Jose Pedraza Has His Eye Set on Division Domination

By Jake Donovan

The traditional perception of a sniper is a marksman shooter who studies every move made by the enemy target while tucked away out of sight, thus making for a dangerous weapon.

In that sense – and not necessarily his ability to take out his opponents with a single punch – Jose Pedraza’s “Sniper” nickname couldn’t be more appropriate. Despite his amateur pedigree – having fought for Puerto Rico during the 2008 Beijing Olympics – the unbeaten super featherweight never really landed on the mainstream boxing radar until his rapid ascension from prospect to contender.

His rise to glory was clouded by the resurgence of Miguel Cotto, who last summer became Puerto Rico’s first-ever boxer to win titles in four weight classes following his one-sided 10th round stoppage of World middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

Thoughts of gaining respect as a top prospect was overshadowed by the arrival of Felix Verdejo, a lightweight from San Juan who turned pro shortly after his run in the 2012 London Olympics.

To date, event handlers still can’t properly identify his hometown. The unofficial boxing records database BoxRec.com has him hailing from Caguas (Cotto’s hometown). Statistically, it may be true, but Pedraza proudly represents the agricultural city of Cidra, from where he is among a small handful of pro athletes to make it big, and the only boxer to bring home a world title.

That dream was realized in June, putting on a virtuoso performance in a 12-round virtual shutout of Andrey Klimov. The bout aired live on Showtime, the network on which he returns this weekend in the first defense of his super featherweight title versus Edner Cherry at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

The bout serves as the chief support to local star Adrien Broner in an effort to win a title in a fourth weight class as he faces former 140 lb. titlist Khabib Allakhverdiev. Both bouts air live on Showtime.

“I'm very happy to make my first title defense this weekend, and looking forward to my first win as champion,” Pedraza (20-0, 12KOs) told BoxingScene.com through translator and co-promoter Javier Bustillo of Universal Promotions on Thursday (Pedraza is also co-promoted by Lou DiBella and Gary Shaw). “It meant a lot to bring home a championship to Puerto Rico, and I plan to leave (Cincinnati) with my title.”

In order to do so, the unbeaten 26-year old will have to get past a veteran contender Edner Cherry (34-6-2, 19KOs), who at seven years Pedraza’s senior comes into this weekend with the sense that such opportunities are no longer at a premium.

The 33-year old boxer from Florida by way of Bahamas has given himself the best possible shot at realizing his dream. Accompanying Cherry – along with trainers Chris Getty and Dan Birmingham, the same top-shelf team behind current unbeaten rising welterweight star Keith Thurman – is a seven-year unbeaten streak, along with fighting at his natural weight class at 130 lbs.

None of this is news to Pedraza who – like any sniper worth his salt – has astutely studied the competition and is well aware of what it will take to win. 

“It's very simple, I'm better than him,” Pedraza calmly yet confidently states in why he will emerge victorious on Saturday. “I know he's an experienced veteran, but I'm well-prepared and I have no intention of losing my title to him.”

A win on Saturday furthers Pedraza’s stance as among the best super featherweights in the world, as well as placing himself at the forefront of Puerto Rico’s always thriving boxing scene. There was a time when the proud fighting island struggled at the top level, as championship-level talent was bumped off at an alarming rate.

Cotto helped stop the hemorrhaging with the historic knockout win over Martinez last June. Just one defense has followed – a 4th round drilling of Daniel Geale earlier this year – as he heads into a super fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in November. Even if he gets past Alvarez, there is no telling how much longer Cotto plans to stick around as his next stiff challenge will be Father Time.

That leaves the next generation of rising stars from Isla del Encanto to carry the torch in present to allow for a seamless transition.

There are plenty who claim to be game for the cause; Pedraza is ready to stand on the front line, but for now is content with increasing his body count from afar. It’s the view he prefers, he has the wherewithal to see everything coming – and also the confidence to line up his future without having to look beyond the present.

Earlier this week, fellow unbeaten super featherweight titlist Javier Fortuna made his own first title defense, stopping Puerto Rico’s Carlos Ivan Rodriguez in 10 rounds. The bout aired live on Fox Sports 1 as part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC): Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays series. Fortuna and Pedraza both fight under the PBC banner, but it doesn’t make the unbeaten Dominican his only option.

"It's not just Fortuna,” Pedraza insists, focusing on the super featherweight division as a whole. “There's also Takashi Miura, there's Francisco Vargas, Takashi Uchiyama. There's a lot of talent in this division and I want to fight them all."

Of course getting those fights – and the demand that comes with getting anyone on that list to possibly fight him on his terms – begins with a championship-worthy performance this weekend. That could mean delivering a performance for the ages this weekend, or simply racking up another landslide win that further establishes his dminance even if it doesn’t make the highlight reel.

"I'm just going to do my job in the ring,” Pedraza believes. “I don't need to steal the show, I need to win this fight. As for whether my performance stands out the most at the end of the night, that's for the fans to decide. I fight for the fans, and I fight to win. I don’t need to impress any other fighter, whether it’s on this show or in my division. I just need to win to get them in the ring.”

Once that happens, his team is confident his competition will fall.

“We’re going to see it on Saturday, and with anyone else who wants to fight him,” Bustillo promises. “Anyone who fights this kid is going to get picked off.”

Nothing less should be expected from a card-carrying sniper.

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