Mauricio ?El Maestro? Herrera had only $20 dollars in his wallet, bills to pay and seemingly no one interested in his fighting talent. His contract with a promotion company had lapsed and the phone was not ringing. Herrera wondered what to do next, and his manager Willy Silva said to give it a little more time. One hour later they received a phone call. ?It was Golden Boy Promotions. They asked if I was interested in a big fight,? said Herrera, adding that big fight turned out to be against WBA and WBC junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia. ?After they called, I went skipping through the gym. Everything was way better.? Now Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) holds the interim WBA junior welterweight title and faces undefeated Jose Benavidez (21-0, 15 KOs) on Saturday at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It?s the co-main event and will be televised by HBO. ?It changed my life,? said Herrera of the one phone call. Instead of fighting for less than $10,000 he was fighting for more than $100,000. The Riverside prizefighter has been a late bloomer who rose from obscurity at age 27 to his current status as one of the top junior welterweights in the world at age 34. His March performance in Puerto Rico against Garcia ? a majority decision loss ? raised eyebrows and his own stock. ?I had been fighting guys that nobody else wanted to fight, like (Ruslan) Provodnikov,? said Herrera, who was the first to defeat the feared Russian slugger back in 2011. ?I only got $8,000 for that fight.? He also fought Mike Alvarado, who would later become world champion and Mike Anchondo. Both fights were disputed losses, but they also showed that Herrera?s fighting skills were at world-championship level. In July, Herrera fought Venezuela?s Johan Perez. One day before the fight he was dizzy, feverish and weak. He had contracted a flu virus and seriously thought of pulling out of the fight, but decided against it. He defeated the tough Perez by majority decision. Facing Herrera this time will be Benavidez, a very talented and young fighter blessed with height, speed and power. But he?s never faced world class talent, and school is in session. ?He?s sparred with some of the best in the world, like Manny Pacquiao, but sparring is not the same as inside the ring in a real fight. Not at all,? said Herrera. ?They call me the professor, and I?m here to get my master?s degree in my next fight.? The match between Golden Boy Promotion?s Herrera and Top Rank?s Benavidez is also significant because it represents a new relationship between the two powerhouse boxing promoters. The winner of this fight could face the winner of another fight on the card between former champion Tim Bradley and Argentina?s Diego Chaves on the same card. ?Tim Bradley predicted we might be fighting each other someday,? said Herrera. ?That would be a great fight. But we both need to win.?FIGHT CHATTER �? On Thursday, a large 13-bout boxing card at Pechanga Resort and Casino takes place featuring five former world champions, including Sergio Mora, Austin Trout, Johnathan Banks, Antonio Tarver and Rico Ramos. Goossen Promotions is staging the event. The doors open at 4 p.m. �? Riverside?s Saul Rodriguez (15-0-1, 12 KOs) knocked out Argentina?s Juan Ramon Solis (21-9) with a devastating three-punch combination at 56 seconds into Round 6. A left hook caught Solis flush and two more blows immediately followed to end the fight. Other winners were Josesito Felix and Brian Viloria who also won by knockouts at Glendale Civic Auditorium on Saturday. �? Rob Lawler upset Johny Hendricks at UFC 181, taking the welterweight title by split decision after five rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. ?I?m really happy for all of the guys that have been there for me and supported me all along,? said Lawler. Other winners were Anthony ?Showtime? Pettis, who defeated Gilbert Mendoza with a guillotine choke in the second round of their lightweight match, and Travis Browne, who knocked out Brendan Schaub at 4:50 of the first round in their middleweight contest.
