Vicente Escobedo began his career with
great hopes and high expectations in 2005, fresh off representing the United
States in the 2004 Olympics. In signing with Golden Boy Promotions, it was
believed that the baby-faced kid with a hard punch would follow the path carved
by the “Golden Boy” himself, Oscar De La Hoya. All the ingredients seemed in
place for a highly successful career. But as he begins 2012, Escobedo's not in
a world title fight on HBO or Showtime but on Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” this
weekend against Lonnie Smith.
By
this time, many (including this reporter, admittedly) forecasted that he'd be a
two or three-time world titlist, headlining on much more lucrative platforms.
It's not like Escobedo’s career has been a bust. It's been productive but his
defining moments at the highest levels of the sport are losses to the likes of
Michael Katsidis and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.
You
just expected more by now.
Guess
what? So did he.
“Yeah,
I do; believe it or not. I'm not going to lie; I do,” admitted Escobedo earlier
this week. “But better late than never and I'm not going to sit here and make
excuses of this and that but I'm still better for it. I still believe in myself
that I have a chance to make it at 130 pounds. At times, I was at weight
classes where everyone was bigger than me but that's the past; this is the
future. We got to look at just getting motivated, going out there and this is
my chance. I'm fighting for the NABO [belt]. I'm confident and I just gotta be
the Vicente that hasn't been out there. Everyone knows that; everyone's waiting
for that- I'm waiting for that- but I think this is the moment. This is it. I'm
29; I gotta go out there and do it.”
After
his unsuccessful foray as a lightweight, Escobedo and his team decided to head
back down to 130-pounds. After his loss to Guerrero in November of 2010, he
picked up a pair of ten-round decisions against Walter Estrada and Rocky Juarez
last year, suffering a detached ligament in his right hand along the way. Escobedo
says that in fact both his hands were bruised up, keeping him out of action. “I
guess those guys I've been fighting have pretty hard heads,” he joked.
This
junior lightweight division isn't very deep and the biggest money fight in this
weight class (in the States) is the flamboyant Adrien Broner, who holds the WBO
title. Of “The Problem,” Escobedo states, “He's a good fighter, really good. I
think he shows a lot of experience, really patient; he was in control every round.
I like the way he fights; he did a great performance. I didn't think he'd knock
Eloy [Perez] so fast but he's good, really good. He's skillful and a real
counterpuncher. He's quick; he has ability; he's a top, top fighter at 130.”
Is
there any possibility of that fight happening in the near future?
Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez says, “It might be too soon, too
fast; it depends. We have talked about possibly fighting Broner but they want
another fight underneath their belts, so it depends. Let’s see how he looks. He
goes in there and blows this guy out, it's only logical we can make that fight.”
Both
Escobedo and Broner are represented by GBP, so this fight could be made with
relative ease.
“But
we'll look at other possibilities as well. We'll look at some of the other top
guys. [Escobedo]’s ready again. He's got a couple of wins now. He's going to
fight again this Saturday and he's ready for another step-up, big fight.
Whether it's a title or whether it's a marquee fight, he's ready,” continued
Gomez. Currently the other major belts are held by a pair of well-respected
fighters from Japan (Takahiro Ao and Takashi Uchiyama) and Juan Carlos Salgado.
Only Broner has a foothold on HBO dates. When asked if Broner could be next for
him, Escobedo answered, “It could be; I'm sure that's on the list. Right now, I
have no idea. See, I'm not interested on that. My main concern is the NABO
title and it's Lonnie Smith I gotta beat. We gotta beat him and then we think
about the future. There's a lot of names thrown out there but, right now, I
gotta get what’s mine and that's the NABO title to move forward.”
By
the way, Smith is no easy out. This is not a hometown gimme fight for Escobedo
in Woodland.
“No, no, absolutely not,” said his adviser, Rolando Arellano. “He has to show that
he belongs in here. Vicente has a pedigree, a background. He's an Olympian;
he's fought good. He's over his injury; there's a couple of things with the
Rocky Juarez fight he needed to work on but I believe they corrected it already
in the gym. So Lonnie Smith is the next step up. [If Escobedo] keeps looking good,
we'll move him up. He's 30 years old, so that's part of the strategy.”
Arellano
himself isn't sure that an immediate date with Broner would be prudent. “I
think Vicente needs to be a little more consistent and show more quality within
the ring,” he stated. There's no question that Escobedo would be a sizable
underdog versus Broner but he's a recognizable name in a division that lacks a
good number of them. But the bottom line is if you want a chance to solve “The
Problem,” you have to show you can take care of the likes of Smith. “He's
fought better fighters, obviously, with Robert Guerrero and stuff,” said Gomez,
“and he really wants to fight for a title again this year and this is a step in
the right direction.”
Sure,
Escobedo hit the dreaded 3-oh in November but to him, it doesn't signal that
he's old or in the final chapter of his career.
“To
me, age is just a number, so the way I train, I feel good. I feel like I have
that fire still. I still love it and I haven't lost it. So never did I doubt
that this is the end of my career. I mean, 30 is still young. I don't feel 30.
I feel like this is just the beginning now. I'm very experienced; I can adapt
to fighting with an injury, having lost, being knocked down, getting up. So I
feel this is at my best and I think I just need to improve it.”
WEEKEND
FLURRIES
Yvon
Michel of GYM told me on Friday that Jean Pascal suffered a relatively minor
shoulder injury playing recreational hockey (yes, he plays hockey. Pascal’s new
nickname should be the “Skatin' Haitian”) and his return to the ring will be
delayed till May or June now...Michel also told me that he is hoping to make an
IBF elimination bout between super middles Adonis Stevenson and Librado
Andrade...Ronny Rios will headline the April 7th edition of “Solo
Boxeo” I'm told...His stablemate at the high flyin' Espinoza Boxing Club, Luis
Ramos, has been added to the April 21st show, featuring Abner Mares
vs. Eric Morel...Luther Campbell is rather amused by all this talk of the
Saints and bounties...Here’s the latest edition of Maxboxing Radio with Corey
Erdman and Yours Truly (now a full hour but with Skype issues at the 15-minute
mark): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aleckohut/2012/03/01/max-boxing-radio--february-29...Geez,
has Ben Howland lost control at UCLA or what?...Was Lamar Odom really sent down
to the D-league?...Nothing like dinner at Phil Trani's in Long Beach...
More of Steve's recent work below his contact info...
