Junior middleweight contender Yoenis Tellez didn’t have to rush into training camp or hurry to drop weight when he got the offer to fight Brian Mendoza on March 28 in Las Vegas.
Tellez-Mendoza was added to the undercard of the pay-per-view headlined by Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman after the previous co-feature, Frank Sanchez-Richard Torrez Jnr, was postponed.
“I was already preparing to fight on March 21, so I took this fight with no hesitation,” Tellez was quoted as saying in a press release. “In boxing, fights fall out, opportunities open up and you have to be ready to step in and take advantage. I stay disciplined year-round, so being in shape is never an issue for me. This is exactly the moment I’ve been working for, and now it’s my time to shine.”
Tellez, 11-1 (8 KOs), has won once since losing the interim WBA 154lbs belt to Abass Baraou last August. In December, Tellez stopped the 21-12 Kendo Castaneda after five rounds. (Baraou would subsequently be upgraded to the primary titleholder and then lost in an entertaining unification bout against Xander Zayas in January.)
The rebuilding continues for Cuba’s 25-year-old Tellez, though with a significant step up from the likes of Castaneda.
“This has been one of the most focused camps of my life. Every day, I wake up with something to prove,” Tellez said. “I’ve pushed my body and my mind to another level, because I know what’s at stake. We didn’t leave anything to chance – conditioning, sparring, everything, it’s all been sharpened. I’m coming into this fight stronger, smarter and hungrier than ever.”
Mendoza, 23-4 (17 KOs), is a 32-year-old resident of Las Vegas. He shocked Fundora in March 2023, behind on the scorecards when he caught Fundora in the seventh round and put him down for the count.
Mendoza was rewarded with a shot at Tim Tszyu for the WBO title but lost a clear unanimous decision. That was followed by Mendoza stepping in on late notice and losing to Serhii Bohachuk in March 2024 in a WBC interim 154lbs title fight on the undercard of Tszyu-Fundora. After 15 months off, Mendoza returned last July and scored a fourth-round stoppage of the 12-10-2 Jesus Antonio Rojas.
“Mendoza is dangerous, no doubt. What he did to Fundora, getting that highlight knockout, was incredible,” Tellez said. “He’s got power, he’s experienced and he’s been in with the best. But I believe I’m on another level right now. This is the kind of fight that brings out the best in me. This fight will be explosive, as we both need to come out victorious, and that’s what I plan to do. I’m coming to win.
“A win here changes everything. This puts me right back in line for a world title shot. That’s the goal. … I’m fighting to take my place at the top. I’ve learned from every experience in my career, especially the setbacks, and now it’s time to turn that into something big. I want the champions to know my name again. I’m here to remind everyone I belong in the world title picture.”
The pay-per-view will be available for purchase via Amazon’s Prime Video, PPV.com, as well as traditional cable and satellite providers.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
