Sergio Mora Returns Under Haymon’s Flag, on ESPN

If you know anything about Sergio Mora it’s that he’s very serious about his craft.

Middleweight contender Mora (26-3-2, 9 Kos) meets Dashon Johnson (15-17-3) in a star-studded fight card filled with other Al Haymon signees at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on Thursday (tonight).

Portions of the fight card will be televised by ESPN2.

Goossen Promotions stages the fights.

Ever since Mora fought Shane Mosley back in 2010, the East L.A. prizefighter has suffered from a targeted blast by HBO commentators that he should never be televised again. Nobody mentioned it takes two to make a fight. Mosley went on to be televised on HBO and Showtime, but not Mora.

“After that Shane Mosley fight I really got buried,” said Mora, who won the WBC junior middleweight title against Vernon Forrest but now fights as a middleweight.

The fight between Mora and Mosley was a very technical fight that saw more feints and back steps than is usually seen by two super quick boxers. But after 12 rounds the fans got antsy and the TV commentators got angry. Mora was burned, though the fight ended in a draw.

It’s extremely difficult to fight back against a directed assault by television commentators who are basically invulnerable to comments based on their own opinion. As it is, fans are turned off by boxers who are defensive-minded and have few knockouts. Mora had to absorb the acid-attack of commentators who aired to millions that the Mexican-American boxer should not be covered again.

Mora’s livelihood has solely depended on his earnings from boxing. He doesn’t sell insurance on the side, or work in car lot in the afternoons. What he does is work daily on his craft and at age 34 he has changed again to be more aggressive.

“I have two knockouts out of my three last fights,” said Mora, who stopped Samuel Rogers last May in Las Vegas. Before that he stopped Milton Nunez in Ontario, Calif. “Only thing that’s different is before it was hit and not get hit. Now it’s going in there and hit the guy.”

Mora recently signed with Haymon for good cause. Though Mora could get lost among the near dozen other fighters on the Goossen fight card that are also with the neo-promoter, he plans to use the fight as a springboard to success in 2015.

“I know early next year I’ll be getting a fight. It’s going to be a big fight. This is my first fight with Haymon,” Mora said while on his way to be weighed. “I just want a title fight. He (Haymon) has three guys in my division that I want.”

2015 has been targeted by Mora to be the big year.

“I’m expecting to be the middleweight champion next year and there’s no other goal for me in mind,” Mora said.

More Pechanga

This will be Goossen’s second promotion since the death of its president and founder Dan Goossen. Now leading the company is Craig Goossen, the eldest son.

“There was never a thought in our mind of quitting,” said Craig Goossen, who immediately picked up the gauntlet from his father. “Very good things are falling into place.”

Goossen said they are committed to the Inland Area of Southern California that encompasses Temecula, Riverside, Corona, Ontario, San Bernardino, Indio and Palm Springs.

“There’s so much talent in the area,” said Goossen. “It’s a proven area for boxing.”

The fight card includes three heavyweight bouts and also features five former world champions on the large card Antonio Tarver, Johnathon Banks, Rico Ramos, Austin Trout and Mora.

The doors open at 4 p.m.

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