Omar Figueroa Jr. (born December 13, 1989) is an American former professional boxer, of Mexican descent, who competed from 2008 to 2022. He held the WBC lightweight title in 2014.
Amateur career Figueroa had approximately 40 amateur bouts, mostly fought in Texas and Mexico, but quickly turned professional, admitting he "did not care for" the amateur ranks.
Professional career On January 6, 2012, Figueroa won an upset TKO over undefeated Puerto Rican-American prospect Michael Pérez in a bout televised on Showtime. Figueroa would go on to win a total of six bouts in 2012, including his debut for Golden Boy Promotions, a second-round knockout of Mexico's Ramon Ayala. Building on this success in 2013, Figueroa won a unanimous decision over Japan's Nihito Arakawa for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title, in a fight declared by the Showtime commentator Mauro Ranallo to be a candidate for 2013 Fight of the Year. Writer Scott Christ of the boxing blog Bad Left Hook later said of Figueroa and Arakawa's encounter:
"This fight was unreal and has to be seen to be believed. The brutality was simply off the charts. They might not agree with it today, but I heard more than one person last night say that this was the best fight they've ever seen, or the best fight of the 2000s.
Figueroa Jr vs. Burns In 2015, Figueroa defeated former world titlist Ricky Burns via unanimous decision at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TexasPBC Fighters - Famous Boxers, Profiles and Upcoming Fights
Figueroa Jr vs. Molina Jr On 16 February 2019, Figueroa Jr faced John Molina Jr. In a tough contest, Figueroa Jr managed to continuously beat Molina Jr to the punch and outbox Molina Jr, to win the fight via unanimous decision, 99–91, 98-92 and 97–93.
Figueroa Jr vs. Ugas In his next bout, Figueroa Jr fought Yordenis Ugas, ranked #5 by the WBC at welterweight. Ugas won the fight convincingly, winning 119-107 across all three scorecards.
Figueroa Jr. vs Ramos In his next bout, Figueroa Jr fought Abel Ramos, ranked #8 by the WBA at welterweight. After six rounds Figueroa Jr had taken a lot of punishment from Ramos, which prompted Figueroa Jr's trainer Joel Diaz to stop the fight after the end of the sixth round.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes32Loss Sergey LipinetsRTD8 (12), Aug 20, 2022 31Loss28–2–1 Abel RamosRTD6 (12), May 1, 2021 30Loss28–1–1 Yordenis UgásUD12Jul 20, 2019 29Win28–0–1 John Molina Jr.UD10Feb 16, 2019 28Win27–0–1 Robert GuerreroTKO3 (10), Jul 15, 2017 27Win26–0–1 Antonio DeMarcoUD12Dec 12, 2015 26Win25–0–1 Ricky BurnsUD12May 9, 2015 25Win24–0–1 Daniel EstradaKO9 (12), Aug 16, 2014 24Win23–0–1 Jerry Belmontes12Apr 26, 2014 23Win22–0–1 Nihito ArakawaUD12Jul 27, 2013 22Win21–0–1 Abner CottoKO1 (10), Apr 20, 2013 21Win20–0–1 Henry Aurad KO1 (8), Mar 2, 2013 20Win19–0–1 Dominic SalcidoUD10Jul 12, 2012 19Win18–0–1 Alain Hernandez TKO1 (8), Jun 23, 2012 18Win17–0–1 Tyler ZiolkowskiKO1 (6), Jun 2, 2012 17Win16–0–1 Robbie CannonTKO2 (8), May 5, 2012 16Win15–0–1 Ramon AyalaKO2 (10), Mar 16, 2012 15Win14–0–1 Michael Pérez6 (10), Jan 6, 2012 14Win13–0–1 Marcos HerreraKO2 (8), Aug 28, 2011 13Win12–0–1 Eric CruzUD8Jun 17, 2011 12Win11–0–1 John FigueroaKO2 (8), Apr 23, 2011 11Draw10–0–1 Arturo Quintero8Nov 12, 2010 10Win10–0 Julian Rodriguez2 (6), Jun 18, 2010 9Win9–0 Edgar Portillo6Mar 27, 2010 8Win8–0 Anthony WoodsTKO2 (4), Dec 12, 2009 7Win7–0 Jeremy MartsTKO1 (4), Aug 22, 2009 6Win6–0 Jorge de LeonTKO3 (6), Jun 4, 2009 5Win5–0 Ramiro TorresTKO1 (4), May 15, 2009 4Win4–0 Daniel GarciaTKO3 (8), Feb 27, 2009 3Win3–0 Arturo HerreraTKO2 (4), Nov 21, 2008 2Win2–0 Joe Reyes1 (4), Oct 18, 2008 1Win1–0 Edwin Espinoza1 (4), Jun 21, 2008
Personal life
Omar who is of Mexican descent from the state of Tamaulipas, is the older brother of former boxing champion Brandon Figueroa. Omar Figueroa brought light to mental health in his showtime special where he went on to discuss his childhood upbringing resulting in his struggles with PTSD, ADHD, and bi-polar disorder.He continues to be an advocate for not just athletes but to everyone who struggles with mental health.
See also List of Mexican boxing world champions
References
External links
Omar Figueroa Jr - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live