José Pedraza (boxer)

José Pedraza
Statistics
Real name	José Pedraza González
Nickname(s)	Sniper
Rated at	Super featherweight
Height	5' 9" (175 cm)
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	May 8, 1989 Caguas, Puerto Rico
Stance	Ambidextrous
Boxing record
Total fights	22
Wins	22
Wins by KO	12
Losses	0
Draws	0
No contests	0

José Pedraza

Medal record
Boxing
Representing  Puerto Rico
Boxing World Cup
	Moscow 2008	Lightweight
World Amateur Championships
	Milan 2009	Lightweight
Pan American Games
	Rio 2007	Lightweight
Central American and Caribbean Games
	Mayagüez 2010	Lightweight

José Pedraza González (born May 8, 1989) is an undefeated Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is the current IBF super featherweight champion. As an amateur he represented Puerto Rico, winning medals in multiple international competitions. Among the awards achieved by Pedraza are a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, silver at the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships and gold at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, as well as participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pedraza debuted as a professional in February 2011, winning the World Boxing Council's Super Featherweight Youth World Championship in only his sixth fight.

Amateur career

Early career and Pan American Games

Pedraza participated in the 2006 Copa La Romana. In the quarter finals he defeated Javier Fortuna (27:5).^[1] He secured the bronze medal with a 12:9 victory over V.Castillo of Ecuador. Pedraza won the tournament's gold medal over localist boxer Jonathan Batista (10:5). In December, he won the lightweight national championship, defeating Hector Marengo (18:15) in the finals of the Torneo Nacional Isaac Barrientos.^[2] On February 4, 2007, Pedraza debuted in the Pan American Games Qualifier defeating Oscar Diaz of the Dominican Republic (13:6).^[3] He qualified to the event by winning the bronze medal, losing (16:8) to localist Lisandro Bolivar in the semifinals. On March 31, 2007, Pedraza participated in a dual against Trinidad, winning (26:19) a contest over Jules De Gannes.^[4] He entered the IX Torneo José "Cheo" Aponte, debuting with a victory over Shemuel Pagan of the United States.^[5] Pedraza won the event's silver medal, losing to Jean Gomis by hit count after the contest finished tied 8:8. At the Pan American Games, he debuted winning (26:7) his preliminary over Jose Virula Lopez of Guatemala.^[6] Pedraza advanced to the medal round defeating Lisandro Bolivar of Venezuela. He won the tournament's bronze medal, losing (7:2) to localist Everton Lopes. Pedraza entered the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships, but lost (25:17) his preliminary contest against Sadam Ali.^[7] He closed the year participating in a dual against France, losing (15:5) to Daouda Sow.^[8]

Summer Olympics and World Cup

In January 2008, Pedraza defended the lightweight national championship, defeating Reynaldo Ojeda (20:11) in the finals of the Torneo Nacional Isaac Barrientos.^[9] At the American Olympic Qualifier, he debuted with a 20:4 victory over Valentino Knowles of Bahamas.^[10] In the quarterfinals he lost (13:5) to Yordenis Ugas. In April 2008, he entered the second American Olympic Qualifier, stopping Omar Ward of Barbados in the second round of his preliminary.^[11] He guaranteed a medal by defeating (15:8) Juan Cuellar of Argentina. In the semifinals, Pedraza stopped Alexis Folleco of Ecuador in the third round. He won the tournament's gold medal and qualified to the 2008 Summer Olympics by defeating Lopes in a rematch. Pedraza debuted in the X Torneo José "Cheo" Aponte with a victory (19:8) over countryman Alberto Mercado.^[12] In the finals he defeated Shemuel Pagan of the United States by walk over. Prior to the Olympics Pedraza participated in the XXXVIII International Golden Belt Tournament, advancing to the semifinals before losing (37:25) to Vladimir Saruhanyan of Russia.^[13] As part of their training the boxing team moved to South Korea, in order to adapt to the time-zone.^[14] After training and participating in a series of exhibition matches, the team traveled from Corea to Beijin.^[15]

In his first Olympic fight, Pedraza defeated Onur Şipal of Turkey by points, with scores of 10–3. Throughout the event, his strategy focused on maintaining a solid defense while connecting combinations to his opponent's body.^[16] Pedraza lost his second preliminary to Daouda Sow of France by points, 13:9.^[17] He entered the 2008 Boxing World Cup, advancing to the semifinals with an 8:2 win over Georgian Popescu of Romania.^[18] He won the bronze medal, losing (14:4) his next contest to Albert Selimov of Russia. In February 2008, Pedraza defended the lightweight national championship in the Torneo Nacional Isaac Barrientos, defeating Reynaldo Cintron in the preliminaries, Erick Vidal in the quarterfinals (WO), Edgardo Rivera in the semifinals and Ken Alvarez in the final (10:3).^[19] In May 2009, he entered the XII Torneo José "Cheo" Aponte and competed in the light welterweight limit, winning his first contest over Pedro Vicente by stoppage in three rounds.^[20] Pedraza won the silver medal, losing to Bernard Lebron in the finals by hit score following a 16:16 tie.

World medalist and regional championship

At the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships, Pedraza debuted by defeating Abdlay Anarbay of Kazakhstan (10:4).^[21] In his second contest, he defeated Zorigtbaataryn Enkhzorig of Mongolia (4:3).^[22] In the third date Pedraza defeated (6:5) Ljubomir Marjanovic of Serbia.^[23] A medal was secured with a (14:4) victory over Serdar Khudayberdiyev of Turkey in the quarterfinals. He advanced winning his contest against Albert Selimov, 9:5. In the finals, he lost a decision (9:4) to localist Domenico Valentino, winning the silver medal. In December 2009, Pedraza participated in the AIBA Presidents Cup, winning in his debut over Enkhzorig Zorigtbaatar.^[24] He lost a 21 decision to Semen Grivachev in the semifinals. An invitation was extended to him and the Arroyo brothers to participate in the World Series of Boxing, but it was declined. In January 2010, Pedraza defended the lightweight national championship in the finals of the Torneo Nacional Isaac Barrientos, defeating Jorge Maysonet, Jr. (4:3) in the quarterfinals, Jose Davila (3:2) in the semifinals and Edgardo Lopez in the finals.^[25] In April 2010, he defeated Davila (5:3) in the national team's selection meeting.^[26] In May 2010, he entered the XIII Torneo José "Cheo" Aponte, defeating Antonio Ortiz in the semifinals and Davila (5:0) in the final.^[27] He entered the 2010 Copa Olimpica, defeating Antonio Ortiz by points.^[28] In June 2010, Pedraza participated in the 2010 Pan-American Championships, debuting with a 14:1 victory over Joan Gonzalez of Venezuela.^[29] In the semifinals he defeated Erick Bonez (7:0). Pedraza won the silver medal, losing (8:3) to Yasnier Toledo Lopez in the final. In July he participated in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, debuting with a 22:7 victory over Angel Gutierrez of Mexico.^[30] Pedraza advanced stopping Omar Ward in the second round. He defeated (10:1) Wellington Arias of the Dominican Republic in the semifinals. Pedraza won the old medal with a 10:2 victory over Cesar Villarraga of Colombia. On December 3, 2010, Pedraza participated in a dual against the United States defeating Duran Caferro, 16:3.^[31]

Professional career

Youth World Championship

Pedraza's intention to become a professional was made public on January 3, 2011.^[32] A press conference was held a week later, where he signed a contract with three different promoters, Universal Promotions of Puerto Rico, Gary Shaw Productions and DiBella Entertainment, who agreed to co-promote his career.^[33] His professional debut was scheduled for February 18, 2011.^[34] The opponent was Felix Rivera, who also debuted after compiling an amateur record of 68–5. Pedraza won the contest by technical knockout in the first round, following a combination to the head and body. The following month he participated in his first contest outside of Puerto Rico, defeating Corben Page in the same manner.^[35] On June 10, 2011, Pedraza was included in a boxing card held prior to the Puerto Rican Day Parade, a tradition among the diaspora in New York. The contest was stopped in the first round, following two knockdowns over his opponent, Tomi Archambault.^[36] The opponent for his first six-round fight was Pedro Antonio Salcedo. Pedraza outboxed and injured Salcedo several times, earning a unanimous decision, with identical scores of 60-54.^[37] Following a short hiatus, he defeated John Wampash by technical knockout in the fourth round.^[38] On December 30, 2011, only ten months after his debut, Pedraza participated in his first titular match, challenging for the World Boxing Council's Super Featherweight Youth World Championship. He won by technical knockout in the fifth round, when the referee retired an injured Herbert Quartey from the contest.^[39] He headlined Team Puerto Rico's first local card of 2012, "Pa' Bravo Yo", defeating Anthony Woods in the fourth round after his opponent's corner submitted the contest by throwing a towel into the ring.^[40]

Professional boxing record

See also

• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions

References

1. RomanaCup2006. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
2. Puerto Rico2007. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl (2009-07-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
3. Panamerican Games 2007 1st qualifiers. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
4. DualTRI_PUR. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl (2009-07-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
5. JoseAponte2007. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
6. Panamerican Games 2007. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
7. World Champs 2007. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
8. DualFRA_PUR. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl (2009-07-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
9. Puerto Rico2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl (2009-07-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
10. American Olympic Qualifications – Port of Spain 2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
11. American Olympic Qualifications – Guatemala City 2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
12. JoseAponte2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
13. Víctor Pillot Ortiz (2008-06-16). "Deportes". Gestión dorada en Rumania. Puerto Rico: El Nuevo Día.
14. Rey Colón (2008-07-09). A foguearse en Corea los boxeadores (in Spanish). El Vocero.
15. Lester Jiménez (2008-07-31). Listos para soltar puños y batallar por las medallas (in Spanish). Primera Hora.
16. Lester Jiménez (2008-08-11). José Pedraza triunfa y pasa a segunda ronda (in Spanish). Primera Hora.
17. Olympic Games 2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
18. World Cup 2008. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
19. Puerto Rico 2009. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
20. Jose Cheo Aponte Tournament 2009. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
21. "Dos puertorriqueños triunfan en el inicio del campeonato mundial de boxeo" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
22. "Triunfos boricuas" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. 2009-09-05. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
23. "Pedraza finds success as southpaw". International Boxing Association. 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
24. AIBA President Cup 2009. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
25. Puerto Rico Nationals 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
26. Puerto Rican Selection Meeting – 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
27. Jose Cheo Aponte Tournament 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
28. Olympic Cup – 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
29. Panamerican Championships 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
30. Central American and Caribbean Games – 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
31. Duals Puerto Rico-USA – Catano (PUR) – 2010. Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl (2009-07-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
32. Jose Pedraza To Go Pro With Gary Shaw, Javier Bustillo – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com (2011-01-03). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
33. Photos: Jose Pedraza Goes Pro With Shaw, DiBella, Bustillo – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
34. Jose Pedraza Likely To Make Pro Debut, February 18 – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
35. Photos: Jose Pedraza Debuts in NYC, Blasts Page Out – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com (2011-03-30). Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
36. Kenny Galarza Survives Garcia, Dulorme Beats Corley – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-11.
37. "Seda, Pedraza Dominate While "Under Fire" in Ponce". Boxingnews24.com. 2011-08-21. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
38. Mark Lambie (2011-11-12). "WBA title fight captions". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
39. Jake Donovan (2011-12-31). "Andre Dirrell Returns, Stops Cunningham in Two Rounds". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
40. Joana González (2012-02-25). "RESULTADOS cartelera en PONCE "Pa Bravo Yo"" (in Spanish). PRboxea.com. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
41. "Jose Pedraza Professional boxing record". BoxRec.com.

External links

• Professional boxing record for Jose Pedraza from BoxRec

Professional championships