Manuel Mendez Primed for Another Win on Friday Night
Lightweight Manuel Mendez (14-1-2, 10 KOs) is making final preparations for his “Locked n’ Loaded” 8-round main event showdown versus veteran Luis Arceo (28-15-5, 18 KOs) this Friday from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Mendez, 26, won’t go into the fight without having a solid idea of what to expect from Arceo, who is 12 years older than Mendez.
“I’ve seen him fight in person before so I’m familiar with how he moves and what kind of puncher he is,” Mendez said. “You always prepare for an early stoppage because the less hits you take the better, but I’m prepared to outbox him if that’s what I need to do.”
Mendez, who grew up in eastern Oregon near the Idaho border but relocated to Indio, Calif. to train with Joel Diaz, has put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into this training camp to ready himself against a far more experienced foe.
“Training camp consisted of a lot of diverse sparring sessions,” said Mendez, who on Friday will make his tenth straight appearance on a Thompson Boxing card. “We had guys that liked to move around a lot. I saw a bunch that liked to apply pressure; ones that preferred to counter punch. Overall, we got a great mix of styles to work with.”
Mendez, winner of three straight by stoppage and ten out of his last twelve, is known for his power punching ability, but in recent training camps he’s been working on adding more weapons to his developing arsenal.
“I’ve been working on my head movement and other defensive angles,” Mendez said. “Joel [Diaz] has me throwing the jab more and focusing on straight power punches.”
With six fights in 2015 and five the year after, Mendez is on the fast track in his development. Friday’s fight will mark his second start of the year. Mendez is coming off a third round knockout win over Bergman Aguilar in March.
Tickets for “Locked n’ Loaded” are priced at $40, $60, & $100 and are available for purchase online at ThompsonBoxing.com, or by calling 714-935-0900.
Connect with Manuel “La Tormenta” Mendez on social media: Instagram: @manuelmendez90 & Facebook: Manuel La Tormenta Mendez
“Locked n’ Loaded” is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil, in association with Everlast.