A press conference was held on Wednesday at Tamayo restaurant in Los Angeles. On hand were co-promoters Ken Thompson of Thompson Boxing Promotions and Art Pelullo of Banner Promotions to make the announcement that they have re-signed Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) to a second promotional contract.

Thompson told us that Burgos, who is ranked #1 in the WBO at 130 pounds, was born into boxing.

“He didn’t get here by accident. His life has been designed from the very beginning. He was born into boxing. His uncle Victor was the IBF flyweight champion of the world and his family was in boxing their entire lives, and when he walked into the gym at nine years old he was no stranger to boxing.

“Although he’s only 25 years old he is a veteran in the sport. But like all great fighters they have to have a great team around them, and he has one. I’ll start with one of the greatest promoters in the world today, a man who has been in boxing for 25 years. He has promoted over 30 world champion contenders, he’s been on every network there is. But all that aside, he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met. That’s our co-promoter and president of Banner Promotions, Art Pelullo.”

“I’m happy to work with Burgos,” Pelullo said. “He was highly sought after. If it wasn’t for (his manager) Roberto Sandoval, and Alex and I walking across the border – well, we re-signed him, we had a good conversation. Everybody wanted him, even Lou DiBella. Top Rank was after him, they knew our contract was coming to an end.

“And he’s a kid. He’s got another six, seven years doing it the right way and winning world title fights, and then God willing he retires with his senses and his heart. I’m very happy and privileged to be part of this team, because Kenny brought me in. I want to thank everybody, and Juan Carlos most of all. This is a very important time in his career.”

Thompson then introduced Alex Camponovo. “The future’s bright for him, and we are very proud to be able to sign him again and get him a chance at that world title. Obviously we’re going to do our very best to provide those opportunities. He went to Japan, but couldn’t beat Hasegawa in a terrific battle. He was very young at the time, but he worked his way up to a shot at another world title. The last time he fought for the title he got a draw against Martinez. The third time’s the charm.”

Next up was Burgos’ manager, Sandoval. “We want to thank Mr. Thompson and Mr. Pelullo. This is not just about the fighter re-signing the contract. This is about how the promoters believe in the fighter. They have to believe he will be world champion, and we have to take care of the fighter like we have done in the past. I know Juan Carlos can reach his goals.

“A lot of people saw that he had a draw in his last fight. But most think that he won that fight against Martinez. But the most important thing of this whole story is that promoters have to believe in him, and that’s why they want to sign him again; they believe he can be a world champion. I hope that the next time we see you is when Juan Carlos has a belt around his waist and is crowned world champion, because he deserves that.”

Finally it was time for the man of the hour, and Burgos came to the podium.

“Thank you all for being here; it is a very important day for me. I want to thank Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions for making this an important day for my career. I also want to thank God, because he’s the one who has opened up the opportunities for me.

“Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions have guided me for the last five years and now it’s time for me to pay them back. I have to pay all those opportunities back with my performances and with a world title, and that’s my goal at this point. I have to give back all that they have given to me throughout my career. They have been with me for all the good and bad times in my career.

“Thanks to my two promoters I have been able to fight for a world title twice. One I lost and the other one, you know what happened. But I want to get back in there and fight again and win a world title. That’s going to be the time that we all celebrate. So time for me to go to work and show everybody that I’m capable of getting that world title. I also want to thank Alex Camponovo for getting together with the promoters and seeing that I am well taken care of. I also want to thank you all for giving me the gift of your time for being here. Thank you very much.”

I later asked Thompson what was next in store for Burgos.

“Well,” he said, “we had Gamboa set up for him, so now since that slipped away, we’re going to take our time and find something really professional for him. We might have one show before we go for the world title. We’ll select a high-quality guy but somebody he can beat, and that will probably be in July. We want to get him back in the ring quick.”