Urbano Antillon is ready to step out of the shadows

By Gabriel Montoya

Maywood, CA rising contender Urbano Antillon, Jr (25-0 with 18 KOs) might just be Southern California boxing’s best kept secret. Following a successful seasoning process at junior lightweight, Antillon has moved up five pounds and sits poised for a breakthrough fight against any number of names in the lightweight division. For now, Antillon, who fights on May 1 on TV Azteca against Tyrone Harris (25-4 with 15 KOs) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, is content to prepare for his southpaw opponent as the chief sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao as he prepares to take on Ricky Hatton the next night in Vegas.

Though his parents hail from Chihuahua, Mexico, Antillon was born and raised in Maywood, CA on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles. He still lives and trains there.

“I work for the city in the recreation department,” says the humble and affable Antillon. “Working with kids keeps my day interesting. I think I have a little more patience because I was troublemaker growing up.”

Trouble included getting into street fights “All the time,” he says. “In elementary school, I went a whole year where my mom had to sit next to me cause they wouldn’t let me go if she didn’t. I was a bad kid. Fighting all the time.”

Antillon began his fight instruction at a very early age, nearly a black belt in Karate by age ten along with his older brother Herman, Antillon would happen into boxing by chance when he entered a local Police Athletic League gym near his home and never looked back.

“I first walked into a boxing gym when I was ten years old,” says the 26-year-old fighter. “What happened was my dad was a construction worker. We were in karate, my brother and I. Well, the time was slow and my father didn’t have the money to pay for karate. But there was a boxing gym right next door that was free. So he was like ‘why don’t you guys go to the boxing gym for awhile and when work picks up, go back into Karate?” We were like ‘Ok’. We were doing boxing for about a month and then we were doing boxing and Karate at the same time. We did the Karate for a month, and then never looked back. I’ve been boxing ever since.”

By his own admission, Antillon had a somewhat lackluster amateur career that did however end on a high note when he won the 2000 National Golden Gloves. With his come forward, aggressive, looking- for-the-KO-type style, Antillon wasn’t exactly suited to the hit and run points system of the amateurs. Added to which, Antillon was in an amateur class filled with future blue chip prospects.

“As an amateur, I never really thought I would be still fighting much less for a living,” Antillon says. “I was never that great. I was always in the shadows of the great amateur prospects like Mike Anchondo and Panchito Bojado. I was young. I lost to most of them. So there was never a buzz. I did beat people Paulie Malignaggi on the way to the Golden Gloves championship as well as other good fighters, though. I thought I always did [have a pro style]. I wasn’t that quick. I didn’t have a decent punch. I was just average. So my amateur career, I went like 12 fights over .500 because of the Golden Gloves.”

One person who did see that kernel of something special in him is trainer/co-manager Rudy Hernandez. Antillon would meet him at 11 years old, when he first came into the Maywood Boxing Club to train. Hernandez said that he knew Antillon had the goods “Within a years time of coming to the gym. He was ten or eleven years old. He had been working out for a year. But I noticed he didn’t really know how to walk or move around or how to stand. So we got him in the ring and showed him some things and he started getting better. And then you could see it.”

Despite being an apt pupil, it wasn’t so much anything physical that caught Hernandez’ eye but the character of Antillon.

“About a year ago, a guy said ‘why is Junior always late? He always seems to be on Junior’s time,” remembers Hernandez. “I said, because that’s Junior. He’s been like that since he was a kid. His mom told me a story about how when he was kid in school, he would be in class or whatever and he would just drop. Wherever and whenever. He just felt tired and would go to sleep. And they would say, you gotta get up. And he said, ‘No. I’m tired.” And he would just stay there. He was stubborn enough that if that is where he was at, then that’s where he was at. And he wasn’t going to move. So they called his mom, and his mom had to pick him up. But it’s his character. Just the same way that he does what he feels like then, he also brings that to the gym. To the workouts. He doesn’t need anyone pushing him because he already knows. It’s already been in his mind. He knows that when the bell rings, the only one that can help him is himself. No one can do the running for him or the sparring or anything else.”

Over the next few years, Antillon developed as a fighter through taking on the very best that Southern California had to offer. Manny Pacquiao, Kevin Kelley, Edwin Valero, Steven Luevano, and Mike Anchondo to name a few. From blue chip amateurs to prospects to world champions, Antillon took on all comers. It was that process that built him into the fighter he is today and provides him with the confidence that he can face anyone and come out victorious. But despite all the gym wars, Antillon would be cast in a shadow by the talent surrounding him. Through it all, Hernandez kept the faith and let anyone would listen know what he believes he has in his fighter.

“Yeah, I’ve sparred with a lot of great fighters,” Antillon says matter of factly. “I remember even as an amateur, at L.A. Boxing, there were a lot of great fighters that I sparred with. And I pretty much took a beating from everybody but I took it. And I was always pumped to go back to the gym and take another guy on. Here I was 15, 16 years old, fighting world champions. I wasn’t getting the better of it but I was holding my own. Maybe not in the beginning, but by the time I was 18-19, I was holding my own. It was definitely a good learning process for me.”

“Everyone was always high on his brother Herman or Jose Armando Santa Cruz. But I always like ‘No. Look at this kid. Take a look at this kid right here,” says Hernandez. “Because at that time, it didn’t matter what style he faced. The only one to really give him troubles was Mighty Mike Anchondo. But when he figured that out, that was it. They would only go three or four rounds. It takes him a couple rounds to warm up and to catch on to things. But once he does, that when he starts. It doesn’t matter what style you have. He’s going to figure it out. So I thought he was going to be special because of his character. These guys already had a lot more experience then he did but I would tell him that one day, his skills were going to get better and then you’d be holding your own.”

Hernandez smiles, adding, “ Just for the record, by Stephen Luevano’s own mouth, [Urbano] is the first person to ever drop him. He did it with a right cross. He got up and after the round [Luevano] said’ that’s the first time I ever been dropped.’ So he holds the honor.”

Following the Golden Gloves title win, Antillon would eschew the Olympics in favor of turning pro.

“[Turning pro] had always been a dream,’ Antillon says with a smile. “I never had aspirations of being an Olympian. Because one thing, I wouldn’t train for an amateur fight. I would be in the gym and if I lose I’d go ‘Ahh, I had fun though. It was cool.’ But when I turned pro I was psyched, I couldn’t wait. I remember wanting to turn pro at 17 in Mexico. But everyone was like ‘wait, take your time’. And so we waited and every since, its turned out ok for us.

Though the decision to turn pro was an easy one, the transition was eye opening and a change that had begun in the Golden Gloves became even more evident.

“I thought another thing that was amusing about him was that when he won, no big deal,” explains Hernandez. “When he lost, no big deal. There was no emotion whatsoever with him. At a young age. It wasn’t until he won the National Golden Gloves that he came with a different state of mind. He grew from being this kid to things mattering. It mattered to the point where he worked hard and it took him awhile to get here. The sparring he has had in the past, it brought him to where he is today.”

“Every fight counts,” Antillon, says of the difference between being an amateur and a pro. “It’s not like in the amateurs where you lose and no big deal, you know? Every fight counts so our training sure has picked up a level. And it shows in our fights now.”

While Hernandez studies the tape, Antillon prepares his body and mind as best he can, trusting his mentor to map out the plan of attack.

“I leave that up to my trainer,” says Antillon. “Rudy studies the tape and he knows what to do. He’s been with me since I was eleven. He knows what I am capable of. He knows my style. He figures out the game plan and lets me know. My job is just to get ready to fight. That’s what I do.”

While Hernandez does the game planning, he also trains Antillon with a Spartan zeal, throwing him to the wolves and testing him with every style he can get in the ring with his young charge.

“We train to fight,” say Hernandez. We’re not training because he is southpaw or a right-hander or a runner. We’ve seen it all. And I’ve always said this; any fighter that gets to this caliber should be able to fight anyone. On two days notice, it doesn’t matter. It just matters what you have learned over the years and what you can see happening.”

Antillon describes his fighting style as “definitely fan friendly. Doug Fischer wrote that he has never seen me in a boring fight. I’m always fun to watch. I like to come forward and break my opponent down and go for the knockout. That’s what I want every time. My brother Herman, Rudy and I were having dinner and Herman told me I wouldn’t be able to box if my life depended on it. I don’t know if you remember the Ivan Valle fight but I was down in the second round. It was my first ten round fight. I had never been past the sixth round. I took the fight within a weeks notice. Well, he caught me in the second with a left hook and I was out. I had to box, you know? [Writer’s note: Antillon would go on to win a decision over Ivan Valle.] So yeah, I think I can adapt to any style. I can go in righty, lefty. It doesn’t bother me. I always thought I had a really good right hand. That’s what I was hurting people with at the beginning. But then, out of nowhere comes my left hook to the body. It’s been killing everybody pretty much. My last eight fights, I won by knockout. Four knockouts within four rounds with body punches.”

Body punching, to Antillon, is a lost art. Watching him in against Pacquiao in their recent sparring, it’s clear why they brought in Antillon. He can pressure like nobody’s business and he digs to the body with precision and commitment.

“People don’t understand what they do,” he says simply. “It kills people, to be honest with you.”

At 130 lbs, Antillon is ranked #1 by the WBC, #3 by the WBA, and #2 by the WBO. At 135, he is ranked #1 by the WBC and #10 by the IBF, What all those numbers add up to is soon, keeping Urbano a secret will be very hard.

“I’m ranked up there,” says Antillon, the impatience over getting a crack at a big name or a title showing just a touch. “So now we just keep working hard. We’re waiting for any big name out there. I’d love to have the winner of Valero/Pitalua. Juan Diaz. Marquez or Pacquiao. Whoever. We’re ready. There are a lot of good names at lightweight. We just want one to start with. And then hopefully, more will come.”

Now all that is required is for Antillon to keep winning and eventually a big name opponent will come calling or be forced to answer his. The gravity of that task is not lost on Antillon.

“That’s just what we need,” Antillon says with an earnest smile. “That’s what we’re waiting for. That big name. Everything through my amateur career to now, I had a lot to prove. Who would have thought I’d be here? Where’s Panchito Bojado and Mike Anchondo now? I’m still here standing. Moving forward very strong. What can you do but keep working hard, look impressive and knock [Harris] out? Yeah. I feel like I have to prove a point again.”
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