Tony Hirsch Jr. Ahead of Saturday’s Fight in Stockton: ‘It’s Been A Spectacular Year’

Oh, what a difference a year makes!

Lightweight Tony Hirsch Jr. returns Saturday to Stockton, California, at the Memorial Auditorium. His opponent is veteran journeyman boxer Rodrigo Guerrero (29-17-2, 18 KOs), but the fight isn’t the story. Instead, it is Hirsch’s transformation into one of boxing’s exciting up-and-comers at 25.

11 months ago, Hirsch (9-0-2, 5 KOs) fought William Flenoy at the same venue. That night in the same town, Matchroom Boxing hosted a show headlined by Diego Pacheco versus Kevin Lele Sadjo. While mainstream boxing media flocked to the arena in Stockton to see the major fights broadcast on DAZN, Hirsch was fighting for modest money in obscurity, hoping for a chance.

Then, it happened.

Hirsch signed with Zuffa Boxing. His first fight was against Robert Meriwether III, an outstanding boxer who stood out on the promotion’s first fight card of the year. What did Hirsch do? He upset him, winning a majority decision. Two months later, he knocked out heavy-handed, unbeaten Jaybrio Pe Benito.

“It has been a spectacular year,” Hirsch told FightsATW. “I set low goals this year; I didn’t expect it to go this well.”

To understand Hirsch, you have to understand his father, Tony Hirsch Sr. The elder Hirsch is a Bay Area gym legend. He would spar with Andre Ward and anyone who came through his gym. He took last-minute fights and learned on the job. All he learned was passed on to his son.

“Everything in my career I couldn’t get, I made sure he got,” Hirsch Sr. told FightsATW. “I never was with top promoters, but I made a lot of friends and had good connections. Once I retired from boxing, my son got everything I didn’t get to have, but don’t get it twisted, he didn’t get anything handed to him. He had to work for everything.”

The early going of Hirsch’s career was tough. He had back-to-back draws in his third and fourth pro fights. He took short-notice fights and traveled to Mexico to build his record. The truth was simple: nothing was going to be easy for Hirsch.

“I told him we were going to have to do it that way since he only had four amateur fights,” Hirsch Sr. said. “He sparred top-level competition, but people didn’t know that; they looked at the amateur fights. I heard a lot of people say that didn’t count, but obviously it did.”

The next key ingredient was Sam Garcia, Hirsch’s manager. It happened at a fight in Oakland. Hirsch beat David Reyes, a solid regional fighter from Fresno, California. Garcia was intrigued.

“I liked his mentality,” Garcia told FightsATW. “It was something you couldn’t teach.”

Still, fighters with little amateur experience and no major promoter don’t make it, right? Was the story too good to be true? Hirsch’s team believed in him, but reasonable skepticism remained. Can training in the gym equate to the amateur experience that promoters covet?

That changed in March. Hirsch willed his way to victory against one of the better up-and-comers, Meriwether. What Hirsch showed on that night was a will to win. Hirsch was busy, active, and unafraid in the moment.

“I felt doubted, because a lot of people didn’t believe in me because I didn’t have that deep amateur career,” Hirsch Jr. said. “That was a huge motivation heading into the Robert fight, which was just another fighter, and I wanted to prove that.”

View this post on Instagram

Knocking out Pe Benito was icing on the cake: back-to-back undefeated fighters, with Pe Benito knocking out up-and-comer Abel Mejia on a previous Zuffa card. While many criticize Zuffa Boxing, it got even matchmaking right, allowing a hidden gem like Hirsch to shine. So, what is the difference? Equity. Hirsch had access to top-notch training facilities, dietitians, and more.

“Those fights happened so fast, back-to-back,” Hirsch Jr. said. “It felt surreal, and my confidence began to soar.”

He returns regionally to conclude his magnificent year against a battle-tested veteran. Rather than hoping to catch a promoter’s eye, he now hopes to catch a voter’s eye.

One good knockout sets the stage for him to land “Prospect of the Year.” The award comes down to two fighters (in my opinion): Omari Jones or Hirsch.

“I believe I am the prospect of the year,” Hirsch Jr. said. “With what I did with my two performances, I got ‘Fight of the Night,’ and ‘Performance of the Night’ for my fights with Zuffa.”

Regardless of who wins the award, Hirsch is no longer unseen or unknown. More than that, he is the story that set Zuffa Boxing apart. A talented fighter, void of major opportunities, who, when given the chance, made the most of it.

“Who else would be the prospect of the year?” Hirsch Sr. said. “Nobody else did what he did.”

Garcia echoes those thoughts.

“It is a total package for a story,” Garcia said. “He has some of the best wins of the year, and he is the ultimate underdog. No one besides the team saw him in this position. That should count extra if you ask me.”

Hirsch Sr. started his son at six and told him he would one day be a world champion. Though that hasn’t happened, it no longer feels like something that is said. It feels tangible and doable.

“I am very proud of my son,” Hirsch Sr. said. “This was my dream before it was his.”

Lucas Ketelle

Lucas Ketelle is a boxing writer and podcaster who has appeared on various platforms throughout his career.

See author's posts