Inside the exposed-brick walls of the West End Athletic Club, rising prospect Sara Haghighat-Joo is pushing through a rigorous camp ahead of her fight on February 25th at Brampton’s CAA Centre.
Her professional journey began last November with a decisive win over Mexican Nayeli Verde, an atypically-long eight round debut, and Haghighat-Joo is set for a step up in opposition for her second bout.
CHAMPIONSHIP INTENTIONS
Haghighat-Joo is a rare breed, one of Canada’s fastest-rising prospects in a professional career while simultaneously pursuing a 2024 Olympic dream.
Part of that ambition involves aggressive matchmaking and moving to a championship-length 10 rounds for February 25th’s contest.
“I sit low, with a wide stance (and) pro style always suited me more, with the longer rounds (and) we realized I’d be able to do both pro and amateur,” she explains at training camp in Etobicoke. “The longer rounds suit me — had I started with a four-round debut, I would’ve felt rushed.
“After the eight rounds (against Verde), I was like ‘that’s it?’ — I could’ve done 12 rounds.”
In keeping with her early-career ambitions, Haghighat-Joo’s February 25th opponent is no stranger to 10-round main event contests.
THE COBRA
At the same time Haghighat-Joo peppers the heavy bag in Etobicoke, former world title challenger Mayela Perez occupies a dimly-lit gym some 3,200 kilometres away.
Perez was just 15 years old the first time she threw a punch for money. To say nothing has come easy in her life would be an understatement the size of the mountains which lord over her hometown of Saltillo.
But at 37, with 19 professional victories and various belts — as well as credible defeats against elite competition in New York, Tokyo, Las Vegas — in the rearview mirror, it has been a fruitful career for La Cobrita.
“I’d tell that 15-year-old Mayela that dreams can turn into reality,” she reflects after a midweek training session in Mexico. “I had the opportunities, and became a silver world champion, a WBF champion.
“Yes, there were obstacles but she did it. It was all on her to make it happen, (and) she was capable.”
A recent three-year absence from the ring saw Perez welcome a son into the world before tragically losing her father.
“My son is my motor,” she says. “Every day, I get up and try to make my life better in some way — in training, in work — in order to make his life better.”
KNOWN QUANTITIES
There is no hiding, nor mystery between fighters at this level.
Perez is a classic Mexican pugilista who fought for a WBA world title in 2018 — and will do everything in her power to push the tempo.
“She likes to brawl, is flat-footed and her goal is to stand in the centre of the ring and trade,” says Haghighat-Joo. “I know I can be more of that amateur style, in that I can move, box off my back foot and break angles.
“I think amateur boxing helps me in this matchup.”
From the edge of the Zapaliname mountains, Perez’s camp has scouted out its opposition in similar detail.
“She has an Olympic style of boxing, and is very speedy — maybe quicker than I am,” admits the veteran Perez. “As a Mexican boxer, I’m looking for a fight.
“We are always going to be on the offensive, inside or outside we want to take the fight to her.”
THE FUTURE
Last May, they immortalized Mayela Perez with a mural in her hometown.
The narrative arc of Sara Haghighat-Joo’s career, in stark contrast, remains almost entirely to be written: Her Olympic dream. A projected rise up the rankings. Eventually, a world title shot.
But all of that potential as a professional — backed by a growing legion of fans across the province — is contingent on beating La Cobrita.
It’s a matchup as old as the sport of boxing itself: The younger, more agile fighter pitted against the veteran attempting to claw back to their former heights.
Mayela Perez has had a wonderful career in boxing; that of Sara Haghighat-Joo, however, now demands the Canadian prospect steer a course straight through the Mexican veteran.
Buckle up.
United Boxing Promotions returns to Brampton’s CAA Centre in a big way on February 25, with a trio of undefeated United boxers set to put their zeroes on the line as part of an action-packed evening featuring seven fights.
Ascendant star Sara Haghighat-Joo (1-0) sets her sights on former world title challenger Mayela Perez (19-24-4, 10 KO) in a championship-length 10 round contest — a significant test for Haghighat-Joo, one of the top prospects in women’s boxing today.
Ringside with Carlos is a bi-weekly column written by Carlos Verde, featuring reflections on Ontario boxing, fighter profiles and feature stories on those in the fight game.
