HURRICANE DAMAGE: Undefeated super bantamweight Alexi "Hurricane" Collado is shown here after he dropped another opponent. (Photo by Rey Sanchez / Acquinity sports)
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (June 20, 2013) - The best-kept secret in professional boxing today is arguably undefeated Cuban-born Alexei "Hurricane" Collado, who has won 15 of his 16 fights by knockout, and now ranked among the top 15 super bantamweights in the world.
A decorated amateur boxer who won a gold medal at the 2006 World Junior Championships, the 25-year-old had the misfortune of being in the same flyweight division as Cuban boxing legend Andry Laffita, who defeated a much younger and far less experienced Collado in the 2007 and 2008 Cuban National Senior Championships.
Collado defected from Cuba to Ireland in 2008. On September 13, 2008, he made his pro debut. along with fellow Cubans boxers Luis Garcia and Ismaikel Perez, knocking out Krastan Krastanov in the second-round in Cork, Ireland. Last November, Collado moved to Miami and signed an exclusive promotional contract with Acquinity Sports.
"I have a wife and newborn and wanted to move to Miami to be closer to my family and friends," Collado said. "I'm also training and sparring there every day with great fighters like my Acquinity Sports stable-mates Claudio Marrero (14-0, 11 KOs, WBA-No. 2 featherweight), Felix Diaz (13-0 welterweight, 2008 Olympic gold medalist) and Hylon Williams (16-1 super featherweight). Things couldn't have worked out better for me."
Collado should switch his nickname from "Hurricane" to "Mexican-Cuban" because he's changing the image of Cuban pro boxers. Established Cuban pros such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriorkis Gamboa or Erislandy Lara are not popular fighters in the U.S. because of their defensive styles. In many ways, Collado fights more like a Mexican than a typical Cuban fighter.
"Alexei has a killer instinct," explained Collado's promoter, Henry Rivalta, Acquinity Sports Vice President of Boxing Operations. "Alexei fights like a Mexican; he keeps coming forward, moving laterally but never backwards. His manager, Patrick Thomas, has been a friend and we're grateful for him recommending that Alexei sign with us."
"Acquinity Sports fighters really fight and Alexei embodies that spirit," Acquinity Sports CEO Gary Jonas noted. "Our guys will fight any promoter's fighter. They're always in the gym training as a team, so they're in top shape and ready to go. We fight, let's go!"
Now rated No. 14 in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA), as well as No. 15 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Collado is a risky opponent for any of the top super bantamweight contenders -- Fernando Montiel, Leo Santa Cruz, Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton - he needs to defeat to position him for a world title shot.
"The top two promoters control the majority of television dates," Rivalta added. "We are doing our own thing. Why should we have to go through the gatekeepers, pay tolls all the time, just to get a fair shake? The only way for our fighters to get a world title shot is to become the mandatory challenger. We did that with Argenis Mendez, our first world champion (IBF super featherweight). Our time will come and, hopefully, the networks will notice our quality product. We have a lot of great prospects like Alexei, who is very marketable.
"My partner, Gary Jonas, always says we owe boxing fans the best fights for them to watch. We want to give fans what they want and deserve, fights like Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward (a trainer for Acquinity Sports), or ferocious fighters like Mike Tyson, who is my all-time favorite. Our goal is to bring quality, evenly-matched fights back to boxing fans. We will have a few major announcements coming very soon about that subject."
Go online to www.AcquinitySports.com for additional information about Collado or any of his Acquinity Sports stable-mates. Follow Acquinity Sports on Twitter @AcquinitySports, or friend us at Facebook.com/AcquinitySports.
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ABOUT ACQUINITY SPORTS: Founded in 2011 by CEO Gary Jonas and Henry Rivalta, Vice President of Boxing Operations, Acquinity Sports is a full-service promotional company based in south Florida.
Acquinity Sports is committed to changing traditional boxing promotion as an advocate of its fighters, supporting them to succeed in and out of the ring throughout their professional careers and into retirement. Fully dedicated to providing a structured environment, Acquinity Sports develops each individual fighter to maximize their potential, ensuring maximum exposure to audiences across a diverse range of channels, as well as encouraging team spirit and sense of family so crucial for success in the highly-competitive sport and business of boxing.
Acquinity Sports continues to sign incredible talent in various weight divisions to provide fans the highest level of year-round entertainment in professional boxing. Seasons may change but Acquinity Sports' commitment remains to bring the heat.
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