Local boxing notebook: Hueneme graduate Quiroz to face unbeaten prospect Polanco
Oxnard resident Ricardo Quiroz is not going to let one loss define his career.
The 2015 Hueneme High School graduate has the opportunity to put his career back on the fast track Saturday when he squares off against unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Rohan Polanco at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The six-round bout will be part of the Top Rank card and will stream live on ESPN+.
In his last bout on Dec. 17, 2022, Quiroz (12-1, 6 knockouts) defeated Martin Leon Morales by unanimous decision over eight rounds. Quiroz was the underdog going into the fight, but was able to outbox his opponent for the one-sided win in Commerce. The victory came 18 months after his previous fight — a first-round knockout win over Jesus Rendon Salomon in Guasave, Mexico.
Polanco (8-0, 5 KOs) is a talented fighter who recently signed a promotional deal with Top Rank. Quiroz knows he is the underdog again, but is confident he can pull off the upset.
“Rohan is a good fighter that comes from a great amateur background,” Quiroz told The Star on Wednesday. “From what I’ve seen, he is very slick.”
The 25-year-old Quiroz has won his last two fights since suffering his only defeat at the hands of Jamaine Ortiz in February 2019 in a clash of unbeaten fighters. Ortiz went on to appear on the popular Showtime boxing series “ShoBox: The New Generation,” where some of the best prospects and unbeaten fighters square off against each other.
Ortiz lost by unanimous decision to former Ring Magazine lightweight champion and multiple weight division world titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko, who resides in Camarillo, on Oct. 29. Quiroz hopes the boxing world does not put too much emphasis on his loss to Ortiz.
“I lost in a very competitive fight against Jamaine Ortiz,” said Quiroz, who is co-trained by his father, Edgar, and Marcos Contreras. “A lot of people don’t know this because I don’t like to make excuses, but I broke my hand during that fight. I’m not bringing (that) up as an excuse now. I just want to show people I fought with a lot of heart.”
Ortiz has been putting in work at the gym he trains in Oxnard, working the mitts with his father and Contreras. Federico Mendoza is his strength and conditioning coach.
Despite the setbacks in his career, Quiroz is confident that sparring against top fighters — including former WBC world welterweight titleholder and 2005 Pacifica High graduate Victor Ortiz, welterweight contender and Moorpark resident Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and junior welterweight prospect and 2018 Buena High graduate Ricardo Ruvalcaba — have improved his skills set.
He believes a win over Polanco will put his career toward contender status.
“This fight is very important to me. It will open a lot of doors for bigger opportunities and help me reach the next level,” he said.
Ruvalcaba wins
Ricardo Ruvalcaba won by knockout over Marcos Cardenas in the opening round last Saturday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.
The taller Ruvalcaba landed a combination that dropped Cardenas to the canvas. Referee Edward Collantes counted Cardenas out at 2:59.
Ruvalcaba, who resides in Ventura, improves to 8-0-1, 7 KOs. He reportedly had a crowd of 100 family members and friends that traveled to cheer him on in person.
The 22-year-old is managed by his father, Telio, and is trained by Carlos “Chino” Espinoza.
Cardenas, who lives in Salem, Oregon, drops to 9-8-1, 4 KOs. It was the first time he had been knocked out in his pro career.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He also covers boxing for The Ring and Boxingscene. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Hueneme graduate Quiroz to face unbeaten prospect Polanco
