Junior lightweight Abel Mejia has prepared for his upcoming bout by sparring Oscar Valdez and Joet Gonzalez, two opponents with conflicting styles.
Mejia faces Aston Palicte in a six-round bout Friday at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
Mejia, 8-0 (5 KOs), was initially set to face a come-forward fighter, but now he is fighting a boxer who looks to counterpunch, Palicte is 28-8-1 (23 KOs). Mejia, a 22-year-old from Orange, California, credits the high-quality sparring with getting him ready for the fight.
“I sparred with Oscar Valdez, Joet Gonzalez, and a lot of big names,” Mejia told BoxingScene. “He is known for his power, but so am I.”
This was Mejia’s first time sparring with Valdez. Even when the change in opponent came, Mejia called it fun, as his father and trainer, Drew Mejia, explained the details of this camp.
“The unique thing about this camp was we had to strategize for two different guys,” Drew told BoxingScene. “It wasn’t that hard, but we just had to make adjustments on the mitts and in sparring.”
Palicte is a pure boxer who fought for a world title against Kazuto Ioka in 2019. The 34-year-old Filipino fighter Palicte enters the fight having been knocked out in his last four contests. Mejia signed with 360 Promotions in 2024. Despite early buzz and explosive knockouts, Mejia has faced some adversity. Last year, he was dropped by Jose Jesus Correa Abarca in the second round of their bout. Mejia would go on to stop Abarca in the final round and his two fights earlier this year saw him win unanimous decisions.
“To make a name in the sport, this next win has to be a statement fight,” Drew said. “He needs to dominate every round.”
“I want to have a breakout performance, whether it is complete domination or a spectacular knockout,” Abel said. “I want to get the buzz back on my name.”
