Promising middleweight Paul Mendez takes a step up in class as he meets once-beaten James Parison in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised co-feature at the Salinas Sports Complex, in Salinas, California, tomorrow night. In the twelve months since his last ring appearance, Mendez relocated from Central California and made a stay down south before eventually finding his way to the San Francisco Bay Area to train under the watchful eye of respected trainer Virgil Hunter. Tomorrow Mendez gets his first opportunity to show off his new tools, before a television audience no less.
Since turning pro in February of 2009, Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California has built up a solid reputation on the West Coast. Most notably scoring back-to-back wins over prospects Derek Hinkey and Tyrell Hendrix, Mendez managed to maintain his record without the backing of a promoter or well connected manager. Mendez took the Hinkey win in his opponent’s hometown and bested Hendrix on short notice at his walking around weight.
Looking to improve himself as a fighter, Mendez moved from the Bakersfield area to Oxnard, California to train with former world champion Robert Garcia. However, with Garcia being one of the most in demand trainers in the sport, Mendez jumped at an opportunity to come up north and train with Hunter. “I got the offer to come spar with [Andre Ward,] I accepted and came over as a sparring partner at first, sometime in October,” recalls Mendez. Apparently impressed with the work Mendez was giving his star pupil, Hunter eventually asked him to move to the Bay Area.
Mendez made the move in January, settled in Walnut Creek, and has been honing his skills under Hunter’s tutelage ever since. “It’s been great,” says Mendez. “Virg is a very wise man. He knows a lot about the game and a lot about the sport. The best way to describe it is that he is like a scientist. He breaks me down and sees what I need to work on and sees little things that not the normal boxing fan would see. He is very methodical, just like ‘Dre.”
Of course, training alongside and especially sparring a top ten pound-for-pound fighter like Andre Ward is a benefit just in itself for a developing pro such as Mendez. “I hate and love sparring with ‘Dre because it frustrates me that he is so smart and so good,” admits Mendez. “He is always two or three steps ahead of me. But it pushes me and every time when we are through with a sparring session, it makes me think about what he was doing to combat my movements in the ring and that’s great.”
Mendez will take everything he has learned into the ring against the most professionally experienced opponent of his career to date. Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California turned pro back in 2005, logging 71 rounds compared to Mendez’ 30. Parison’s lone loss came to then unbeaten Craig McEwan by decision in November 2009. “I thought about his record and his experience and I had been out of the ring so long,” says Mendez. “But when they offered me this fight, I saw how he did in his last fight. He didn’t do so good. He won, but he didn’t look so good. At the same time, he is older and I am younger. I have been learning a lot. I am better than the last time I entered the ring. I am probably 60 percent better than I was before. I am getting there and I think this fight will prove it.”
Landing the fight with Parison ends a disheartening year-long layoff for Mendez. “It has been hard, but more frustrating than hard,” says Mendez, who recently spent time as a sparring partner for Andre Berto. “I am trying to get fights here and there, but it’s just not happening. Guys don’t want to fight people with my record, because I am so-called dangerous. It’s time to take risks and this is a big risk for me, but there’s a big reward too. I am going to beat this guy. There is no doubt in my mind I am going to win.”
With the fight being televised nationally on Telefutura and some Golden Boy Promotions execs likely in attendance, Mendez aims to make a statement. “I have some Golden Boy suits that I want to impress,” says the promotional free agent. “Golden Boy is a great company and this is a great opportunity for me. I have always looked at Golden Boy as my promoter of choice and I look highly on Oscar De La Hoya himself and the career he had. His upbringing was similar to mine. I am from a small Mexican town. That is why I would like to land that.”
Though he’s not looking past Parison, Mendez hopes a win Friday could lead to a fight with a recognizable name. “After this I’m looking to fight other guarded fighters,” says Mendez. “I’ll say the names. Demetrius Andrade, 154. I’ll fight at 154, that is where I am supposed to be at anyway, but if I have to come up to fight guys like Shawn Estrada or guys like that, that is no problem with me. I am in this game to fight, and that is what I am going to do.”
Before Mendez can look to a fight with an Andrade or an Estrada, he must take everything he has learned in the gym this year and ring it out like a wet sponge on Friday night. Itching for a fight for over a year, Mendez sounds ready to show everyone what he has learned and advance his career, “I just want to open people’s eyes to what I can do and we’ll go from there.”
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
