Karlos Zenon Balderas Jr. (born August 24, 1996) is an American boxer who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Carlos Balderas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 June 1996 Lompoc, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Karlos |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | lightweight |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Reach | 1.85 m (73 in) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 16 |
| Wins | 14 |
| Wins by KO | 12 |
| Losses | 2 |
Personal life edit
Balderas was born on May 24, 1996, in Lompoc, California. He was the first member of his family to be born in the United States;[1][2] his grandfather first came to California, leaving his wife and children behind in Oaxaca, Mexico, to work in strawberry fields, eventually earning the money to move the rest of the family to the United States.[1][2] Whilst growing up in Santa Maria, California, Balderas was first taken to a boxing gym as a punishment for fighting in the streets with his friends and getting suspended from school.[1][2] His older brother Jose is also a boxer.[3]
Career edit
Balderas is coached by his father Zenon and his uncle David.[3]
In December 2014, Balderas won the lightweight division of the US National Team Trials, qualifying him for the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he received a first round bye and was defeated in the quarterfinals by Lindolfo Delgado of Mexico.[4] Balderas represented the USA Knockouts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). In 2015 he took part in five bouts, defeating Fabio Introvaia of Italy, Dawid Michelus of Poland, Brian Nunez of Argentina and Adrian Javier Martinez Morales of Puerto Rico but losing to Azerbaijan's Albert Selimov. In 2016 he won his first two bouts against Lindolfo Delgado and Moroccan Hamza Rabii.[5]
He qualified for the men's lightweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil via his results in the WSB where he won the gold medal in his elite division and was named Outstanding Boxer of the event. Balderas was given his Olympic allocation by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) after two of the athletes ahead of him in the final WSB rankings instead qualified for the Olympics through the 2015 World Championships.[3][6] Balderas won his first two Olympic matches but lost in the quarterfinals to Cuban finalist Lázaro Álvarez. On April 9, 2017, he won his pro debut by first-round TKO.[7]
Professional boxing record edit
| 15 fights | 14 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Win | 14-1 |  Esteban Sanchez
|
TKO | 8 (8), 1:02 | Nov 12, 2022 |  Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, U.S.
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| 14 | Win | 13–1 |  Ruben Cervera
|
UD | 6 | May 21, 2022 | Resorts World Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
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| 13 | Win | 12–1 |  Aelio Mesquita
|
KO | 2 (6), 0:38 | Mar 4, 2022 | Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, U.S.
|
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| 12 | Win | 11–1 |  Julio Cortez
|
TKO | 4 (6), 2:13 | Nov 20, 2021 | Michelob Ultra Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
|
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| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Fidel Cervantes
|
TKO | 2 (6), 2:03 | Aug 14, 2021 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
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| 10 | Loss | 9–1 | Rene Tellez Giron
|
KO | 6 (8), 0:10 | 21 Dec 2019 | Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, U.S.
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| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Robert Frankel
|
TKO | 7 (8), 1:34 | 13 Jul 2019 | Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
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| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Luis May
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KO | 4 (8), 1:07 | 20 Apr 2019 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S.
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| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Jose Cen Torres
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RTD | 3 (6), 3:00 | 16 Feb 2019 | Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Giovanni Caro
|
KO | 4 (6), 2:09 | 28 Jul 2018 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Alex Silva
|
KO | 1 (6), 2:25 | 9 Jun 2018 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Jorge Rojas Zacazontetl
|
UD | 4 | 17 Feb 2018 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
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| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Carlos Flores
|
KO | 1 (8), 0:32 | 15 Dec 2017 | Pioneer Event Center, Lancaster, California, U.S.
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| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Eder Amaro Fajardo
|
KO | 1 (6), 1:36 | 30 Jul 2017 | Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California, U.S.
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| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Thomas Smith
|
RTD | 1 (6), 3:00 | 9 Apr 2017 | The Novo, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
References edit
- ^ a b c Litman, Laken (March 10, 2016). "First-generation American Carlos Balderas hopes to put U.S. Boxing back on the medal stand in Rio". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c McDonald, Scott (November 12, 2015). "First-Generation American Carlos Balderas Qualifies For Rio Olympics, Fulfills His American Dream". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Lightweight Carlos Balderas Is First U.S. Boxer To Qualify For 2016 Olympics". United States Olympic Committee. November 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ "Boxing - Athlete Profile Balderas Carlos". Official Website of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ "Light Balderas Jr. Carlos". World Series of Boxing. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ Velin, Bob (November 8, 2015). "Carlos Balderas, 19, first to qualify for U.S. Olympic men's boxing team". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ "BoxRec: Carlos Balderas".
External links edit
- Carlos Zenon Balderas Jr. at Olympics.com
- Carlos Balderas at Team USA (archived)
- Carlos Balderas at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Carlos Balderas at Toronto2015.org at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-07-22)