who is a 27-year-old veteran entering on a three-fight losing streak. Nunez last fought in December, losing a unanimous decision to Daniel Nunez Gomez.

The brothers are also excited to be fighting in Texas. They traveled to the major cities in Texas as amateurs and have fond memories of them.

“Even though it is seven hours away [from Donna], it is still Texas,” Ray said. “So, it is almost home.”

While Friday’s bout will probably not define either of their careers, it will be one step closer to their ultimate goal.

“We want to be the first world champs out of Donna, Texas,” Xavier said. “We want to put it on the map.”