He only just stepped out of the ring hours ago, so naturally the question becomes: Who will Arnold Barboza Jnr face next?
Barboza won a 12-round unanimous decision over Kenneth Sims Jnr in Saturday’s main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Barboza improved to 33-1 (11 KOs) with the victory, rebounding from his lone career defeat, a points loss to Teofimo Lopez Jnr in May. Barboza – a 34-year-old from Long Beach, California, now living in Los Angeles – impressed in a crossroads fight against the 32-year-old Sims.
Given what we know of the circumstances and how Barboza fared Saturday, here are five potential fights for Barboza:
5. Ryan Garcia
Record: 25-2 (20 KOs)
Possibility: 3 per cent
Level of excitement: 6/10
Garcia holds the WBC welterweight title, and as far as we know, is signed with Golden Boy Promotions. But he is now in the megafight business, and will more than likely look for high-profile matchups against Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. If those fights don’t happen, though, there is a chance Garcia – from Victorville, California, and now fighting out of Los Angeles – would look Barboza’s way. It would be a good fight for the L.A. market.
4. Rohan Polanco
Record: 17-0 (10 KOs)
Possibility: 7 per cent
Level of excitement: 7/10
Polanco has been on the cusp of a title for some time. He has faced battle-tested veterans and former interim titleholders. Barboza would be a big step up. The question would be: Is the risk worth the reward? Barboza would have a lot to lose, and Polanco would have a lot to gain, so on paper, it’s a terrific matchup. But it has to make sense for both parties.
3. Brian Norman Jnr
Record: 28-1 (22 KOs)
Possibility: 15 per cent
Level of excitement: 7/10
Norman, a former WBO welterweight titleholder, should be back in May. It would be intriguing to see Barboza against Norman in what would be both a clash of styles and generations. Norman came out of his shell and showed his personality against Haney, but he will need some dominant performances to bring back his puncher’s mystique, as well as to move back into the title picture. Barboza is a good volume puncher who can box.
2. Raul Curiel
Record: 17-0-1 (14 KOs)
Possibility: 25 per cent
Level of excitement: 6/10
Curiel is signed to Golden Boy Promotions and rated highly by the sanctioning bodies. A bout between Barboza and Curiel is a consequential next step and should create an outright titleholder. With Curiel missing out on a big fight in January against Alexis Rocha, a Barboza-Curiel bout would also fill the void left in the wake of the ill-fated fight. It’s the type of matchup that would set the stage for something meaningful, while answering questions about both fighters. Those are often the best fights to make.
1. Alexis Rocha
Record: 25-2-1 (16 KOs)
Possibility: 40 per cent
Level of excitement: 6/10
Rocha fought on the same card as Barboza on Saturday, defeating 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “JoJo” Diaz by unanimous decision. Rocha is a Los Angeles-based fighter who draws a big crowd and has been looking to get into the world title mix. If he doesn’t revisit a fight with Raul Curiel, this could be a solid Southern California fight. Rocha, like Curiel and Garcia, is also signed with Golden Boy Promotions. And when Curiel climbed into the ring after his friend Barboza claimed victory over Sims and a fight between the two was proposed, Barboza didn’t hesitate: “Yeah man, let’s do this,” he said.
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.
