Derrieck Cuevas looking to restart career after two-year layoff
Derrieck Cuevas suffered a setback in his last bout. That did not stop Felix “Tuto” Zabala Jr., president of All Star Boxing, from signing him to a promotional deal. Cuevas intends to rebound in a competitive welterweight division but must get past Esneiker Correa tonight at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. The eight-round […]
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Derrieck Cuevas suffered a setback in his last bout. That did not stop Felix “Tuto” Zabala Jr., president of All Star Boxing, from signing him to a promotional deal.
Cuevas intends to rebound in a competitive welterweight division but must get past Esneiker Correa tonight at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. The eight-round fight will headline a three-bout ESPN Knockout stream (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).
At Thursday’s weigh-in, Cuevas weighed in at 152.3 pounds. Correa weighed 146.9 pounds.
Cuevas (23-1-1, 15 knockouts), who resides in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, was on the rise until losing by split decision to gatekeeper Damian Bonelli of Argentina in December 2020. Cuevas has not fought since, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and personal issues related to his career.
Prior to that, Zabala had been keeping tabs on Cuevas, who had fought on a handful of All Star Boxing cards throughout Florida, a few of them airing live on Boxeo Telemundo telecasts. Zabala believes Cuevas can make an impact in the 147-pound division.
“Cuevas is a very good fighter who was unbeaten and had won regional titles,” Zabala told The Ring on Thursday. “He suffered a setback in his last fight due to not being disciplined but is looking for a new resurgence in his career the same way (WBO junior flyweight titleholder) Jonathan Gonzalez did.
“We are opening the doors for Cuevas. On the other hand, Esneiker is coming from Venezuela with a hunger to win. He is an All Star Boxing fighter. This is a very even fight that they both need to take the next step forward in their careers.”
Correa (15-2-1, 13 KOs), who is originally from Los Teques, Venezuela, and now resides in Miami, has not fought since July 17 of last year, when he stopped journeyman Johan Sosa in the fourth round. Back in January 2020, Correa stopped Ravshanbek Umurzakov, who was an unbeaten prospect, in the seventh round.
In the co-feature, lightweight prospect Chann Thonson of Brossard, Canada, will square off against Brazil’s Aelio Mesquita (21-8-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Thonson (12-0, 9 KOs) faced Tyler Tomlin in a clash of unbeaten fighters on June 10 and earned a fifth-round technical knockout win.
Twin brother Trevor Thonson (6-0, 6 KOs) of Toronto will face Argentina’s Sebastian Chaves (5-5, 2 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout.
In a swing bout, junior middleweight Roddricus Livsey (11-1-1, 8 KOs) of Atlanta will square off against Honduras’ Jorge Munguia (14-16, 6 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Tonight’s card will be co-promoted by Boswell Promotions and All Star Boxing.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
The post Derrieck Cuevas looking to restart career after two-year layoff appeared first on The Ring.