Omar Figueroa Jr. (born December 13, 1989) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed from 2008 to 2022. who held the WBC

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable 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 Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

. Figueroa would go on to win a total of six bouts in 2012, including his debut for

Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." Histo ...

, 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 is a professional boxer nicknamed "Japanese Rocky". He made his mark in the twelve-round lightweight slugfest against Omar Figueroa in July 2013, that earned him the nickname after the film ''Rocky''. "The Japanese lefty gained a zillion fans w ...

for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title, in a fight declared by the Showtime commentator

Mauro Ranallo Mauro Domenico Ranallo (born December 21, 1969) is a Canadian sports announcer, commentator and mental health advocate. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA organization Bellator, and also performs play-by-play duties for b ...

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 Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

via unanimous decision at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas

Figueroa Jr vs. Molina Jr

On 16 February, 2019, Figueroa Jr faced

John Molina Jr John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. 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

Personal life

Omar who is of Mexican descent, is the older brother of former boxing champion

Brandon Figueroa Brandon Lee Figueroa (born December 29, 1996) is an American professional boxer who has held the WBC interim featherweight title since March 2023 and previously the WBC super bantamweight title in 2021 and the WBA (Regular) super bantamweight ti ...

. 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.

References

External links

*
Omar Figueroa Jr - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Omar Jr. 1989 births Living people World Boxing Council champions Light-welterweight boxers American male boxers American boxers of Mexican descent World lightweight boxing champions People from Weslaco, Texas Sportspeople from Hidalgo County, Texas Boxers from Texas