Combat sports: Albuquerque's Perez predicts win, Holm weighs in for Saturday action

There are (it says here) four kinds of professional pugilists: boxers, brawlers, punchers and boxer-punchers.

And boxer-punchers are very hard to beat.

Albuquerque’s Abraham Perez is by no means a brawler, nor is he a mini-Mike Tyson.

Boxer? Absolutely. Perez was a national amateur champion, displaying impeccable skills — as he’s done thus far in his young pro career.

Is he, can he be, a boxer-puncher? Based on his third-round demolition of well-regarded Jeronil Borres in his most recent fight, perhaps he already is. But more information is needed.

On Saturday, Perez (7-0, three knockouts) is scheduled to face Californian Gilberto Mendoza (19-13-4, 10 KOs) in the 10-round main event of a Legacy Promotions card at Expo New Mexico’s Manuel Lujan Exhibit Complex.

Can he, will he, do to the durable Mendoza, who’s been stopped short of the prescribed distance in only three of his 36 bouts, what he did to Borres?

Perez is making no predictions beyond one of victory.

“I’m definitely gonna win it,” he said. “As far as a stoppage, that’s a possibility too. But if it comes it comes. If it doesn’t, I’m OK with it.”

So, where did that Borres power surge come from?

Perez doesn’t lift weights, he said, other than “hand weights for shadow boxing; that’s probably about it. I wear a vest, a pound-and-a-half vest (during workouts). And I’ll wear 2-pound gloves and hit the bags, go to work on those.”

Make no mistake: at age 24, Perez is an impressive physical specimen at the flyweight limit of 112 pounds. But his dramatic stoppage of Borres, he said, could be attributed as well to his ongoing transition from amateur to pro: less movement, more force.

“We did more technique,” he said of his preparation for Borres (and for Mendoza). “... Staying more in the center, not getting too far away from your opponent.”

Mendoza, Saturday’s opponent, is a seasoned veteran of 33 with 12 years as a professional on his résumé. Perez originally was scheduled to face Mexico’s Agustín Pérez Balbuena, but Balbuena had visa problems and was replaced by countryman Jesús Ángel Pérez Díaz, who — guess what — had visa problems.

In stepped Mendoza. No real adjustment, Perez said, needs to be made.

“That’s the reason why I don’t train for a specific style,” he said. “I train more with different types of styles, so that way I don’t spend one whole month or two months of camp on one particular person, because I know (opponents) can switch like this.”

Perez and Mendoza will be fighting 10 rounds for the International Boxing Federation Intercontinental flyweight title, which Perez won by defeating Borres. Rodolfo Aguilar, who fought for world titles during his boxing career and faced the likes of Julio César Chávez, Terrence Ali and Frankie Randall, is representing the IBA.

THEY’RE BACK: Albuquerque boxers Jordanne Garcia and Cristian Cabral have taken long ring hiatuses.

Garcia, two bouts into her return with No. 3 on Saturday, believes her three-year “vacation” has done her a world of good.

Cabral, who last fought five years ago, is eager to find out.

“Just been spending time with my family,” said Cabral (8-2-1, four KOs), whose last fight was a loss by seventh-round TKO against fellow Albuquerquean Josh Torres on June 23, 2018. “(But) the last two years I’ve been training.

“They called me and asked me if I wanted to fight this guy (Albuquerque’s Daniel Flores Garcia). I said ‘All right, let’s do it.’

“I plan on continuing after this, and let’s see how it goes.”

Flores Garcia (3-7, two KOs) weighed in on Friday at 167 pounds, 5 pounds over the contracted weight. Cabral agreed to accept the six-round fight regardless and will receive some of Flores Garcia’s pay as a consequence.

Garcia (4-2-3, no KOs), the daughter of longtime Albuquerque trainer and amateur boxing administrator Steve Garcia, was out of the ring from March 2020 to this February. She’s 0-1-1 since but believes she’s a better fighter for the time off.

“The three years helped me get my mind right, get me going, get me to focus again,” she said. “... I did what I wanted, I had fun, and I got refocused.”

Garcia is matched against Mexico’s Ciatalli Ortiz (3-1, one KO) in a six-round super middleweight bout.

Tonight’s card is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6. Tickets, priced at $25, $40 and $60, are available by calling 505-382-5136.

MMA: Albuquerque’s Holly Holm (15-6) weighed in at 135.5 pounds on Friday for her Saturday UFC Fight Night main event against Brazil’s Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bueno Silva weighed in at 136 pounds.

Saturday’s card will be telecast on ESPN and streamed at espn+, starting at 8 p.m.

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