Figueroa Undecided on Move Up to 140

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    AfteOmar-Figueroar Omar-Figueroa scored his ninth-round stoppage victory over Daniel Estrada on August 16, he was determined to move up to the junior welterweight division, to avoid any more weight struggles. However, ThaBoxingVoice.com has learned that the 24-year old fighter from Texas might be reconsidering this move and might stay at the 135-pound division to defend his WBC world lightweight title. We asked the fighter what led him to this decision.

    “I think you just mentioned the reason right there,” Figueroa answered. “I worked so hard to win the title and I want to keep it as long as possible. I was looking for other opportunities, but when talking to my team, some suggested that I should stay at lightweight. I am still undecided at this point.”

    But can the Texas-native still make the 135-pound limit healthy?

    “I can make it. I guess I can say that I can make it healthy, but being at 140-pounds would just be a lot more comfortable. Before my last fight, everything was going great. The diet was on point. I was drinking two gallons of water a day. I was at 140 one week before the fight, but then something happened. I do not wanna go into detail about that, which made the last five pounds so tough.”

    Before his last fight, Figueroa decided that he wanted to train at home with his dad, instead of traveling to California to train with Joel Diaz, so that he could spent time with his family and his kid. We asked Figueroa if this decision might have had something to do with the struggles to make weight.

    “My dad doesn’t have anything to do with the weight,” the fighter stated. He later continued, “He just takes care of training me. In fact, it was a lot easier here at home. I had my mother and my sister preparing my meals for me. Unlike in California, where I had to take care of that myself. The support I have at home just makes everything a lot easier.”

    Omar Figueroa has been promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions for a long time. That contract has expired now. We asked whether he decided which way he wanted to go now.

    “As a fighter you want to be related to Al Haymon,” was Figueroa’s clear answer. He later elaborated, “Many people might hate no him, but he is just a man doing his job. His job is to take care of his fighters and help us make money. We have to be successful to give our family and kids the best possible life and that is where Al [Haymon] helps us. At the end I will do what is best for my family and kids. That is my objective.”

    To conclude the interview we asked if we can expect Omar Figueroa back in the ring before the end of the year. The WBC lightweight champion explained that the cut he suffered in his fight against Estrada probably will prevent that from happening. “I wanted to be back in the ring, but they likely have to re-open the cut because it might be infected. And I also have a lot of legal stuff to take care off first.”