A Tucson boxer is getting his shot at an international title this weekend despite taking a two-year break from the ring due to the pandemic and numerous subsequent fight cancellations.
Welterweight Alfonso Olvera (12-6-3, 4 KOs) will face Texan Quinton Randall (8-0-1, 2 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Council’s silver welterweight title in an eight-round match on Saturday night at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe, Texas.
The 32-year-old boxer said he expects to put on a show for the audience.
“I am excited and ready to show that we’re coming back hard. Either I knock (Randall) out or I’m getting knocked out,” Olvera said. “I’ve worked really hard for these opportunities and I’ve been robbed by judges who gave the decision to the hometown guy.”
Olvera’s comments stem from a July 2019 fight in Albuquerque against Josh Torres for the WBC Latino welterweight title. The Tucson boxer believed he had done enough to secure the title through the judge’s scorecards. However, Torres ended up winning by split decision — two judges scored in favor of Torres, a New Mexican, and one judge scored in favor of Olvera.
“I clearly beat the guy and (the judges) gave it to him because he was from New Mexico,” Olvera said. “But I’m 100% confident in my abilities and training for this fight. I feel ready and I know we’re going to be bringing that title back to Tucson.”
To prepare for Saturday’s bout against Randall, Olvera spent his weekday evenings training at Undisputed Gym with local boxing coach, Jesse Haro, after his labor-intensive day job as a concrete finisher. On weekends, the 32-year-old does a roadwork routine that would make Rocky Balboa blush. He runs across Bilby Road to Country Club Boulevard, then down to 22nd Street toward Sixth Avenue and back to Bilby Road.
“Working my concrete job and training for this fight at the same time is pretty hard but not impossible,” Olvera said. “It’s tiring, but I‘ve been feeling way better and way stronger than I did when I was fighting before.”
Haro said he’s seen his fighter’s abilities mature inside the squared circle, even without Olvera participating in a professional bout in over two years. While they have only had a month to prepare for the fight against Randall, Haro said he had his boxer back in training and sparring regularly from the moment gyms reopened after the pandemic.
“We’ve been in training for a while just in case something came up for us. As far as preparation is concerned, there’s no problem. We feel extremely ready for (the fight),” Haro said. “The only thing I’m kind of worried about is we’re fighting in (Randall’s) hometown and judges always favor the hometown fighter.”
The trainer said they aren’t taking Randall’s boxing skills lightly. The 31-year-old Houston, Texas native is currently undefeated in eight professional fights. He has a prolific amateur record of 57-6 and won the 2016 USA Boxing National Championships. Randall is known for his strong jab, which he often backs up with a quick straight right — a punch combination that can be disastrous to the other fighter if he’s not anticipating that second shot.
Olvera can match Rnadall’s resume. He won the state and regional Golden Gloves championships as an amateur between 2012 to 2014. While he wasn’t able to get the big win at the Golden Gloves national tournaments, Olvera made it to the semi-final rounds each year he competed. He also took third place in the 2014 USA National Boxing Championships before turning pro later that year.
When it comes to professional boxing, Olvera has faced tougher competition than Randall over the years. The bulk of Randall’s eight pro fights were against journeymen or boxers with more losses than wins. Olvera has faced his fair share of fighters making their pro debut, but he has more fights against guys who are either undefeated or have a couple of losses — and he beat most of them. Olvera has even gone the distance with undisputed light-welterweight champion Josh Taylor in 2017, but lost the match by unanimous decision.
“(Randall) is very capable and very competent at doing what he needs to do in the ring. He’s truly got the experience and has gathered all the talent he needs,” Haro said. “But I think this fight is going to come down to who wants it more.”
