New Mexico Boxing

‘Li’l Man’ turns to the big stage
Vincent Mirabal is the latest top amateur to lose the headgear for the pros

Following last year’s trend of mass pro debuts, 2008 has already seen several top New Mexico athletes hang up the headgear for a shot at prizefighting. In February, Alan Sanchez became a pro; earlier this month, it was Josh Torres.

Now, on May 31, having turned 18 in March, Albuquerque’s Vincent “Li’l Man” Mirabal will, after 105 amateur fights, 85 of those, wins, enter the pro ranks.

Though he has fought since he was eight-years-old—for ten years now—Mirabal doesn’t have to recall memories too far back for his best moment fighting as an amateur.

“This is it,” says Mirabal.

“This, right now, is the best moment of my amateur career—turning pro. Now that I’m at the end of it, this is the best.”

While Mirabal did not achieve the level of success, nationally or internationally, than other New Mexican amateurs, he says his experience has been his alarm clock for going pro.

“Ten years and over a hundred fights tells me it’s time,” says Mirabal.

His father and trainer, Richard Mirabal, is in agreement.

“Vincent has had more than enough experience—so it’s the right time to turn pro,” he says.

“Two years in the open division has developed Vincent into his style, suitable for the pros. Vincent’s not a dance-around fighter.”

Vincent’s pro style, say the Mirabals, has not exactly been conducive to an Olympic-level amateur career.

“I’ve never been the kind of tap-and-run fighter that makes it in the amateurs,” says Mirabal. “It’s also very political, and that makes it hard to win.

“But that’s okay. It’s always been my goal to be a pro. It wasn’t being a national amateur champion, an Olympian. This has been my dream.”

By “this,” Mirabal means turning pro, which will take place Saturday night, May 31, at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colo.

In a four-round debut, and the opening bout of the evening, the young junior welterweight will step into the ring against Silvanus Morris, 0-2 as a pro.

The card is headlined by the top two draws in the Four Corners area, Joe Gomez, of Bloomfield, and Elco Garcia, of Durango, Colo. Gomez (14-1-1, 7 KOs), will fight Abel Perry (9-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round welter bout while Garcia (19-7, 9 KOs), will take on Skyler Thompson (11-2, 9 KOs) of Rockford, Ill., in an eight-rounder at middleweight. Four bouts, including Mirabal’s, are slated for the undercard: In a jr. lightweight bout, Farmington's Joe Barela (5-2, 2 KOs) will rematch Albuquerque's Scott Furney (2-3-1, 1 KO) in a five-rounder; former world champ Terri Cruz (16-5-2, 7 KOs) will go eight at 118, against an opponent TBD; and former world champ Adriana Delgado (10-2-1, 4 KOs), of Albuquerque, will make a comeback after a five-year retirement, to take on San Diego's Heather Donohue (5-1-1) in a five-rounder.

Mirabal says he would’ve turned pro even earlier—at 17—if the timing had been right, and he’d been able to find the right place to do it in. In New Mexico, the minimum age to fight pro is 18—unless you can land a spot on a casino card under an alternative commission.

“Finding a fight is also not easy here,” says the elder Mirabal, who has, for years, promoted pro-style amateur cards.

“If we have to take it on the road, that’s what we’ll do.”

Vincent had his debut lined up for earlier this month in Phoenix but, after several opponents bailed, he was left with the May 31 date in Ignacio for his debut.

“I would love to fight here but as long as I can stay busy I’ll fight anywhere,” says Vincent.

“I just want to keep getting more experience. I’m hoping, in ten or so fights, that maybe I can get a shot at a legend’s son, too.”

Mirabal has his sights set on Julio Cesar Chavez’s second son, Omar, a junior welter with a 10-0 record.

“But we’ll see how it goes first, Saturday.”