Hugo Centeno, Jr. Exclusive Interview Unbeaten Light Middleweight Prospect Headlines Friday ShoBox Card

By Boxing News - 06/05/2014 - Comments

By Marc Livitz: Many of the great fighters of yesteryear made a virtual calling card out of their willingness, desire and understanding to fight on and fight often as well. While we’ve been somewhat forced to grow accustomed to wait for the big months of May and September, for example for some of prize fighting’s biggest commodities, there are still a handful of combatants who don’t let idle hands (or gloves) get the best of them. This writer first spoke to boxer Hugo “The Boss” Centeno, Jr. about two years ago.

The now twenty three year old pugilist from the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, California was at the time going into his fourth of an eventual six bouts in 2012 and shared his stories of how the sweet science found a home within his heart.

“I was about nine years old and when my family and I moved to the north side of Oxnard”, said the undefeated fighter in 2012. “These days, there’s probably about five or six boxing gyms now. If you don’t box or play soccer there, then there’s not much else to do.”

Centeno, Jr. has at times found himself as part of nationally televised cards, which will once again be the case this coming Friday when “The Boss” will face a tough contest with Gerardo “Tin Tin” Ibarra of Houston, TX. Hugo will find himself as part of the headlining event of the evening when the ten round light middleweight contest from The Fantasy Springs Casino and Resort in Indio, California begins. Fight fans can tune in this Friday evening on Showtime (10 PM ET/PT) to see if “The Boss” can continue his impressive unbeaten run on “ShoBox: The New Generation”.

In terms of his ring activity, Hugo Centeno, Jr. (20-0, 11 KO’s) stayed busy in 2013. His final two bouts of the year (September and December, respectively) may have taken a small toll on him. He was being severely tested by the hard punching Philadelphia fighter, Julian Williams last fall in Las Vegas before the bout was halted in the fourth round due to the effects an accidental clash of heads. At the time of the stoppage, Hugo was behind on all three of the ringside judges’ scorecards.

Just three months later, Centeno, Jr. traded knockdowns with Angel Osuna and perhaps the southern California fighter’s first ever trip to the canvas as a professional beckoned some time off and away for the ring. Although he was able to eventually score a tenth round knockout of his opponent, Hugo took his spoonful of pugilistic concrete and learned from the experience.

“It wasn’t a necessary break, really”, said Hugo. “You see that I like to stay busy, but things just turned out that way. There wasn’t anything that slowed me down, but I can say that the (Angel) Osuna fight was a brutal one; just a brutal war. It was ten rounds of nonstop action and that wasn’t my game plan. However, circumstances change the situation and you just have to adapt.”

A few legendary fighters by the names of Oscar De La Hoya, Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Joe Calzaghe will find themselves in Canastota, New York this weekend for their well-deserved inductions into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Hugo admits that for some time he had assumed that he’d take part in a fight card to compliment the weekend’s festivities, yet he soon learned that his wait to return to the ring (which has now stretched to six months) would instead end in the California desert at the Fantasy Springs Casino. Centeno, Jr. commented, “I was trying to get a big fight during the Boxing Hall of Fame weekend in New York, but something happened with that card and it got switched over to Fantasy Springs. I tried to get another fight just to stay busy.”

So, on Friday night, Hugo will meet Texan Gerardo Ibarra (14-0, 8 KO’s) and when asked about his opponents strengths and weaknesses, he answered, “I know that he’ll try to be aggressive at times. His opponents haven’t have too many winning records and I have had tougher opposition. I feel like I’ll be his toughest test. His weight goes up and down. This fight was supposed to be at 157-58 pounds, but now it’s a maximum weight of 162. Hopefully, he can make weight for this.”

Since he left the amateur ranks in early 2009 (with an astonishing ninety two percent win record), Centeno, Jr. has avoided a trial by fire as he adjusted to life as a professional prizefighter. He understood that such a transition would likely be a unique one which is reserved for those who choose to lace up the leather and step into the ring.

“I guess you could say you’d have to experience it for yourself”, said the undefeated fighter. “Even those with a big amateur pedigree have to go through a growing period and there’s lots of crafty things that you may not pick up as an amateur. Also, the stuff that won’t work for you as an amateur but will as a professional is just crazy.”



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