By Miguel Rivera
After seeing his career stagnant for about a year after his first professional setback in 2017, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza got a second chance to shine on the big boxing stages.
Last week, Pedraza became the new lightweight champion (135 pounds) of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) after winning a twelve round unanimous decision over Raymundo Beltran in Glendale, Arizona.
The win was very important, as it placed Pedraza (25-1, 12 KOs) on a path to fight Vasyl Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) - who holds the lightweight title of the World Boxing Association (WBA) - on December 1 at The Forum, in Inglewood, California.
Pedraza, who also captured a world title at 130 pounds under the International Boxing Federation (IBF), is confident that he has the necessary boxing skills to beat Lomachenko, who many views as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum informed BoxingScene.com in a recent interview that Pedraz has already signed a contract for the fight, but there are terms that are still unresolved.
"It's being discussed, the fight is being negotiated. There is talk of December 1 because Lomachenko is fighting on that day, but it is not known if it is with me. We have not reached an agreement yet, but the possibility is great," said Pedraza to Sara Hernandez.
"I have the right style to make a great fight against Lomachenko, to make him have a bad night. The lateral movements of Lomachenko, he uses them more often. But we have similar styles."
Pedraza shared that his goal when he was at 130 pounds was to unify a title. He could not accomplish that, so now he hopes to do it against the Ukrainian.
"This opportunity is great and it is part of a goal that I set for myself at 130 pounds, to have a unification, and I could not do it. And I plan to achieve it at 135 pounds," Pedraza added.
