WBC super-bantamweight champion Luis Nery feels he can become one of Mexico’s greatest ever fighters.
This Saturday, such lofty aspirations will be put to the test when Nery faces WBA Regular champion Brandon Figueroa at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
A former WBC title holder at 118lbs, Nery won the sanctioning body’s vacant 122lbs crown with a decision over fellow Mexican southpaw Aaron Alameda in September 2020. But, after a 14-month layoff, Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) wasn’t at his best with detractors claiming his power hadn’t followed him up in weight.
The 26-year-old champion is predicting a far more destructive performance against Figueroa tomorrow night with the winner scheduled to face WBO king Stephen Fulton later in the year.
“In the ring, I’m going for the finish. Everything is on the line. I just have to prove what I’m capable of inside the ring,” said Nery. “I think people got carried away about my performance from my last fight. You’re going to see that my power translates on Saturday. Brandon is going to be the first person to see how my power really translates to super-bantamweight.
“I’m ready to fight anybody who will improve my legacy. I want to keep winning and moving up divisions and putting together a resume that matches up with all of the legendary Mexican fighters.
“Brandon’s style really fits with what I want to do in the ring. I know that I can achieve everything that I want in this division and show all of my skills in this fight. This style will go better with mine than Aaron Alameda’s did in my last fight.
“We just need to put on a great fight Saturday. This is going to be an all-out war from the first round on. People are going to be talking about it for a long time after.
“I’m only focused on Brandon Figueroa. After that fight, I’ll be ready for Stephen Fulton. Once I beat him, too, he can tell me how my power feels at this weight.”
Main image: Amanda Westcott/Showtime.