Argentina has seen a steady stream of fighters break into global sporting consciousness since boxing’s conception.
Carlos Monzon (87-3-9, 59 KOs) will be arguably remembered as the greatest middleweight ever. He ruled the 160 pound division for seven solid years retiring undefeated. The greatest defensive fighter of all time, Nicolino Locche (117-4-14, 14 KOs) lit up Luna Park as the super lightweight world champion in his native Buenos Aires for a generation. Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) drew cult acclaim in more recent years as super lightweight and welterweight world champion.
Former light middleweight world champion Brian Castano and current super flyweight IBF belt holder Fernando Martinez lead the way for the nation today. But who is the next hidden gem to come from South America’s second largest country?
“I want everyone worldwide to look at Mirco Cuello.” Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz said of his 22-year-old prospect in an exclusive interview for ProBox TV. “He’s number 4 in the WBA in the featherweight division. He’s Argentina’s next world champion, I have no doubt.”
Cuello (12-0, 11 KOs) co-features against the undefeated Rudy Garcia in his American debut at the Boeing Center, San Antonio, Texas this Friday night on ShoBox under the guidance of his promoter Lewkowicz.
“He’s an Olympian and an incredibly gifted fighter.” The Uruguayan promoter explained. “Listen, the kid has only had 12 fights but he will surprise you. I always planned to bring him to America, I have a lot of hope for this kid. I like his attitude, he wants to fight anyone we put in front of him, to him it doesn’t matter. You will see a lot of action from this kid. I really like him. He’s a great kid, I’m happy to bring him to America.
“I’m happy to work with these fighters from Argentina and Uruguay, or Panama. At my age of 72, I’ve seen a lot of people who have not been able to get a shot. I have an Argentinian fighter [Jose] Matias Romero, he went the distance with Isaac Cruz. I like the opportunity to showcase these fighters, yes this guy was an opponent, like many of them but these fighters then start to compete at the next level. They need an opportunity, you need to start from the seed to grow into a tree. This is what I’m doing in South America. In the next couple of years you will see many Argentinians become world champions. I did the same thing in the Dominican Republic, I brought through Javier Fortuna, Jeison Rosario and many others. It breathes life into boxing.”
