Trainer Bob Santos has revealed that Brian Mendoza is likely to make his ring return against a yet-to-be-announced opponent on February 15.
Mendoza turned to new trainer Santos in a bid to rebound from consecutive career defeats to Tim Tszyu and Serhii Bohachuk. The 30-year-old Mendoza parted ways with Ismael Salas after his unanimous decision defeat to Bohachuk last March.
Santos is confident Mendoza would come back stronger.
“What I think with him is obviously, he’s had two setbacks. He just needs to get regrouped, refocused, get himself back in the winning circle, which he could do,” Santos told BoxingScene. “And that’s why he’s teamed up with me. He feels I’m the guy to do that with, and I think we could take it to make another good run together, me and him.”
A native of New Mexico, junior middleweight Mendoza managed to turn his career around following losses to Larry Gomez and Jesus Ramos Jnr, knocking out notable foes Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora. However, career-defining victories were cut short after losing to Tim Tszyu in October 2023 on his first attempt at a world title.
Five months later, he stepped in at a short notice against Bohachuk, losing unanimously to the Ukrainian over 12 rounds.
But Santos believes Mendoza, 22-4 (16 KOs), is in a good place to shine.
“Everything is going on as planned and I’m confident he will be happy again. The most important thing for Mendoza is that he’s working hard and ready to take the opportunities that come his way.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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