Luevano, the Understudy By Steve Kim (June 26, 2008) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback This weekend, WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano finds himself in a familiar role. For the third consecutive fight, he defends his crown as a participant in one of the main supporting bouts underneath a Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view event. After capturing the vacant title last July by stopping Nicky Cook in 11 rounds, he would decision Antonio Davis before 'the Pac Man’s second victory over Marco Antonio Barrera last October. Then, before Pacquiao's razor-thin decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in March, he would outpoint Terdsak Jandaeng. This Saturday at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, before Pacquiao challenges WBC lightweight titlist David Diaz, Luevano takes on the hard-punching Mario Santiago. It's a rite of passage that many young, relatively unknown, fighters with belts go through. Before headlining their own shows - whether on the pay-per-view platform or on a premium cable network - they perform on the undercards of pay-per-view events. Pacquiao made his America debut back in 2001 underneath Oscar De La Hoya, and made a big splash by overwhelming Lehlo Ledwaba. For Luevano it's all part of his career path that has been patiently crafted. "I'm waiting for that time still because before I was on Telefutura as the main event on 'Solo Boxeo', which was a good thing, I got a lot of publicity from that and then I fought on two really big cards with Manny Pacquiao, so there were a lot of Hispanics and Mexicans watching those fights. So yeah, I can't wait till I get to be the main event and hopefully people will get to know me a lot better." In an era when dates are so difficult to obtain, these undercard slots are coveted by managers. It's not just an opportunity to stay active, but also a way to create a buzz with the media and fans observing. Luevano is a crafty, clever, southpaw counterpuncher who is thought of as steady and consistent, but not necessarily spectacular. But his bout with Jandaeng created some fireworks. In the fourth stanza, Luevano was sent crashing to the canvas from a left-hand bomb from the Thai tough guy. A few seconds later, near the end of the round, Luevano returned the favor, only to have the referee miss the call. But the tone was set. Luevano would box his way to a convincing victory versus a fighter who only loses to boxing's blue-chippers. This was not the same kid who was bullied by Martin Honorio in his only pro defeat. "I did feel the hit and I did feel myself go down," recalled Luevano of his trip to the canvas. "I just took my time, just took a couple breaths and got right back up." His manager, Cameron Dunkin, didn't react as well. "Well, he hit the deck, then I hit the deck. I think he got up before I did. I was a little shaky, but he was OK. And he really stood right in front of him and fought him, which had my heart pounding. He's got so much guts but he's so smart, he's so skilled. After that he just boxed perfectly, didn't make another mistake." It wasn't Vazquez-Marquez or Gatti-Ward, but it did show that Luevano is capable of being involved in fights that have some entertainment value. It also showed that he has grown and matured as a fighter. "I do feel that," says the native of La Puente, California. "I've always had confidence, just now I'm getting older, I feel a lot stronger and I can go a lot more rounds and my conditioning is a lot better than what it was before." Much of that can be credited to his move to the 805 - Oxnard, California - and working with Robert and Eduardo Garcia at the LaColonia Gym, which was made famous by one Fernando Vargas. "It's been good, we work out three times a day. We run in the morning, we do our sprints and we do hills and everything. Then we go over to Dr. Anderson and we work another hour, we get inside an oxygen chamber and then we do our workout," explained Luevano, who also goes through a regimen of core strengthening and natural resistance exercises. Robert Garcia, the former jr. lightweight titlist, who has been with Luevano since his title winning performance in England last year, says of his boxer, "Steve's always been a skillful fighter, very talented. He's just got very good reflexes, he's a very good counterpuncher. So all we needed to do was make his conditioning and his training a little bit harder. He was used to basically training on his own; he never had somebody pushing him that hard." Raising his physical strength was the Garcias’ main goal. And they believe they have, despite appearances. "His body, it's one of those bodies you might never be able to do much, showing his muscles and all that, but I know his strength is a lot better. He never says no to anything. If he's tired or whatever, he does whatever we tell him to do. And we've been pushing him pretty hard. So his body might not be the type of body that shows the muscles, but he is a pretty strong fighter." It took over 30 fights for Luevano to win his belt, which is considered a large amount in today’s business, where prospects are microwaved to title shots. His management still believes that Luevano is a developing prizefighter. "I do, because I believe he's just going to get better and better," said Dunkin, who has guided a multitude of champions from scratch. "Not that he can't beat the top guys now, I think he can, I think he's risen to that occasion. But I think he's just going to get better and better with every fight and I think people, real soon, as they saw in the last fight, will see that he's getting better and better and they're really going to have a tremendous fighter one day at featherweight." The 126-pound class lost a bit of its depth with the recent announcement that IBF belt-holder Robert Guerrero would be moving up. Which leaves Luevano, WBC titlist Jorge Linares and Chris John, who holds the WBA version of the crown. When asked about unification, Luevano states, "I think I'm ready now. It's just that I'm waiting on the word from my management (as to) when. As soon as they let me know who I'm fighting, I start getting ready. I think it's all up to them, when they feel the time is." If Luevano should get past Santiago, who looks like a very live 'dog, the next step will be to get him on a bigger stage. Which means headlining his own show. "We've been talking. I know Bob (Arum) talked to HBO about it and they do like him and I know Larry Merchant has spoken very highly of him. So has Emmanuel Steward," Dunkin would say. "So I think that his time is going to come soon. We're going to get him on an 'After Dark' and he's going to have a tough dance partner, it won’t be easy. "But I think he's ready for it. He's ready to fight on HBO." PAVLIK-MORA? There are talks of middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik taking on Sergio Mora, the current WBC jr. middleweight titlist. But there's still that pesky rematch clause to contend with. "Jeff Wald and I are co-promoters on the next three bouts, but if there's a difference of opinion or decision, it rests with Gary Shaw Promotions," said Gary Shaw. "And I have sent a letter to Jeff invoking the rematch clause." Shaw says the rematch clause is iron-clad. Mora's next bout must come against Forrest. But there's is a chance that if GSP and Forrest can be placated financially (in other words, given a lot of money to step-aside) and Forrest can still somehow fight for the title he just lost to Mora, then you get the sense they would be willing to let Mora go through with this fight. "There's a lot of people involved; they gotta work it out and I think they're doing it, Al Haymon, Gary Shaw, Jeff Wald. I'm not going to get involved in that," said Bob Arum. "If they work it out, then we can probably make a deal. But we'll see. Other than that, John Duddy is a possibility, he's fighting this Saturday. So we'll see." Two dates exist for Pavlik's next title defense. "If we go on either HBO or Showtime, it would be on the 27th of September. If we go on pay-per-view, it'll be October 18th," said Arum, who added, "We're looking at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on September 27th or Thomas and Mack on October 18th." As for Cleveland, which was thought to be the destination of Pavlik's next bout, Arum explained, "Mora, I think, is reluctant to face Kelly in Cleveland and Duddy makes no sense in Cleveland." OUT OF COMMISSION For whatever controversy there may have been in Chris Arreola's third round DQ victory over Chazz Witherspoon this past Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee, the bottom line is that Witherspoon's handlers were in the corner early. In a fight where you can not be saved by the bell, it doesn't really matter if the bell to end the round is rung or not, you can not be on the ring apron until the round is officially over. But here's the thing, where were the inspectors in the Tennessee commission to make sure that they didn't go up those steps to begin with? Being ringside, not too far from the 'Spoon corner, there didn't seem to be much enforcement there for any of the fights I witnessed. In major jurisdictions such as California and Nevada, cornermen aren't even allowed to stand up during a round. I've seen them forcibly push cornermen down back into their stools if they even try and get up to instruct their boxer. In California, our 'Men in Black' (with red ties) don't even allow the trainers into the ring immediately after a fight. The recent bout between Kevin Burnett and Horace Grant, in Las Vegas, where Burnett was drilled to the canvas just as the bell to sound the eighth and final round was rung, is a great example of a major league commission who knows how to enforce their rules. Even as Burnett was desperately attempting to rise to his feet and save the fight he was winning on the scorecards, not a single trainer and second was anywhere near the ring apron. A round or fight is not over till the referee administers the count. I think my colleague Jake Donovan said it best about that snafu at the FedEx Forum, "It's Tennessee." SWIMMING WITH SHARKS? I had a great time last week in the Cayman Islands, and one of the highlights was swimming in the ocean late at night, past midnight, every evening, where I was joined by various members of the boxing community. I never felt such warm water. But a few folks kept asking if I was weary of sharks - after all, it is warm water. I figured they wouldn't eat me. If they did, they'd just be hungry an hour later. FINAL FLURRIES I think it's time to give some credit to Henry Ramirez for the job he's done in polishing up Arreola. If you saw him just a few years ago, you would've thought he was just trying to polish up a turd, as they say....I think a Kelly Pavlik-Arthur Abraham is a must for 2009.....What network will purchase Mora-Forrest II? I mean, Al Haymon has a lot of influence, but this here would be a daunting task even for Iron Man.....Can you believe Fresno State?.....Is it just me or has Vincente Escobedo stagnated? He's never looked the same post-Daniel Jimenez.... For Questions or Comments E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums