LAS VEGAS – This Saturday marks the fourth fight in five months for Joel Iriarte, a welterweight prospect who turned pro earlier this year, signing with Golden Boy Promotions just prior to his debut in the paid ranks.
“Back in the day when I was coming up, prospects, it seemed like they fought every month. Joel Iriarte is a true throwback in that regard,” said the company’s namesake, Oscar De La Hoya, speaking Thursday at the final press conference ahead of this weekend’s main event featuring fan-friendly junior middleweights Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk.
Iriarte, a 21-year-old from Bakersfield, California, is 3-0 (3 KOs). He will open up the main broadcast underneath Ortiz-Bohachuk on DAZN, starting Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
“I’m happy to be back. I’m happy that the hard work that we put in day in and day out is just paying off,” Iriarte said at the press conference. “I like being active. I feel like it keeps me sharp, it keeps me smart, and just hopefully we’re on track to fight for a world title soon.”
Iriarte is a 17-time national champion and former Team USA member, according to the press release announcing his signing. Since turning pro, he’s picked up a second-round technical knockout over the 3-5-2 Bryan Carguacundo in March, knocked out the 5-2 Kevin Beltran Aguirre in one round two weeks later, and then returned in early July, putting away the 3-4-2 Yainel Alvarez in two rounds.
His fourth opponent has changed a couple times. A couple weeks ago, Golden Boy announced that Iriarte would take on Thomas Guillemette (8-1, 4 KOs). At the start of this week, BoxRec listed Iriarte’s foe as Pablo Polanco Fernandez (11-16, 4 KOs). As of Thursday, BoxRec had Iriarte taking on Miguel Ortiz (3-1, 1 KO).
In reality, whomever the opponent ends up will be there so that Golden Boy can showcase its prospect.
“If you haven’t seen Joel Iriarte fight, he’s exciting, he punches in bunches, right from the get-go. He doesn’t stop throwing, but he’s very smart and he can pop,” De La Hoya said. “Iriarte is one of those fighters who is on a fast track. […] He wants to become world champion very fast. We actually sometimes have to hold him back. But that’s the mark of a true champion. And he has the skill, he has the work ethic, he has the discipline. I think the sky’s the limit for Joel Iriarte. We’re behind him 1,000 percent”
And De La Hoya feels that Iriarte will succeed both in and beyond the 147-pound weight class.
“He’s a big kid. He can fight in multiple divisions in the near future,” De La Hoya said. “I strongly feel that Joel Iriarte will become a top prospect very soon and hopefully in contention for a world title in a couple of years.”
That’s still some time away. For now, Iriarte’s early progress continues against Ortiz.
“For everyone that’s tuning in Saturday night, expect an electric performance,” Iriarte said. “I feel like my style is like a chameleon. it just gets better. It changes. I’m good at adapting to different styles and I’m ready to showcase a little bit more of my skill set. I’m looking to get a couple more rounds under my belt and end the night with a knockout.”
Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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