Amador Mendez is not your average prospect.
The unbeaten junior welterweight is probably closer to an underdog than a blue-chip prospect, at least based on his amateur achievements. Mendez was always the bridesmaid, never the bride during that time. He racked up second and third-place finishes, but couldn’t achieve the national titles that look good to a promoter once you turn pro.
This has simply fueled him.
“His strongest characteristic is his determination and will to succeed,” Siego Mendez, his father and trainer, told BoxingScene. “He was not a glorified or recognized face in the amateur ranks on paper.”
Mendez, 4-0 (3 KOs), won tournaments as an amateur, but never the nationally recognized shows.
“My son was always runner-up,” Siego said. “My son is not the guy. You see his resume and say ‘This guy is going to make a great pro.’”
So far, so good for the 20-year-old from Pflugerville, Texas.
Mendez is perfect through four pro fights. He recently added a second-round knockout of Alejandro Medina de la Rosa of Aguascalientes, Mexico, this past weekend at Boeing Center at Tech Port, San Antonio.
“I was never one of the top guys in the amateurs here in the U.S.,” Amador told BoxingScene. “I had some international success, but it was not the type we wanted. I felt I was built for the pros.”
Unlike his time during the amateurs, Mendez enjoyed a breakthrough early in his pro career. He appeared on the undercard of a ProBox TV show in just his second bout. He knocked out Edwin Tercero in 46 seconds.
Saturday marked his third straight fight on the platform. All have ended inside the distance. The experience of exposure on a big platform is allowing Mendez to develop and live up to the potential his team believes he has.
“ProBox TV has been the perfect partner for Amador to showcase his skills,” Robert Diaz, Amador’s advisor, told BoxingScene. “The whole team is grateful to have the ability to be showcased on televised cards and stay active early in his career.”
That confidence comes from sparring two notable names in the sport of boxing: Ryan Garcia and three-division titleholder Shakur Stevenson.
The younger Mendez recalls how that boosted his confidence.
“With Ryan Garcia, I put up a good performance, one that he wasn’t expecting me to,” Mendez said. “That is why he kept me in the camp. I wasn’t just another punching bag. I was helping to push him.”
Mendez believes that if he can step in the ring with Garcia or Stevenson, he’s ready for anyone at the pro level.
There is plenty of time for those moments, though. For now, it’s about gaining as much experience and soaking in as much knowledge as possible.
“I see myself as a student,” noted Mendez. “I am only four fights in. I feel I am giving good performances, but there is still room to grow.”
Ironically, the lack of notoriety during his amateur career has helped transform him into a formidable pro.
“My son is showcasing a lot more in the pros than what some kids have done in the amateurs,” Siego said. “The will to win and perseverance have gotten him here.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at .
