A Sad Tale of Two Boxers (First of Two Parts)
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 06 May 2021
Figueroa (L) catches a right from Ramos.
Two fighters who at the start of the last decade were proclaimed as best prospects to not only win world titles but become new boxing stars are facing an ignominious end to their careers, one after a one sided ring beating and the other, most likely inside prison.
On a week that saw Omar Pantera Figueroa surrendering on his stool after getting battered from post to post by Abel Ramos in a welterweight bout, Felix 'El Diamante' Verdejo was arrested for the suspected murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
It has not been ten years since both Figueroa and Verdejo caught the fancy of ring pundits in the USA as highly promising prospects in the lightweight class for their ideal built, youthful potentials and fighting skills.
Let us start with Omar 'Pantera' Figueroa.
Figueroa, a member of one of the famous boxing families in the States and a former amateur standout, won in January 2012 his first major pro title, the vacant WBO world youth intercontinental lightweight championship by sixth round stoppage of Michael Perez. It was his 14th straight win in 15 fights since he turned pro at the age of 21. The only mark in his record was a split draw with fellow American upstart Arturo Quintero in 2010.
Pantera would win all his six fights in 2012, most by knockout, prompting Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotion to fast track his way to the world lightweight crown. Two more knockout wins by early part of 2013 would follow, including a rousing first round kayo of the tough Abner Cotto for three minor titles.
Building on this successes, Figueroa won a unanimous decision over Japan's durable Nihito Arikawa for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title, in a fight declared by the Showtime commentator Mauro Ranallo to be a candidate for 2013 Fight of the Year.
Writer Scott Christ of the boxing blog Bad Left Hook later said of Figueroa and Arakawa's encounter: "This fight was unreal and has to be seen to be believed. The brutality was simply off the charts. They might not agree with it today, but I heard more than one person last night say that this was the best fight they've ever seen, or the best fight of the 2000s".
However, after a couple of successful title defenses, his career floundered as Figueroa outgrew the lightweights and found himself fighting in the super lightweights where he also had successes beating Ricky Burns and Antonio de Marco in 2015. But he never got to contend for a world title in view of boozing, bad breaks and spates of injuries that forced him out of action.
By the time he was back two years later, he had grown as a welterweight but showed promise by beating ex world titlist Robert Guerrero and almost a year later after a contentious DUI case, title challenger John Molina, Jr. Those victories gave him a new lease in his career and set him up for a WBA regular welterweight title fight versus Cuban Yordenis Ugas in July 2019 but he lost that one by unanimous decision.
Like many others, the pandemic interrupted his boxing career but still there are people who continued to believe in him. Thus recently, after more than a year, Figueroa was pitted against rated contender Abel Ramos in a WBA welterweight title eliminator underneath the main event heavyweight fight between ex unified champion Andy Ruiz and Chris Arreola.
Before the fight, Figueroa rededicated himself to fulfilling in the welterweights the potentials he said have always been with him since his historic shootout versus Arikawa at lightweight.
In the opening minutes of the first round, Figueroa seemed to make true his vow as he stalked Ramos, determined to score an impressive victory, preferably via the short route the quickest time possible.
But Ramos proved equally, if not more, resolute as he weathered Figueroa's initial powerful assault while thoroughly studying his opponent and determining his own avenue to victory. As the fight entered the third round, Ramos began to time Figueroa and proceeded to unload lethal rights that would eventually lead him to the win.
As a result, a significant bruise began to develop under Figueroa's left eye that would bother him in the succeeding rounds until the stoppage.
Ramos kept up his line of attack in the fourth and fifth rounds as the referee looked on with concern.
In the sixth, Figueroa came out aggressively in a desperate bid to turn the fight around but Ramos stuck to his plan and pounded Pantera with rights to the head and body that visibly had him hurt.
Before the start of the seventh, referee Jerry Cantu waived the fight off at the suggestion of the Figueroa's corner giving Ramos a well deserved TKO win.
The defeat, though quite unexpected, seriously put in doubt the future of Figueroa's career, seeing that both he and Ramos are at best just second tier fighters in the loaded welterweight class.
(To be continued)
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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