Omar Figueroa Punches His Way Into Boxing Fans' Hearts
By Jake Donovan - There’s a case to be made that the lightweight bout between Omar Figueroa and Nihito Arakawa was regarded as the least significant of the three televised bouts heading into last weekend’s Showtime-televised tripleheader in San Antonio. There’s no chance of that remaining the case in the aftermath. The pair of lightweight punchers displayed inhuman amounts of courage and resiliency in a bout that miraculously lasted all 12 rounds. Figueroa prevailed by unanimous decision, scoring two knockdowns en route to the victory and an interim title that was at stake. Both he and Arakawa became instant cult heroes, with fans clamoring for when they next step into the ring. Fighting outside of his native Japan for just the second time in his career, Arakawa was the least known of the six fighters on Saturday’s telecast. It’s understandable why Saturday night served as his introduction into the hearts of boxing fans. Less forgiving is why it took fans this long to warm up to Figueroa as the sport’s next potentially great all-action star. Then again, the dynamite-fisted Texan has grown accustomed to having to fight for his place in line.