By David Finger

For 26-year-old flyweight Matthew “Diamond Boy” Griego, there is little question that his toughest opponent over his seven-year career has been inactivity. Having turned professional in January of 2016, many boxing fans were excited about the young 19-year-old prospect as he amassed six wins in 2016 alone.

Fast forward to February of 2023 and Griego is sitting on an undefeated record of 12-0, 8 KOs. Impressive, but clearly not at the pace that neither he nor his fans were expecting way back in 2016.

But assuming he gets past the dangerous Bryan Aquino (12-2, 6 KOs) on Saturday (February 4th) in Albuquerque, boxing fans in New Mexico might finally see something that they have been waiting for since the Obama administration: a run for a world title for Diamond Boy.

Promoter Wrecking Crew Promotions is not looking to ease back into the water after Griego’s most recent layoff of over seven months. A win over the durable journeyman Gilberto Mendoza allowed Griego to shake off some ring rust, but didn’t really move the needle. And prior to that Griego’s career was one of many that suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, having not fought since March of 2020. For Team Griego, 2023 is time to make up for lost ground and against the talented Puerto Rican prospect Bryan Aquino, he will need to bring his A-game. Aquino competition is comparable to Griego except for his two decision losses to fellow undefeated fighters in Leonardo Baez and Ernesto Delgadillo. There is no question that Griego will be in for a tough fight, but a win for Griego could finally put him on the national scene and into the world rankings.

In a featured undercard fight popular veteran Josh “Pitbull” Torres of Rio Rancho (24-7-2, 14 KOs) looks to make another run at the world rankings in 2023. Torres has clearly had a roller coaster career since turning pro in 2008, but after scoring a lopsided decision over undefeated prospect Reggie Harris Jr. in his last fight he clearly has the winds in his sails. He is taking on journeyman Todd Manuel (21-21-1, 7 KOs) on Saturday night, who needless to say is the prohibitive underdog in this fight. However, Torres has a history of fighting down to the level of his opponents in “tune-up” fights, and with his next fight scheduled on February 24th there is a legitimate concern that he may be looking past his opponent and could make this fight tougher than it would need to be.

The event will take place at the Revel at 4720 Alexander Boulevard in Albuquerque on Saturday night. Doors are slated to open at 6 PM with the first fight set to kick off at 7 PM. Tickets can be obtained at revelabq.com.