Lightweights Charlie Sheehy and Manuel Jaimes might be from the same part of Northern California but they have taken different paths to their upcoming fight, which could set the trajectory for the rest of their career.
They will fight Saturday in an eight-round contest at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Calif. on the undercard of the vacant WBO lightweight title fight between Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk as a part of the ESPN+ undercard telecast.
Sheehy (9-0, 5 KOs) from Brisbane, Calif. was a top prospect fighting at the 2019 Olympic Trials making it to the medal rounds, he signed with Top Rank after his pro debut in 2022. Sheehy is managed by Peter Kahn, who also manages Xander Zayas. The 25-year-old Sheehy is confident in his approach to the upcoming fight that will take place against an opponent from roughly an hour away from his hometown.
Jaimes (15-1-1, 11 KOs) of Stockton, Calif., on the other hand, has had to take a blue-collar approach being developed by Stockton-based promotional entity Toscano Boxing Promotions, run by Jorge Toscano. He turned pro on their first card and was built on a regional circuit, even taking a loss on a show streamed in Mexico with little fanfare.
For Jaimes, 24, this part of his career is about overcoming adversity, both in and out of the ring as two of his family members passed away last summer – and facing Sheehy is the opportunity he believes he needs right now.
“This is the fight in which I make a statement,” Sheehy told BoxingScene. “I am ready for whatever he brings, and I believe this will be the fight that gets my name out there in the boxing world.”
The two planned to spar each other a little over a year ago, but it never happened. Beyond that, they never met as amateurs or crossed paths in the gyms despite living roughly an hour away from each other.
The bout will create a credible prospect on the verge of contention in one of boxing’s glamor divisions. Javiel Centeno, having recently taken over from Sheehy’s long-time coach, Miguel Rios – who still serves as a second-assist in the corner – gave his thoughts on the camp that concluded in Florida.
“Charlie has had a great camp and is prepared physically, strategically, tactically, and mentally to deal with anything Manuel Jaimes has to offer,” Centeno said. “He’s getting more comfortable knowing that as a scheduled eight-rounder, he can slowly lay the groundwork to break Jaimes down.”
Jaimes spent a good part of his camp in Riverside, Calif., training at Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy. When at his own gym, Jaimes always looked at a photo of ‘Sweet Steve’, a boxer who trained at the Stockton PYA gym decades earlier. Jaimes always sought inspiration from ‘Sweet Steve’ and found himself wondering how he might have trained. Now a photo of himself and a regional title around his waist is up next to the fighter he idolized. Jaimes hadn’t fought since May so he took a tune-up contest in March. Jaimes, originally, was set to face Pedro Borgaro, but the week of the fight his opponent was changed to Belmar Preciado, trained by former title contender Oscar Negrete – the catch being that Preciado only would take the fight if it was an eight-rounder and not a six.
Jaimes won a unanimous decision but admitted it had not been his best performance, which he partly attributed to rust.
“It took a toll mentally and it happened pretty much in back-to-back months,” said Jaimes, discussing his time out of the ring. “I took some time to think about it. I was supposed to fight in December, but I ended up hurting my hand and looking back at it I think I should have given myself a little bit more time before trying to jump back into that one.”
Steadfast in James’ corner is his longtime coach, Steve Salas, of Stockton PYA, who believes in the skills of his fighter.
“He is ready,” said Salas. “He flew under the radar for some years now, but it is time when he is on such a stage. I hope he will have a lot of eyes looking at him.”
The bout harkens back to the 2019 USA Boxing Youth National Championship when many fighters from the same region were matched against each other. One such contest saw two Sacramento fighters face one another when Cain Sandoval, who sparred with Sheehy at the beginning of this camp, won a three-round unanimous decision against crosstown rival Lorenzo Powell. The fight has the same regional attraction flare but on a bigger stage.
“He’s excited knowing that this face-off between the Bay Area and Stockton will continue to legitimize his rise as a lightweight from the West Coast,” said Centeno.
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