Yoenis Tellez impresses in Las Vegas

On the recent blockbuster Terence Crawford – Errol Spence card, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Omaha’s Bud Crawford stole the show with an outstanding performance. He dismantled undefeated Texan Spence stopping him in 9 rounds while planting his flag atop the pound-for-pound list.

The undercard featured a fighter, (flying under the radar because of so attention on the main event), to keep your eyes on.

Unbeaten Cuba-born, Texas-residing Yoenis Tellez put in an outstanding performance in stopping rugged 35-fight veteran Sergio Garcia. Tellez entered the ring with a total of 5 fights under his belt.

This win was significant in that it was a huge step for a fighter with only 5 bouts and facing a formidable opponent on a huge platform. It was a lot of pressure, a big test, and he passed with flying colors.   

Tellez turned pro in Covid ravaged 2020 with 2 wins in Russia. He was out of the ring for 2021 and returned in late 2022 in the U.S. picking up 3 wins in 4 months fighting in Minneapolis and Florida.

In May of this year, he picked up his biggest win, in only his 5th bout, beating 48-fight veteran Cameron Krael over 6 rounds. Krael had been the distance with a slew of unbeaten contenders and had beaten an undefeated prospect 2 fights previous. (For context, the combined records of Kraels last 7 opponents is 59-0).

After that impressive win, Tellez was again stepping up on the Crawford-Spence card facing Spain’s 35-fight veteran Sergio Garcia. A talented boxer-puncher, Garcia had a wealth of experience since turning pro 11 years ago. Tellez took control of the bout early and pounced when he had Garcia hurt showing great finishing skills. This was a big win against a very talented and experienced fighter.

In the fight Tellez showed great speed, good timing, and he knew how to close the show when he got the chance.  

Trained by one of boxing’s very best, Ronnie Shields, Tellez knows it is early days yet and he is still a work in progress. But, after the fight, Tellez made it clear that as he progresses, he wants to test himself against the best at 154-pounds.

“First of all, my trainer Ronnie Shields and my whole team behind me – we worked on this during training camp, especially the right hand and it came out just the way it was supposed to come out”, he said. “As soon as I saw him hurt, I knew it was time that he was done so I went for it”, he said. “Right now, my goal is not defined yet. But I want to face the best 154-pounders that are out there”. 

Shields trains another fighter, David Morrell, who had a world title wrapped around his waist by his 5th fight. If Tellez’s performance in his most recent bout is any indication, Shields could be adding yet another champion to his stable before too long.