Ricardo Quiroz of Oxnard is a believer in immediately rebounding from a setback. The 2015 Hueneme High School graduate will return to the ring 20 days from his last fight when he faces Gabriel Smith in a six-round lightweight bout Friday night at the Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez. Quiroz (12-2, 6 knockouts) fought on April 1, losing to unbeaten Rohan Polanco of the Dominican Republic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Quiroz was outboxing Polanco in spots, but was not busy enough to win rounds on the judges’ scorecards. It is rare nowadays when boxers fight often, particularly twice in a calendar month, but when Quiroz was presented with the opportunity to fight Friday night, he immediately accepted. The 25-year-old learned a great deal about himself in the Polanco fight. He hopes to get back on the winning track at the expense of Smith (11-8-1, 4 KOs), who resides in Houston and has lost his last six fights. He fought twice within eight days (March 18 and 25), losing both times by decision. “I learned a lot from that fight,” Quiroz said of the Polanco loss. “It was a bad performance on my end. I am very disappointed by my performance. I feel like I could have done better, but it definitely brought back the
fire in me. I am very anxious to get back in the ring to really show what I got.” Quiroz has fought in different venues on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. He fought in Commerce on Dec. 17, notching a win over once-beaten Martin Leon Morales. His other setback was in February 2019 in Lincoln, Rhode Island, losing to fringe contender Jamaine Ortiz by unanimous decision. Most of Quiroz’s fights in
Mexico took place in the Tijuana area. Since his pro debut in April 2017, which took place at the Performing Arts Center in Oxnard, Quiroz has not fought in the 805 area code. He is grateful family and
Friends will be able to make the drive to watch him fight in person. “Fighting in front of my family and friends means a lot to me,” said Quiroz, who is trained by his father Edgar. “I am very excited to step in there and put on a show for everyone.” Quiroz hopes a win would put him on track for more opportunities later this year. He is confident the few setbacks have made him a better fighter and he will become a contender down the road. “That’s the goal,” said Quiroz. “I want to fight more and be active this year. There were a lot of things holding me back from being active before. A win (over Smith) would put me in position for another big fight. Also, it’s always nice to not just fight, but win in front of your family and friends, so I am looking forward to that.” Also fighting on the World Fighting Championships card is unbeaten Max Duran of Ventura, who will square off against Darren Smith Jr. in a four-round bout at a catchweight of 172 pounds. Duran (2-0, 2 KOs) last fought on Jan. 13, also at Chumash Resort Casino, knocking out David Tubbs of Ventura in the opening round. The 30-year-old, who trains at H.I.I.T Sports in Camarillo, was originally scheduled to face Gabriel Gutierrez before Smith was finalized as opponent earlier this week. “I had that change in opponent, but I treat every fight the same,” Duran said. “I’m prepared. As a pro, I’ve recognized there’s different levels to this sport. I just want to do my best and keep improving. Through training and sparring, you know when you’re getting better. There’s levels above you.” Duran benefits from having seasoned and experienced people in his corner. He is co-trained by brothers Adam and Cicilio Flores, along with Rogelio Romo, the half-brother of former world junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas. “I’ve known and worked with Cicilio and Adam since I was 18 years old,” said Duran, who was born in Ojai. “I’ve trained with them consistently. When I met them, and later Coach Roger, you see what happens in different gyms and the relationships with fighters and trainers. I feel like I landed in a perfect opportunity to work with these great trainers.” H.I.I.T Sports is where 2016 Pacifica High graduate Victor Ortiz trained. Current middleweight contender Kanat Islam and welterweight contender Blair Cobbs train there. Also on the card, Kody Koboski (3-1, 3 KOs) of Oxnard will face Long Beach’s Dario Guerrero-Meneses (2-5-1) in a four-round middleweight bout. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the amateur portion of the card taking place first. Tickets start at $45. For information, call the Chumash Resort Casino at 800-248-6274 or 805-686-3805. Francisco A. Salazar covers
boxing for The Star and also covers boxing for Ring Magazine and Boxingscene. He can be reached on
Twitter at FSalazarBoxing