Charles Huerta: “I Have Never Been This Excited Before A Fight!”
By William Trillo
As part of a huge Golden Boy promoted card this Saturday night in Indio California, Charles Huerta will step back into the ring to take on JoJo Diaz in a battle not only for Southern California bragging rights but with a win it’s a huge step in the right direction for a world title fight in 2019.
For Huerta this fight could be the most important of his career for so many reasons. First, Huerta is coming off not one but two pretty serious injuries that have kept him on the shelf for 17 months. Second, a victory over a fighter like Diaz would surely launch him into title contention.
Those who have followed Huerta’s career know Charles has earned everything the hard way; he has taken no shortcuts on his path and anytime he was counted out Huerta has always found a way to prove the critics wrong and has remained a viable contender in the featherweight ranks.
Unlike Huerta, JoJo’s career has been a bit more along the lines of being fed with a silver spoon. His flashy hands and charming smile are a promoters dream and he always seemed to get a bit more of the spotlight because of that. Take nothing away from Diaz though; he put together 27 victories before suffering his first loss to Champion Gary Russell.
The cross town rivalry has a lot of intrigue. This is a fight that may end up stealing the show even though it is playing third fiddle to the two championship fights that will follow.
“I got the call to fight JoJo right before the end of last year” said Huerta. “It was from that point on we started the negotiations. Ideally we would have loved a tune-up fight but this great opportunity came up to fight JoJo Diaz and we jumped on it.”
Huerta’s Father and Trainer Mando agreed with his son saying, “My initial reaction was; “What happened to our tune-up fight?” It’s not about the fight being hard or anything like that but it would have good to see how Charles looked with the injuries he has had. But once we started talking and negotiating we started getting excited about the fight, this is a real good fight for us.”
The hard working Huerta has no hesitation or apprehension when it comes to taking on a fighter the likes of JoJo Diaz. “My plan is to go in there and spoil their plans,” stated Huerta.”I could have taken a regular fight but that would have left me in the same spot I am in now. Winning a fight like this will get me back up there and show that I belong on the world championship level.”
Two championship bouts in the main event or not, it is very likely the bulk of the tickets will be purchased by local fans who will be there to cheer on their respective hometown fighters. “When I took the fight I thought JoJo and I would be the main event just because of the Southern California rivalry. Me and Jojo could sell the place out on our own. But once I heard Machado and Vargas were also on the card I realized this was a very big card to be a part of,” noted Huerta.
When asked about what the fans can expect to see that night Huerta said, “I’m coming strong and ready to win this fight. Win, lose or draw, I’m always in a great fight. I always give a good fight for the fans, and I’m going to come and bring it. I’m going to give everybody an exciting show that night. Everything is going just as we planned right now, my weight is on track and I feel great. I can’t remember a time that I was this excited before a fight.”
As always Huerta has worked hard for this battle and his fans can rest assured he will give every ounce of himself inside the ring to earn the victory, just as he always does. There are really no shortcuts in boxing and to get to the top hard work is the essential trademark. Make no mistake about it, Charles Huerta is cut out of that mold. On Saturday night he is confident that his nose to the grindstone work ethic will get his hand raised in victory after the final bell rings.
Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.
