Aguiniga Eyes the NABA Crown.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure I win this fight because everything I’ve worked for is riding on it.”-Jose Aguiniga.

Jose Aguiniga has beaten every man put in front of him in a boxing ring since turning professional in August of 2000, racking up twenty-six victories, twelve early, against very few losses. None in fact. But the road to the number four ranking in the WBA’s bantamweight standings has not been easy as it never is in this

game of heart, skill and will. The twenty-three-year-old Southern Californian has battled more than a score of leather tough Mexicans but will have to get past one more if he is to contend for the 118-pound NABA championship. Finally getting the opportunity that he hopes will lead to a dreamed of world title shot, Aguiniga is not about to slip and fall now. While the bantamweight has the full backing of promoters Top Rank and is one of the stars of ace manager Cameron Dunkin’s full stable of title bound talent, he has been in the game long enough to realize anything can happen once the bell rings.

Because he stands at the gate of a long sought after field of opportunity, the fight that Jose Aguiniga will participate in tonight at the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, Arizona represents the biggest threat to his almost five-year-old career. While Aguiniga would like to enter the ring with the secure knowledge that he is in the best shape of his career, that confidence will have to wait until the next fight. “I feel good but I’m not in the kind of top shape I’d like to be in,” stated the man from the coastal working class city of Oxnard. “I hurt my feet for a while so I wasn’t really training at one point. I almost called the whole thing off because my feet were hurting so badly. Nothing happened specifically to cause an injury, but everything just started to be so painful. I was told that it was probably just caused by overworking my feet so I didn’t run or really train for a couple of days because of the pain.”

The break in training was an unfamiliar turn of events for the superbly reflexed boxer and broke the rhythm of his preparation. This stands in stark contrast to Aguiniga’s most recent outing, a taut struggle with veteran road warrior Phillip Payne, when the undefeated Mexican-American enjoyed a picture perfect training camp. “The Payne fight was a great one for me because I was able to show a lot of my skills,” recalled Aguiniga. “I thought I really did well in that one and I didn’t have any problems going into the fight. I was just ready, really ready, which I felt that I proved in the ring. Payne was a fighter who kept coming forward all the time. I think he felt frustrated because he couldn’t hit me and he just tried throwing wild punches in hopes of knocking me out but he couldn’t really catch me. I do think he’s a great fighter, one of the best that I’ve fought. He had a lot of heart and is really tough, plus he’s really big for the weight. That’s one of the things that has made me think I really need to get back down to 118.”

Although his backers label him a bantamweight, in truth, the Oxnard native hasn’t scaled that division’s weight limit in a year-and-a-half, instead campaigning largely at or even above super bantamweight. Tonight’s contest is technically a featherweight bout, as the contracted weight limit that both participants must not exceed is 125-pounds. None of that bothers Aguiniga in the slightest. He’s putting full faith into making bantamweight in time for his proposed clash for the vacant NABA crown, due to take place in June.

“I feel good about making 118,” said Aguiniga optimistically. “One of my friends is involved with nutrition and fitness and he can help me get down in weight the right way, without starving, I’m going to feel real strong in the ring no matter what. All my fights in over the last year I’ve been 123 or 124, and for this one on Friday I’ll be at 125. I’m not going to have any problems making 118 and I think I’ll be stronger than any other bantam I climb into the ring with.”

Oxnard, California has a rich, full-bodied boxing tradition, most recently exemplified by two world champions who hail from the Pacific Coast town. Aguiniga, like all the fighters from Oxnard, is intensely proud of his roots and feels a sense of obligation to deliver on his potential, not only for himself, but for those who have followed his career from the start. “I really don’t know anything about the guy I’m fighting on Friday night, because my original opponent fell through,” said a resolute Aguiniga. “I never seem to know who I’m going to be fighting anyway so it’s nothing new. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure I win this fight because everything I’ve worked for is riding on it.

“Oxnard is where I started boxing and it’s where I want to end my career. Robert Garcia has retired and Fernando Vargas has just come back from retirement but for the future, I feel a big responsibility in regards to bringing another world title back to the fans here. I’m excited about fighting for the NABA belt and although it isn’t a world championship, if I win it, that chance could come next. So, I’m excited. The NABA would be another step for me towards a world title so it’s very important for my career. The fact that the fight is going to be in my hometown will be even better. Ever since Robert Garcia and Fernando Vargas won titles, most everybody in Oxnard has a boxer that they like to follow, especially now since Telefutura is doing a lot of shows here.

“There’s a lot of people who say I’m never going to make the 118-pound bantamweight limit, but I just say watch for me on June 3rd because a lot of people are going to be proven wrong. Watch for me because I’m going to be a world champion.”

Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm