Brian Mendoza shocked the world last year knocking out former unified world champion Jeison Rosario in the co-feature of a Showtime Championship Boxing bout last year, now Mendoza returns looking to upset another top fighter as he faces one of the best junior middleweights in the world Sebastian Fundora, April 8th, at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Mendoza is one of the most intense individuals in the sport of boxing. Mendoza picked up and moved from New Mexico to Las Vegas, Nevada to pursue his dream of becoming a world champion in the sport of boxing. Despite what most would say is a late start to the sport, entering at the age of sixteen-years-old, Mendoza has forged a path for himself at the top of the sport, and is now nearing his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion.
The fight comes on the heels of Mendoza’s teammate Robeisy Ramirez picking up a huge win over Isaac Dogboe. The two share the same coach in Ismael Salas, and now Mendoza who has sacrificed everything to the sport of boxing missing holidays to train in the gym. Now, Mendoza will count on those moments for what could possibly be the difference in his biggest fight to date.
“Everyone is talking about trying to keep up with [Fundora’s] volume, this and that, but he is going to have some questions to answer once we get in that ring,” said Mendoza sitting the driver’s seat of an American muscle car as he did this exclusive for interview for ProBoxTV.com. “When they first mentioned the possibility of this fight, I started sparring cruiserweight, even backing them up, just working with a lot of people and [we brought in] Mykal Fox, he is a six-foot, four[-inch] southpaw that is actually a very similar style to [Fundora]. [It has been] just getting used to [fighting a lefty] and the angles that they come from. I’m doing a lot of studying, it is also outside of the ring, all the preparation, just to be able to pull off this stuff.”
Another aspect of the maturation of Brian Mendoza is his world-famous strength coach, Tony Brady. Mendoza credits his success at the highest level to the sport obviously to his well-respected boxing coach, Ismael Salas, but also to Tony Brady, who has now brought a new side out of Mendoza.
“A big change was my strength and conditioning coach, Tony Brady. I got with him for a little bit before the ‘Cornflake’ fight against Thomas LaManna, I got a decent camp in with him and we got to know each other, [Brady] was living out in Oakland [at the time], so I didn’t get to [train with him] continuously, but when I went to the Bay to help Mario Barrios get ready for the [Keith] Thurman fight, that’s when I really liked up with Tony Brady - we have not stopped working ever since. That was late 2021. That is another big change, because my physicalities and my conditioning have gotten to a point where I feel I don’t need to flex that, that is not my focus, I am able to let my technique and all my education, as you said I have been in [boxing college] in Las Vegas, and I think that is another reason why I am able to keep growing and learning,” said Mendoza.“Now I consider myself a [veteran], I got the experience on the job I didn't get as an amateur. I started boxing at sixteen-years-old, but that self-belief the whole way through was really it. I always told myself that I don’t use that started boxing late as an excuse, because look how late I started and look how far I have [come], and the people I am working with in the gym, especially since I have come to Las Vegas - I feel like I am here for a reason."
