Avila Perspective, Chap. 84: Ben Lira, Jojo Diaz and More

If you watched the super featherweight championship fight between a Philly fighter and South El Monte fighter last week in Miami, one man crucial to the ending was barely visible.

Ben Lira was the name mentioned who proved critical for his experience in the ringside corner of Jojo Diaz. The new IBF super featherweight titlist was engaged in a top-level prize fight against champ Tevin Farmer in a vibrant display of the art of fighting inside.

It was a great fight to see and one that would not have continued had Lira not solved the bloody gash on Diaz’s top left eyelid – gash that looked like it had been sliced by a razor in a bar fight in East L.A.

No problem. Lira (pictured) stopped the cut like a slight-of-hand magician.

Long has Lira resided in Southern California and for the last 40 years the small city of South El Monte has been his headquarters, home and the locale for this wizard of prizefighting including its many facets.

Over the decades the South El Monte boxing guru has tutored many a world champion and contender like Lupe Aquino, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Hector Lopez, John Molina Jr., and now Jojo Diaz.

And not only men, but women too.

Mexico’s Mariana “Barby” Juarez was led to Lira in the early 2000s and it was with him that she began to learn the intricacies of professional fighting. She later brought her sister Lourdes Juarez and now, almost 20 years later, the sister tandem have become leaders in the female fight world.

Many other women learned boxing skills through Lira too and would go on to win national amateur titles.

Now Lira teams up with Abel Sanchez and makes the journey to Big Bear Lake on a regular basis. He’s worked with Gennady Golovkin, Murat Gassiev and Sergey Kovalev and now supports Sanchez with super welterweight contender Serhii Bohachuk at the ever-growing boxing camp.

Lira has long been a trainer, not just a cut man. He’s also a manager and promoter when necessary.

If anyone in the Southern California boxing landscape does not know Lira, then that person is truly not involved in boxing.

Lira is boxing in Southern California.

It’s ironic that during last week’s Miami fight card, Sergio Mora was serving as analyst for DAZN. It wasn’t too long ago that Mora was a regular at Lira’s South El Monte Boxing gym. I can vividly remember those sparring wars Mora had against Antonio Margarito, Alfredo Angulo and Jesus Soto Karass. All were regulars at that gym.

Back in late 2012, other sparring sessions there involved Jojo Diaz, Oscar Valdez, Joel Diaz, Saul Rodriguez, and several other boxers that had just turned professional. Watching those violent proceedings was Gennady Golovkin. Time sure flies. Two of those kids are now world champions. Back then they were barely adjusting to the pros.

More Jojo and Tevin

Jojo Diaz became the fifth member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team to capture a world title, joining Errol Spence Jr. and Jose Ramirez, among others.

During their IBF title clash, Tevin Farmer and Diaz fought where each other breathes – within striking distance. It was incredible stuff especially if you followed both fighters’ careers.

As amateurs and early in their professional careers, Diaz and Farmer used to run around jabbing and moving and refusing to engage more than one punch at a time. But over the last few years they have departed from the amateur style and adopted the professional art of infighting. James Toney stuff. Watching them do their thing inside was classic. I found myself replaying their fight over and over.

Not everyone can fight inside. It takes special talent, skills, reflexes and confidence to do what they did last Saturday. Anyone can run around and jab and move. Amateurs do it all of the time. But last Saturday, Farmer and Diaz gave a boxing thesis on inside fighting. A+ stuff. I hope they meet again.

Thursday at Fantasy Springs

Oscar “Jaguar” Negrete returns to the boxing ring and for the first time in over two years he won’t be fighting Joshua Franco.

Negrete (18-2-2, 7 KOs) meets Alberto Melian (6-1) in the 10-round main event at Fantasy Springs Casino on Thursday, Feb. 6. The Golden Boy card will be streamed by DAZN.

After three epic clashes with Franco, the Colombian bantamweight Negrete gets to test the bantamweight waters with a new opponent in Argentina’s Melian. It’s a good matchup on paper.

One extra addition to the boxing card will be a flyweight female clash between Sulem Urbina and Noemi Bosques in a six-round contest.

All the Russells and Rigondeax

Gary Allen Russell Jr. and his two brothers Gary and Gary take part on a TGB Promotions fight card on Saturday, Feb. 8, in Allentown, Penn. Showtime will televise.

Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) defends the WBC featherweight title against Tungstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KOs) in the main event at PPL Center. This is Russell’s fifth defense of the title since winning it in March 2015. The speedy southpaw has beaten solid competition and might be facing his toughest yet on Saturday.

Mongolia’s Nyambayar defeated another speedy southpaw Claudio Marrero a year ago. It was his only fight of the year. But Russell has cobwebs on him too. Expect a pretty good fight between southpaws. Both can punch.

Two other Russells also fight on Saturday night – Gary Antuanne Russell, 23, and Gary Antonio Russell, 27. Their fights may not be televised.

Cuba’s touted Guillermo Rigondeaux returns to the ring as a bantamweight and challenges Venezuela’s Liborio Solis (30-5-1, 14 KOs), a former super flyweight world champion in the co-main event.

“I want to make a statement and solidify my legacy as one of the best Cuban fighters ever. I want the boxing world to be talking about me, as I seek to become a world champion once again,” said Rigondeaux (19-1, 13 KOs) a former super bantamweight titlist dropping down in weight for this fight.

Fights to Watch

Thurs.  DAZN 7 p.m. Oscar Negrete (18-2-2) vs Alberto Melian (6-1).

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Mark DeLuca (24-1) vs Kell Brook (38-2); Terry Harper (9-0) vs Eva Wahlstrom (23-1-2).

Sat. Showtime 6 p.m. Gary Russell Jr. (30-1) vs Tungstsogt Nyambayar (11-0); Guillermo Rigondeaux (19-1) vs Liborio Solis (30-5-1).

Photo credit: Carlos Angel

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