Justin Pauldo is eager to make a name for himself in the lightweight division.

Pauldo will face Miguel Madueno of Mexico Wednesday night at the Whitesands (also known as the ProBox TV) Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The 10-round bout will headline a three-bout card that will stream live on the ProBox TV application and YouTube page (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

At Tuesday’s weigh-in, both fighters weighed in at 134.8 pounds. Madueno originally came in at 135.2 pounds, but was able to lose .4 pounds in less than an hour.

The 29-year-old Pauldo (17-1, 1 No Contest, 8 knockouts), who resides in Houston, Texas, earned a knockout win over Jerry Perez after round three in his last bout on November 15. In his previous fight on August 23, Pauldo defeated Eduardo Estela by unanimous decision. 

Pauldo will square off against Madueno (30-2, 28 KOs), who now resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Orange. Madueno is coming off a decision defeat to fringe junior welterweight contender Steve Claggett on November 14.

In a crossroads clash where the winner takes a major step forward in a talent-rich lightweight division, Pauldo is up to the challenge and willing to do whatever it takes to come out victorious. 

“I’m looking at this fight as any other,” Pauldo told The Ring Saturday afternoon. “Every fight to me is the most important. I’m 110 percent ready for every fight. Any fight is as important as the next. I’ve been focused. I’m going to go out there and dominate.”

Pauldo has displayed flashes of aggression and power in recent fights, but also has a solid skill-set that allows the southpaw to outbox his opponents. 

“I try my best to be a well-rounded boxer,” said Pauldo, who is managed by Jolene Mizzone. “I try and work on everything in the gym. Boxing is my life. I have a great trainer in Ronnie Shields. People don’t realize that I’m a strong guy. I’m stronger than what people think I am. I know I can hurt guys. I’m physically strong. My opponents find out I’m stronger than they think.”

It was Pauldo’s sixth fight when he suffered his first and only defeat as a pro, a split-decision loss to Efrain Cruz in July 2015. 

The loss was a valuable lesson for Pauldo, who is committed to getting the most out of every training camp and going all out on fight night. 

“To this day, I thought I won the fight,” said Pauldo. “I did well during the first half of the fight. If anything, the loss taught me to leave it all in the ring. I felt I could’ve done more in that fight. I could’ve given 110 percent. It taught me to never let off the gas (pedal). When I go in the ring, I need to go in there and dominate. The loss pushed me and made me a better fighter.”

Pauldo did fight under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner for a few years, before and after the pandemic. Now that he is under contract with ProBox TV, Pauldo is grateful and happy to fight regularly. 

“I had a great time at PBC, but I’m happy where I am at with ProBox TV. They’ve kept me busy. I’m in good fights and I’m fighting consistently. Bigger and better things will come in 2024.”

The winner could put himself on the doorstep to the upper echelon of the division. 

Pauldo believes he is already a top fighter in the division. He is eager to prove naysayers that he can compete and beat most fighters at 135 pounds. 

“Skills wise, I believe I’m one of the best in the world. I just have to keep winning. I’m a contender and I have to make the world believe that I’m one of the best fighters. I want to leave my mark. 

“I want to keep displaying skills and that I’m a world-class fighter and that I can keep up with anyone. I’m focused on Madueno, but I want to fight all the top guys in the division.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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