Fresh off the plane from the Philippines, Esneth Domingo made a pilgrimage of sorts for Filipino boxers.
Now in Los Angeles, he makes his way to the Wild Card Boxing Club, the Hollywood gym that his country’s most famous boxer, Manny Pacquiao, has called home for decades. It was a surreal experience for the 27-year-old flyweight Domingo, who was visiting the United States for the first time.
“I saw coach Freddie [Roach], but he left quickly and that's why I didn't get a picture,” said Domingo, 22-4 (14 KOs), after his workout on Monday.
Domingo isn’t in town on a sightseeing trip; he is making a pit stop before heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to fight Abraham Perez, 13-0 (7 KOs), in a 10-round fight on April 4 at Embassy Suites. It will be Domingo’s sixth trip abroad to fight – but the most lead time he will have had to acclimate to his new climate. Domingo will be in the United States for about three weeks before this fight, a big improvement from the three days he had to adjust when he flew across the globe to South Africa ahead of his close decision loss to Nhlanhla Tyirha in 2022, which he says impacted his reflexes.
Domingo knows how big this opportunity is for his career, as well as the danger he’s facing.
Perez, 26, has been a pro since 2021 and is rated No. 14 by the WBO and No. 11 by the IBF at 112lbs. He won the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials and competed internationally for the US in Bulgaria, Spain and France.
“I’ve seen videos of him,” Domingo said of Perez. “It’s a warning to me not to take him lightly because he is strong and good. But for me, I know I can do it.”
“This fight is a big deal in my career. I need to win to raise my ranking and have a big chance to fight for the world title.”
Domingo had a bit of an amateur career himself, consisting of nearly 200 amateur fights and six national titles. He first got interested in boxing at age 8, after seeing his uncle Michael Domingo fight. Michael, who is also Esneth’s trainer, had a pro record of 42-18-3 (23 KOs) between 1999 and 2012, and he was a frequent visitor to Wild Card during his fighting days.
“Coach Michael is so famous and popular that I thought about boxing because I wanted to be like him,” said Esneth about Michael, his father’s brother.
The eldest of three children born in Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province in the Philippines, Esneth’s father is a blacksmith and his mother a housewife. The desperation of their financial situation growing up gave him all the motivation he needed to try his fortune in boxing.
Now, himself the father of two sons, ages 7 and 5, and living in Cebu City, Philippines, Esneth hopes a big win can elevate his status in the sport. He has had success abroad in the past, having won a majority decision in Vietnam over Minh Phat Sam in 2019, and winning knockouts over Jukiya Iimura and Kosuke Tomioka in Japan in 2022. In his most recent fight, he lost a unanimous decision to compatriot Miel Fajardo in October.
Promoter Jim Claude Manangquil, of Sanman Promotions, likes his fighter’s chances of pulling off another upset abroad.
“Esneth always has a puncher’s chance,” Manangquil said. “He has great power. That’s why he has won three fights in his opponents’ country.
“Esneth fell short with his recent fights, but all of those were close and it just wasn’t his day. Any given day when he is in good shape, he can beat any flyweight.”
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
