Jeovanny Estela, back at 154, says ‘lightning is coming’

Junior middleweight Jeovanny Estela is back in his comfort zone. After a tough outing in his middleweight debut, the 24-year-old Estela is returning to 154lbs with a renewed respect for a boxing adage: weight classes exist for a reason.

Estela, from Orlando, will face Jocksan Blanco in an eight-round bout this Friday at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The fight will be broadcast on DAZN.

The two fighters have history. Three years ago, they sparred for four rounds at a gym near Orlando. However, Estela, with a record of 14-1 (5 KOs), said the timing for this fight only recently made sense. “When I was 9-0, he was just starting out,” Estela told BoxingScene. “But now, coming off my first loss, taking on another undefeated fighter says a lot about what we’re trying to do.”

The 30-year-old Blanco, 7-0 (4 KOs), hails from Venezuela but now trains near the Orlando area. He’s coming off an October win over Angel Ilarraza, who holds a record of 9-2 (4 KOs) and has alternated between welterweight and junior middleweight throughout his career, fighting at 154lbs just three times.

Estela, who sees himself as one of the more notable names in the Orlando boxing scene, acknowledged the challenge Blanco presents. “I know my opponent is hungry – he’s undefeated – and we’ve sparred before,” Estela said. “It was good work for both of us. He’s coming for the win, just like I am. Two Hispanic lineages – he’s Venezuelan, I’m Puerto Rican – fighting for that championship belt.”

This fight is pivotal for Estela, who is bouncing back from a July loss to Aaron McKenna, in which he was stopped in the 10th and final round in a middleweight bout. That fight was part of a tournament with a $1 million prize for the winner.

“One of the big things I took from that fight was the amount of heart that I have,” Estela said. “It showed me weight classes are there for a reason. Obviously, we knew that, but the opportunity presented itself, and we dared to be great at 160.”

Now, Estela is focused on his return to junior middleweight. “Camp was 11 or 12 weeks, most of it in Orlando, with a week in Puerto Rico,” he said.

As for whether this fight is a “battle for Orlando,” Estela dismissed the idea. “That would be me against another Orlando fighter,” he said.

With a grueling camp behind him, Estela is ready to make a statement.

“Lightning is coming,” Estela said. “We’ve had an amazing camp, and we’ve put all our blood, sweat and tears into this. I’m ready to make an excellent comeback for everybody.”

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.