For Jeovanny Estela, it’s a good time to be a boxer from Orlando.

The junior middleweight prospect has fought all of his 13 bouts in either his hometown or an hour’s drive away since turning pro in 2020. Initially, his supporters asked him when he would venture out and fight in bigger markets, but getting exposure hasn’t been an issue ever since the local club scene began taking off in recent years. 

With broadcast opportunities coming to his backyard, why wouldn’t he want to stay home and be part of the local boom?

“A lot of people were asking me when are you gonna move out? But now that the boxing scene is growing in Orlando, I feel blessed to be part of that progress that Orlando is making to put boxing on the map in Florida. I feel like Orlando is becoming a boxing hub,” said Estela (13-0, 4 knockouts).

Estela will have his eleventh bout in Orlando – all of which have been at the resort hotel Caribe Royale – this Friday when he faces Juan Egana Elizalde (11-2, 11 KOs) in an eight round bout. The fight will be the third bout from last on the DAZN broadcast, which airs live at 8 p.m.

The fight will be his second straight on DAZN, and Estela has been working in the gym to make sure his style is broadcast-ready. In his last bout in September, Estela stopped the 6-1 Luis Caraballo Ramos in one round on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins vs. Jose Zepeda. He says the power has always been in him, even if his record hasn’t reflected that.

He says that, despite having just four stoppages, he has knocked down ten of his opponents. Those boxers include Chris Thompson, who entered the fight this past July with a 9-0 record, and was dropped twice en route to a unanimous decision win for Estela.

“I just didn’t push to take them out when I had the chance. That’s something we’ve been working on the past few camps,” said the 23-year-old Estela, who is trained by his father, John Estela, managed by Mike Leanardi and promoted by Boxlab Promotions.

Estela, who began boxing at age 8, had always been an athlete, playing baseball and basketball as a kid before finding boxing. In those other sports, he had to play with older kids, which limited how much he could standout, but boxing against others his own size and weight gave him the chance to truly excel.

Estela was the premier amateur in his weight class in Florida from 2014-2019, winning state titles and regionals en route to a 67-11 amateur record. Among those he fought were current pro prospects Daniel Blancas, Giovanni Marquez and Kelvin Davis.

Estela is coming off a training camp where he spent 4-5 weeks sparring with Top Rank prospect Xander Zayas (17-0, 11 KOs) at Javiel Centeno’s Sweatbox Boxing Gym in Davie, Fla. There he got to see how another top prospect at 154 pounds prepares for his fights, giving him a boost of confidence and intensity.

“At every gym you go to, everybody’s training to be the best but I feel like it’s at just a higher level,” said Estela, who has known Zayas for about a decade.

“It would literally be me on the bag and he’s next to me going come on come on, step your shit up. I’m like damn, he wants me to step it up so I can give him better work tomorrow in sparring. It was like brothers helping each other.”

Unlike many other boxers who find motivation in difficult life circumstances, Estela’s hunger comes from the desire to accomplish his goals.

“Unlike the others who tell a story about how they had a bad life, I’m more motivated by my family and goals. My goal is to be world champion. My family is a big part of that, they push me,” said Estela.

Egana should be able to show the public just how hungry Estela is. The Tijuana-based boxer has scored knockouts in all of his wins, and has never been stopped before. Egana is also stepping up in class, which Estela plans to highlight.

“What I know is that he’s a rugged 11-2 Mexican fighter. We know that he has the power and if he fights anything like the way the stereotypical Mexican fighter, that means it’s gonna be a clash of boxing and war,” said Estela.