In Europe, there are a lot of great fighters that come from many of those countries within that region.
However, in Spain, there hasn’t been a significant boxing footprint recently other than Javier Castillejo and Kiko Martinez.
On Friday night, Showtime will be running their “ShoBox: The New Generation” series which is being promoted by Dibella Entertainment. The headline will feature a 23 year-old fighter out of Spain, who is also the WBC Silver Featherweight champion, by the name of Jon Fernandez (16-0).
Background:
Jon Fernandez grew up in Bilbao, Spain where at 14, he was taken to a boxing gym by his uncle and instantly fell in love with the sport. While the instant attraction was there, it was watching videos of elite fighters like Sergio Martinez, Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto that really sold the sport of boxing to him.
Allow me to introduce to you Jon Fernandez:
Q) Jon, thanks for taking the time to do this interview during fight week. Can you tell the fans a little bit about yourself?
A) I am a super feather weight contender out of Spain and currently married with no children. I love the sport of boxing and this is what I do full time.
Q) As you were fighting in Spain and adding wins to your record, you came across someone who arguably can be considered a future hall of famer, by the name of Sergio Martinez. How did that meeting come about and what was your reaction to it?
A) It was about two years ago, there was an event that was organized by Sergio Martinez which led to us meeting after my fight. I followed his career closely and watched all of his fights which gave me a certain level of comfort when we started conversating. We had a nice professional conversation which led to me signing with him.
Q) Shortly after, you signed a promotional agreement with Lou Dibella for Dibella Entertsinment. What was different about him that made you sign and not pursue a contract with a Golden Boy Promotions or a Top Rank?
A) Sergio Martinez was once signed to Dibella Ent. and seeing the relationship he has with him, it made me feel more comfortable to sign with him.
Q) One thing I like to ask fighters is what their interests are outside of the sport. Can you tell the readers what are some things that most people may not know about you?
A) I enjoy going to the movie theater a lot and spending as much time with my family as possible. The sport of boxing takes most of my time as I am consistently training and staying in shape. I am fortunate enough to be able to solely focus on boxing without requiring another career or job in order to maintain a household.
Q) Is there any thing that Sergio Martinez has told you in the last two years about the sport of boxing that has really stood out to you?
A) He told me that I need to enjoy it all, especially the road leading up to the goal which is to win a world title. In boxing, we tend to focus so much on the preparation and the fight itself that we forget to enjoy the process behind it. I really believe what Sergio told me was the best advice he could have given me.
Q) How do you feel returning back to the U.S to headline a card on Showtime and do you think at some point, you will make a more permanent move here?
A) I am really happy and excited to not only fight here in the U.S but to also be headlining a card on showtime. Eventually, I will look into having a temporary residence in the U.S but for now, I will continue to live in Spain fulltime.
Q) Your opponent on Friday is O’Shaquie Foster (13-2), who has never been knocked out. What are your thoughts on your opponent and what is your mindset coming into the fight?
A) He is a very good boxer with experience and excellent chin. Although he has two losses, he has never been knocked out. He moves really well so I will have to do a good job of cutting the ring off in order to beat him. It’s going to be a great fight.
Q) If all goes well on Friday, are you looking to fight again before the end of the year or will 2019 be the next time we see you fight?
A) I would like to fight again before the end of the year but of course it will be up to Lou to make that decision.
Q) Fans always like to hear fighters call out the guys they want to fight next or in the immediate future. Who are some names that you currently have on your radar as potential future opponents you may want to share the squared circle with?
A) Within the next year or two, I would like to fight guys like Ryan Garcia, Tevin Farmer or Alberto Machado. Those are some of the names that interest me in the future.
Jon Fernandez has the boxing style that most fans love to see and in the words of Johnny Wilds, he likes to “tuck fighters into bed” meaning, knocking them out. Under the guidance of the legendary Sergio Martinez and Promoter Lou Dibella, the sky is the limit and time will tell if his talent leads to a world title. Fight fans, keep tabs on this young fighter as one to watch in the future.
