Dainier Pero, sloughing off a slow 2025, is aiming to prove he is a heavyweight contender a year later.
His next course of action in that mission comes this weekend: Pero will face Donald Haynesworth in a 10-round heavyweight co-feature Friday at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
A red-hot prospect entering 2025, Pero, 12-0 (9 KOs), fought only once in the year. Despite winning a unanimous decision over Cesar Navarro, Pero hit the canvas twice in the bout.
Pero, a 2020 Olympian for Cuba, saw fights scheduled for the fourth quarter of last year fall apart on different occasions. Now he wants to vault himself into the group of contenders in the heavyweight division in what will already be his second fight of 2026.
“I’m not a prospect anymore,” Pero told BoxingScene via a translator. “I’m ranked. I’m in the mix, and now it’s about stepping into real contender fights.”
Part of getting himself noticed will be activity. Pero, who stopped Mario Aguilar Lopez in two rounds on January 17, will be returning a little more than a month later – with hopes of a big fight on the horizon.
“2026 is about positioning,” Pero said. “I want to solidify myself as a top-five heavyweight. I want at least two to three strong fights that push me toward a title eliminator or mandatory position.”
Although he has a deep amateur pedigree, Pero, 26, has gone only 35 rounds as a professional.
Bob Santos, Pero’s trainer, told BoxingScene it has been very hard for his fighter to get to fights – a sentiment echoed by the heavyweight himself.
“Staying active is everything in this sport, especially in the heavyweight division,” Pero said. “Activity builds rhythm, and rhythm builds dominance and confidence.”
Haynesworth, 19-9-1 (17 KOs), a veteran, defeated Anthony Trotter in August. Before that, he was stopped in one round by 2020 Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jnr. Haynesworth, a 43-year-old from New Rochelle, New York, in contrast, has gone 89 rounds as a professional. He has also been stopped in six of his nine losses as a pro.
Pero, who has drawn comparisons to Oleksandr Usyk from his trainer, aims to continue his winning streak while staying active and garnering professional experience.
“The heavyweight division is wide open,” Pero said. “There are champions, there are contenders, and there are guys holding spots. I’m coming to take a spot, not just be part of the conversation.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
