The Southwest Regional Title Fight Fiesta is sure to be exhilarating for all in attendance, including those in the ring.
Scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10, at Steve Coury Automotive between Camp Verde and Cottonwood on State Route 260, the Verde Valley will have one of its own fighting in the main event.
Jesse Duran, a 17-year-old Cottonwood resident, is set to go toe-to-toe with Nemo Vier from Fairfield, Calif.
Duran admitted he doesn’t know anything about his opponent, but he did say Vier is coming out of California to win the belt, and that’s not something he wants to let happen.
“He wants to win the belt, but so do I. I’m hoping to win; I want to beat him. I’ll do what I have to do,” Duran said.
On Sunday, Jan. 1, Duran will have four years of experience in the fight world, starting with boxing when he was 14, then graduating to kickboxing.
Duran is 3-1 overall in his young career, and at 5 feet 8 inches tall, and tipping the scales at about 140 pounds, Duran said he’s worked hard to get to where he is.
“When I first started, my dad [Robert Duran] got me into it [boxing]. I’ve worked hard to get here and I want to win this belt.”
Duran said he was overweight for his age when he began to box at 14, losing nearly 40 pounds in his first three months of training.
“My dad found Richard [Williams] in a small basement at a gym while he was training kids, and he came back to me and said, ‘You are trying boxing.’ So far it’s worked out,” Duran said with a smile.
Duran, who is a junior at Mingus Union High School, doesn’t play sports for the Marauders; he just trains hard for his next fight, his next chance to show what he’s got.
“Every now and then I’ll go play basketball with friends or something, but mostly, I just train,” Duran said.
In his spare time, the right-handed fighter likes to go fishing or shooting with his dad.
The Dec. 10 event is hosted by the Golden Cobra Center of Fitness, and the man in charge is Williams. He believes the Southwest Regional Title Fight Fiesta event will be his biggest yet.
“Our last fight night at Steve Coury was a major success, and now we get to go back. It’s going to be bigger than ever,” Williams said.
