Julian Montalvo was raised in the Top Rank Boxing Gym – and went on to be promoted by them.
Montalvo, a junior lightweight prospect, will face Manuel Valentine Lerma on Saturday at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on the undercard of Brandon Adams-Caoimhin Agyarko. The fight will take place less than a mile from where he built his reputation.
Montalvo, 5-0 (4 KOs), created a hefty buzz for himself while working with some of the best fighters in the world. Montalvo entered the gym at 13. Before he knew it, he was no longer sparring with people his own age. He was sparring with fighters in their mid-20s to early 30s.
Now 18 years old, he has been in the ring with the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Angelo Leo, Keyshawn Davis, Bruce Carrington, Richardson Hitchins and Marlon Tapales.
Given his willingness and the quality of work he has provided those titleholders, Montalvo landed a promotional deal last year with Top Rank.
“I feel I improved a lot. I skipped a level,” Montalvo told BoxingScene. “It was because I was working with fighters who were way more advanced than the people my age.”
The years of tough sparring in Las Vegas made him want to get better.
“I am competitive,” Montalvo said. “So I just wanted to keep improving.”
Lerma, 5-2-1 (0 KOs), is coming off a six-round decision loss to Ethan Perez, who was 7-0 at the time. Perez fought to a draw with Jaycob Ramos on a Zuffa Boxing card last month.
Lerma, a 20-year-old residing in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, is 1-2-1 in his last four fights, his sole victory coming against the 9-5-1 Jorge Ramos. Lerma has also never been stopped.
The bout will serve as Montalvo’s U.S. debut after five fights in Mexico. Now he is performing in his hometown.
“I think this fight will be one of my best fights, because I have the motivation to not let my family down,” Montalvo said. “My mind is on hurting the guy, and doing it the smartest way possible.”
