| |
|
|
Yoenli Hernandez: "I'm The Best
Middleweight In The World Right Now"
Undefeated top-rated middleweight star Yoenli “El Diablo”
Hernandez had strong words for the rest of the 160-pound
division ahead of his showdown against veteran Argentine
contender Francisco Daniel Verón that serves as the co-main
event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on DAZN and
Prime Video taking place Saturday, August 22 from T-Mobile
Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’m the best middleweight in the world right now,” said
Cuba’s Hernandez. “My hunger for glory, my desire to be
champion and win every title—that’s something I don’t see in
the rest of the division. Everyone seems to arrive, get the
title, and settle. Not me. I’m coming to get the title, keep
it, and fight the best. Lately, nobody in my weight class
wants to face the best.”
Number one-ranked by the WBA and WBO, in addition to being
ranked number two by the WBC, Hernandez is the latest
amateur prodigy to emerge from Cuba and show world
championship potential. After a career-best victory over
veteran contender Terrell Gausha in his last bout, Hernandez
has spent time training in Orlando ahead of August 22, using
the new location to spar with top contenders Yoenis Tellez
and David Morrell Jr. Despite his early success, he
continues to seek ways to improve across training camps.
“I’ve focused on polishing the few mistakes I made against
Terrell Gausha and Kyrone Davis,” said Hernandez. “We’re
improving, and that’s what we’re focusing on in this camp.
I’m just working twice as hard as I did before my last fight
to reach my goal.”
The normally reserved Hernandez also shared a direct message
for his August 22 opponent Verón, who’s gotten the attention
of Hernandez through his comments leading up to fight night.
“Verón says that I am still a 'very amateur' boxer,’” said
Hernandez. “He thinks that fighting me is like fighting an
amateur. He's talking too much. It's one thing to call the
devil, another to see him arrive. I see him saying he'll put
me in situations no one has put me in before, and I hope
he's not one of those talkers who doesn’t back up their
words inside the ring.
“I'm going all out, I'm coming to win. And if he says he's
going to come forward in the ring, he'll have to have more
drive than me. And for him to have more drive than me, we'll
have to see it to believe it.”
On August 22, Hernandez will enter the ring on the biggest
stage of his young career, competing in the co-main event of
a pay-per-view headlined by two of this generation’s most
compelling stars in Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez. Despite
the big names in the main event, Hernandez knows what he has
to do to make sure fans remember his performance after fight
night.
"I'm very grateful to be part of such a prestigious card as
Rolly vs. Teofimo on August 22,” said Hernandez. “I'm going
to steal the show by giving the Argentine the beating of the
year, and show the fans that I am the most complete fighter
at 160 pounds.”
|
|
|
