Elijah Pierce does not put too much emphasis on his two defeats.

In his mind, he is still unbeaten at 122 pounds, where is rated No. 9 by The Ring.

The streaking contender is eager to demonstrate why the division must go through him when he faces Arthur Villanueva. Their scheduled ten-round bout headlines an Overtime Elite (OTX) show Friday at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I can’t say a lot about Villanueva that stands out stylistically,” Pierce told The Ring. “He’s one of the more experienced fighters that I’ve faced, based on his record.

“Other than that, he’s another opponent standing in my way. Standing in my path of greatness, achievement, and goal of being a world champion.”

Pierce (18-2, 15 knockouts) tipped the scales at 121.8 pounds during Thursday’s official weigh-in. Villanueva (35-4-1, 20 KOs) came in at 122.8 pounds. DAZN will air the show Friday beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

The bout marks a return to the OTX stage for Pierce, who made a splash in his previous outing. The locally-based 27-year-old—from Midwest City, Oklahoma —knocked out former contender Mike Plania in the third round of their August 4 bout in this very arena.

Pierce will face another Filipino fight in Villanueva, two-time former world title challenger. There was not any hesitation to join forces once again with OTX given his profile boost after his last fight.

A win on Friday puts him on a path towards a shot at a major title.

“Overtime is doing stuff that’s refreshing, like more promoting,” said Pierce. “I had a lot of positive (experiences from) my last fight there. I’m a fighter who needed to be known by the masses, further. It’s a big help that their fight cards are streamed on DAZN. That’s what attracted me to them.”

Pierce has won his last nine bouts, including an April 22 victory over former world title challenger Tramaine Williams. Pierce also has wins over Daron Williams, Ryizeemmion Ford, and Jesse Garcia.

The two losses Pierce suffered came against Sulaiman Segawa and Giovanni Cabrera, both at featherweight. Pierce acknowledged the defeats but explains people do not know about the personal struggles he was going through at the time.

It also illustrates how he can overcome anything and still be successful.

“I’ve been on a continuous path to prove that I’m the best 122-pound fighter in the world,” said Pierce, who is co-managed by Trifon Petrov and Jessie Tanksley. “It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. It’s going to be the same fate for them. My skill set, I can be technical, when need be. I can be aggressive when need be. And I can get the knockout. I have the punching power to stop the more-aggressive, come-forward opponents. At the end of the day, I’m a multitude of things. I’m the ‘wolf.’

“My two losses taught me to be resilient. They taught me to never give up and stay on the path that God has set for me. I went through a lot of lessons during those times. A lot of them were personal. At the end of the day, I continue to strive. I think that’s where a lot of the ‘wolf’ mentality comes from. That hunger for success. That’s the motto that I continue to use. Those two losses don’t define me. I know those two losses occurred due to personal circumstances, not because my opponents were better than me.”

After the Villanueva fight, Pierce believes he is more than ready to face the upper echelon of the division. He hopes for a fight against Ring Magazine and undisputed champion Naoya Inoue, but, realistically, is confident he can land a fight against another top contender in the division.

“I want to challenge (Naoya) Inoue,” said Pierce, who is trained by his father Andy and Alain Felipe. “He’s the top dog of the weight class. If he ends up vacating, If he goes up to 126 (pounds), I’ll face whoever it is to get a (world title) belt. I will be a champion at 122 pounds because there is no one who can beat me, or match (up with) me in that weight class. I’m willing to face whoever. Ra’eese Aleem or Sam Goodman. Or anyone—I welcome all comers.

“I do believe I am the best 122-pound fighter in the world. None of these fighters have been where I have been; I haven’t fought at my natural weight. I went up to fight one time at 135 pounds, and still done well. These guys have never fought outside the weight class. I have. That’s a testament to the power that I have. My technical skills, my speed, and everything else. I’m a complete fighter. And just because I have two losses, they don’t define how great of a fighter I actually am. I will continue to prove that in every single fight that I have. Whoever is in my way, they’re going to get knocked out.”

Even despite the setbacks, Pierce’s career has been trending upward. He is on the verge of possibly fighting a top contender, should he get past Villanueva.

For Pierce, it is not so much he wants to win tonight. He believes he must knock out Villanueva to send a powerful message to the rest of the junior featherweight division.

“I want to prove that I’m a dominating force. I am the top guy at 122 pounds. That the top dudes need to see me. That I’m not a prospect. I know there’s a lot of fear facing me. I want to prove exactly why I’m the best.”

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].

Follow @FSalazarBoxing

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