After the Los Angeles County area, it would be hard to find another region in the world where you would find the ranked talent that the San Diego/Tijuana regions boasts. With many fighters leaving their home countries or native towns for better opportunities, they often find themselves in this populated region and begin to show off their wares. Here is a listing of the local fighters who make San Diego or Tijuana their home and how they sit in the World, National and regional rankings.
Antonio "Demoledor" Mendivil
In an unprecedented ranking, FECOMBOX which stads for Mexico’s Federations of Boxing Commissions has ranked Tijuana’s Antonio “Demoledor” Mendivil (14-2-4, 8KO) as their number 1 ranked heavyweight in the nation. Mendivil has not stepped into the ring since fighting Juan Luis Lopez to a four round majority draw late last year.
For the next ranked local fighter, we have to drop all the way down to the middleweight division where unbeaten Ensenada, MX, fighter Juan Carlos “Saladito” Virgen (15-0, 10KO) is ranked by the WBC at #25 while the NABF has him at #14 and FECOMBOX at #3. San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina (22-0, 16KO) is ranked #36 by the WBC at middleweight while the IBO ranks him at #83, the NABF at #11 and the NABO at #13. Medina is also ranked by the FECOMBOX but as a jr. middleweight and they have him ranked at #1 for the division. Also ranked at jr. middleweight is Carslbad, CA’s Danny “dynamite” Perez (34-7, 17KO) who is ranked by the IBO at #29 while the NABA as him ranked as a middleweight at #18.
Alejandro "Terra" Garcia
Despite a fourteen month long lay off and campaigning mostly in the welterweight division, the WBC has Tijuana, MX’s Antonio “Tornado” Margarito (37-6, 27KO) ranked as the #2 jr. middleweight in the division while former two time WBA world champion Alejandro “Terra” Garcia (26-5-1, 24KO), of the colonia Rubi of Tijuana, is ranked at #7 by the FECOMBOX.
Only one local fighter is listed in any welterweight ranking and that is three time world champion in as many division, Erik “Terrible” Morales (49-6, 34KO) of Tijuana’s Zona Norte but now residing in Chula Vista, CA, who the WBC lists him as their welterweight International champion, a title he captured in his comeback bout against Nicaragua’s Jose Alfaro last March in Monterrey.
Morales is also listed at the #3 jr. welterweight by the same organization while Juan Pablo “CheChe” Lopez (16-0, 15KO) of the Romulo Quirarte stable in Tijuana is ranked #29 by the WBC, #10 by the NABF and #11 FECOMBOX. Newly crowned FECARBOX jr. lightweight champion Antonio “Cañitas” Lozada Jr. (22-0, 19KO), also of Tijuana, is ranked by the FECOMBOX at #8.
Antonio DeMarco
The lightweight division is one of the most populated by local fighters with WBC lightweight champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto (51-7-2, 32KO) at the top of the heap. Soto is trained in Tijuana by Bobby Quirarte, the son of Romulo Quirarte. Antonio “Tony” DeMarco (23-2-1, 17KO) of Tijuana by way of Los Mochis, MX, who in his last bout challenged for the green and gold title against Edwin Valero as the mandatory challenger, is now ranked #5 by the organization while the IBF has him at #7. The IBO ranks him at #10 while the NABA has him at #3. Title challenger Hector Velazquez (51-14-2, 35KO) of Tijuana is ranked by the WBC at #28 at lightweight while the FECOMBOX has him at #14 in the featherweight division. Another Romulo Quirarte pupil Marvin “Cachorro” Quintero (19-2, 15KO) is rannked by the IBO at #37 and #11 by the NABF at lightweight while the WBC ranks him at #20, the IBF at #14, the NABO at #4 and the IBF Intercontinental rankings at #5 in the super featherweight division.
Mercito "No Mercy" Gesta
Another fighter ranked in both division is Filipino up and comer Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (17-0-1 ,7KO) of San Diego as the IBO sees him at #83 and the NABF at #12 in the 135 lbs. division while the USBA has him at #10 and the NABO at #9 in the super featherweight class.
Antother world champion sits at featherweight with Cristobal “Lacandon” Cruz (39-11-2, 23KO) of Tijuana in command of the IBF strap while Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (24-0, 17KO), also of Tijuana, is making his way up the rankings. Along with holding the WBC’s CABOFE title, Burgos is ranked at #2 by the organization while the IBO has him at #13, the FECOMBOX at #2 and the NABF at #11. Coming off his spectacular win from behind over the previously undefeated “Barrelito” Beltran this past weekend in Ciudad Obregon, Ensenada’s Joksan “Torito” Hernandez (19-2, 12KO) is ranked #38 by the WBC while the IBO has him at #27 and the NABO at #10.
Christopher "SD Kid" Martin
At super bantamweight we have one of the most ranked local fighters in Christopher “S.D. Kid” Martin (17-0-2, 5KO). Martin of Chula Vista, CA, is ranked #30 by the WBC while the IBO as him at #42. The NABF has him at #4 and the USBA at #8. Finally the NABO lists him at #8. One of Martin’s victims, the once beaten Eduardo “Lalo” Arcos (15-1, 12KO) of Tijuana is ranked #90 by the IBO while Omar “Calilla” Lizarraga is ranked at #14 by the FECOMBOX in the super bantamweight division. Tijuana’s Lizarraga (16-8-1, 12KO) has not fought since being knocked out by JC Burgos in Ontario, CA, in February of last year and never fought in the division.
Another crowded weight class is the bantamweight division with newly crowned FECARBOX champion David De La Mora (20-0, 14KO) leading the pack. Along with his title which he acquired by stopping Jovanny Soto earlier this month, “Morita” of Tijuana, MX, is ranked #13 by the WBC while the IBO has him at #37, the NABF at #10, the NABO at #9 and the FECOMBOX at #8. Once beaten Jose Luis “Tapitas” Arias (27-1, 18KO) of Tecate, MX, is ranked by the IBO at #77 and #15 by the WBO and will be challenging for the WBO Latin title against William “Chirizo” Gonzalez this Friday nght on Telemundo from Miami, FL. The long lost Omar Salado (21-2-2, 12KO) of Tijuana, who has not fought since September of last year when he was knocked out by Luis Concepcion in Nicaragua, is somehow ranked at bantamweight by the NABA at #13 when he has only fought at that weight once. Salado is ranked in his weight class of flyweight by the IBO at #14 and the IBF at #4. Another strange ranking is also by the NABA who have Ricardo “Chapo” Vargas (39-14-3, 13KO) at #15. The Tijuana journeyman has not laced up the gloves since dropping three in a row to world class competition with the last one being against Eric Morel in 2008.
Juan Luis "Perla Negra" Hernandez
Tijuana’s Arturo “Fuerte” Badillo (17-1, 15KO) who just came up short in his quest for the FECARBOX super flyweight title earlier this month is still ranked #15 by the WBC, #9 by the NABO, #9 by the NABF and the FECOMBOX while David “Flecha” Gaspar (14-2-1, 8KO) of Long Beach, CA, but fighting out of Tijuana holds the obscure USNBC title while being ranked at #19 by the WBC, #10 by the NABO, #30 by the IBO, #5 by the NABF and #8 by the FECOMBOX in the same division. Juan Luis “Perla Negra” Hernandez (15-3-1, 9KO), who lost his last bout to Gaspar in his hometown of Tijuana, is ranked by the IBO at #70 while the NABF sees him at #16 and the FECOMBOX at #11. The “San Diego Sensation” Sergio Espinoza (16-7-1, 5KO), who has had a rash of bad luck losing four out of his last seven including dropping one to Gaspar, is ranked #6 by the NABA at super flyweight and at #54 by the IBO and #10 by the NABO at flyweight.
Roberto "Mako" Leyva
Former IBF minimumweight champion Roberto “Mako” Leyva (27-11-1, 21KO) of Ensenada is listed at flyweight at #68 by the IBo while the FECOMBOX ranks him at #6 in the jr, flyweight division. Surprisingly, another former world champion Victor Burgos (39-15-3, 23KO) of Tijuana, who suffered a brain injury in his last bout against Vic Darchynian in 2007 and has not fought since, is ranked as the #1 flyweight by the NABA.
Finally, the enigma-like Julio Cesar “Gato” Felix (11-3, 4KO) of Tijuana who hardly fights is ranked at #34 by the WBC in the strawweight division while the NABF has him at #9, the FECOMBOX at #13 and the IBO at #46.
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