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Meet Team Puerto Rico
Five Across The Lip:
Five Quick Questions For
Jose "Sniper" Pedraza
Getting into a boxing ring in front of thousands where
everything can go wrong at any second is pressure.
Getting into a boxing ring also being labeled a "super
prospect" doesn't make it any easier. But that's what 2009
World Amateur Championships Lightweight Silver Medalist and
former Olympian Jose "Sniper" Pedraza is handling remarkably
well, thus far.
22-year-old Pedraza (2-0, 2 KOs) has already headlined a
show in New York City and is one of the young fighters on
the lips of boxing insiders as a certain future champion.
In the first of a series, he sat down for Five Across the
Lip: Five Quick Questions for the members of Team Puerto
Rico.
When did you start boxing?
I started boxing when I was little about 12 years old
because it looked fun and its a great sport. I've always
been involved in sports. When I started boxing, I was also a
runner with the Puerto Rican National Team and then left it
to only do boxing.
Tell me about your life in Puerto Rico.
Well my life is all my family and boxing. What I do is go to
the gym everyday and stay home with my family. One of my
favorite hobbies is to run. I find it liberating. I live in
Cidra, Puerto Rico, with my wife and my kid and we've got
another on the way.
Describe your boxing style.
Well, my style is basically to move laterally, avoid punches
and connect punches. I think that's what I do best in the
ring is move laterally to avoid punches.
Name a few boxers you admire and tell me why.
I admire Felix "Tito" Trinidad for being so humble and
giving glory to our beautiful country. And I also think he
was a really great boxer. I also think Mayweather is out of
this world and his ability is unparalleled.
What do you know about your next opponent?
Basically, not much. Judging by his record he seems that he
can withstand punishment because his fights have all gone
the distance. I saw a video of him of YouTube and he seems
like a good fighter.
Team Puerto Rico's Next Appearance:
Back-to-back, on June 10 and 11 (Friday and Saturday before
the 2011 National Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday) at the
Roseland Ballroom in New York City, Gary Shaw Productions
and DiBella Entertainment will present Boricua Invasion I
and II, featuring members of Team Puerto Rico Boxing, the
eight-man team of Puerto Rico's future ring stars.
Friday's Boricua Invasion I will feature the unstoppable
welterweight on everybody's "one to watch" list, Thomas
Dulorme (11-0, 10 KOs) vs. former world champion DeMarcus
Corley; Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico's highlight-reel
welterweight KO specialist Kenny "Battlestar" Galarza (14-1,
14 KOs) vs. Puerto Rican compatriot Irving Garcia and the
future superstar already fighting in main events after just
two bouts, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza (2-0, 2 KOs). The main
bouts of Boricua Invasion I will be televised on ESPN Friday
Night Fights.
Saturday's Boricua Invasion II will feature four more
members of Team Puerto Rico: featherweight Luis "Orlandito"
Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Dat Nguyen; junior middleweight
Jonathan "Mantequilla" Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs); and light
welterweight Hector "El Flaco" Sanchez (19-1, 9 KOs) vs.
Vincent Arroyo. Also scheduled for action are Team Puerto
Rico light welterweight Jorge "Machito" Maysonet Jr. (3-0, 2
KOs); plus a special off-TV appearance by Puerto Rico-born
light welterweight Gabriel "Tito" Bracero (15-0, 1 KO) of
Brooklyn. The main bouts of Boricua Invasion II will be
broadcast live on Showtime: The New Generation.
Tickets for Boricua Invasion I on Friday, June 10 are priced
at $175, $125, $75, $45 and are available through
Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone, or at any Ticketmaster
outlet. On Friday, doors will open at 6:00 pm and the action
starts at 6:30.
Tickets for Boricua Invasion II on Saturday, June 11 are
priced at $200, $150, $85, and $55 and are available through
Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone, or at any Ticketmaster
outlet. On Saturday, doors will open at 7:00 pm and the
action starts at 7:30.
For VIP Package tickets to both nights, please call DiBella
Entertainment at 212-947-2577.
The Roseland Ballroom is located at 239 West 52nd Street in
New York City.
All bouts are subject to change.
For more information, visit
www.teampuertoricoboxing.com or
www.latinoboxing.com. For more information on the Roseland
Ballroom, visit
www.roselandballroom.com.
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