Trainer Bob Santos has revealed that Brian Mendoza is likely to return to his ring against a yet-to-be-announced opponent on February 15.
Mendoza turned to new trainer Santos in an attempt to recover from back-to-back career losses to Tim Su and Serhi Bohachuk. Mendoza, 30, parted ways with Ismael Salas after where he lost to Bohachuk by unanimous decision last March.
Santos is confident Mendoza will come back stronger than ever.
“What I think about him is obviously he’s had two defeats. He just needed to regroup. Concentrate again Get yourself back in the winning cycle. Which he can do,” Santos told BoxingScene. “And that’s why he joined me. He felt like I was the one who did that too. And I think we can bring it together to create good results again. Both me and him.”
New Mexico native Mendoza, a junior middleweight, turned his career around after losing to Larry Gomez and Jesus Ramos Jr., defeating high-profile opponent Jason Roe. Sario and Sebastian Fundora, however, career-defining victories were cut short after losing to Tim Tszyu in October 2023 on his first attempt at a world title.
five months later He stepped in on short notice against Bohachuk, losing by unanimous decision to the Ukrainian in the round of 12.
But Santos believes Mendoza, 22-4 (16 KO), is in a good spot to shine.
“Everything went according to plan. And I’m sure he’ll be happy again. The most important thing for Mendoza is that he works hard and is ready to take the opportunities that come his way.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist specializing in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column called “From The Ringside” in his home country of Ghana for many years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and by email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com–
