He will face Michigan’s Khendal Moore in ‘Cold War 6’ Saturday
After winning his pro debut a few months ago, 20-year-old Eduardo Piñon is ready to take a big step forward this year.
He will have his second fight Saturday at the Ohkay Hotel Casino in “Cold War 6.” He’ll be part of a seven-bout card that also includes Cordova native Leanna Martinez.
Piñon (1-0), of Santa Fe, attended Capital High School and will face Khendal Moore (1-7) from Kalamazoo, Michigan, in a four-round fight in the super flyweight division of 115 lbs.
He sees this year as a key jumping-off point on what he hopes is a long and distinguished pro career.
“I try to set my timelines in short stretches,” Piñon said. “I want to get three more fights under my belt this year and continue working, leveling it up.”
And the ultimate goal, he said, is to earn a big, wide, gold belt.
“Eventually, I see myself in five to six years of having world title shots,” he said. “I want to be a world champion. That’s my main goal. Be a superstar, be up there with all those great guys. That’s just how it is.”
Although he started boxing in a gym when he was 12, Piñon only had five amateur fights before turning pro. He was supposed to make that debut in April, but his opponent pulled out and it was too late to find a replacement. So he waited until November and made that debut a lot closer to home at the casino.
And that turned out to be a good thing, especially since he was going to fight there again almost immediately.
“I get to have all my people, all my family, there with me,” Piñon said. “They don’t have to travel too far. Just go to the casino and buy a ticket and that’s that. It makes it more exciting, I have all that support from my friends and family and neighbors. It’s very motivating to have your people there with you. Hearing them and seeing them there, it pushes me.”
Piñon has already come a long way from his start as a mid-schooler who’d never laced up the gloves before.
“I started off when I was 12,” he said. “My friends we all went to boxing gym. I just wanted to hang out with them and I went to the gym. After a couple of months, my friends stopped going and I just kept doing it. I just kept doing my thing.”
And it didn’t take long for Piñon to realize that he really enjoyed the sweet science.
“With time, I started seeing that I had some talent in me,” he said. “That’s what kept me going.”
What’s also kept him going is the thought of being the next great New Mexico fighter like those from the past whom he admires.
“I sometimes go back to watch Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero,” Piñon said. “Those are some of the biggest guys in boxing here in New Mexico.”
Whether he can add his name to this list remains to be seen, but Piñon knows he’s going to give everything he’s got inside of him.
“I try to always be at the gym working out here and keeping myself in good shape,” he said, adding it’s not always to keep his weight in check.
“I believe the hardest part of being a boxer is weight cutting,” Piñon said. “Cutting out sweets and good food, instead eating clean. But it’s a sacrifice every boxer makes.”
He ended his first fight in the first round with a body shot and Piñon said unleashing powerful shots is a way he to seeks to dominate his opponents.
“I have a really straight-ahead style, it’s more, one-on-one in the center of the ring and brawling,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s the style of fighting I like. I’ve had a couple of guys when we’re sparring take knees from punches.”
But, Piñon said he’s always prepared to take on boxers who choose to dance around more.
“Not all fighters can adjust to that style and move around and switch it up,” he said. “I don’t like doing things that I’m not comfortable doing, but you have to.”