Joselito Velazquez is one of the brightest Mexican prospects in boxing, but he has not fought since last year in December, leaving him anxious to return to the ring. The young boxer hurt his right shoulder in February of this year, and after a lengthy rehab he has returned to Los Angeles to get ready for his 2018 debut.

This time around, Velazquez has been training with the great Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

“It’s an honor for me to be here with Freddie because he is a legend in the sport and takes fighters to a different level, and that’s why I am here: to get to the highest level possible and reach all my goals in boxing,” said Velazquez, a former Mexican Olympian.

Roach is impressed with what he has seen from Velazquez so far.

“Very disciplined and a very hard worker, he has boxing skills and has tremendous punching power. He is a real blue-chip prospect that will go very far in boxing. Just a very nice kid all around and I am very happy to train him and have him here,” said Roach.

Velazquez was a little worried about the communication between him and Freddie, as well as how he would fit in with the gym.

“No problem so far. I know enough English to understand what he wants me to do and boxing terms are easy to understand. As far as fitting in with the other boxers, it’s been great. Freddie takes the time to work my corner during sparring sessions and keeps track of my actions when I am working on other things. All his assistants speak Spanish, so that also helps,” said Velazquez.

Velazquez, a 2016 Mexican Olympian, was much-decorated as an amateur boxer. He was a two-time Pan-American Games gold medalist and also represented Mexico in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

His fan-friendly style meshes well with his boxing skills, both of which are sure to take him to the highest level in professional boxing. He has already won his first five professional bouts as he begins his journey to achieving his dream.

“I have always dreamed about becoming a professional boxer and winning a world championship. I will work very hard to reach my goals and become well-known in the sport, and hope to reach the ultimate heights in this new chapter of my life,” said Velazquez.

During his amateur career, Velazquez had over 180 bouts, of which he won 160. He was the Mexican National Champion in 2007, 2008 and 2011, and won his first gold medal in the Pan American games in 2011 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He went on to earn a bronze medal at the Dominican Republic’s “Copa Independencia”, and a gold medal in “La Copa Olimpica” in 2013 in Puerto Rico. His second gold medal in the Pan American Games of 2015 in Toronto, Canada as he continued his stellar amateur career.

Velazquez qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil where he won his first bout and lost his second to the eventual gold medalist Hasanboy Dusmatov.

Although he was born in the state of Oaxaca, Velasquez grew up in the resort town of Cancun, Quitana Roo. There, he followed his brother Anibal, an aspiring boxer, into the ring. He initially wanted to be a professional soccer player, but decided his future was in boxing after seeing his brother’s passion for the sport.

His amateur background has set him up to become a stellar professional boxer. Velazquez’ professional career is guided by renowned manager Frank Espinoza of Espinoza Boxing, and is promoted by Fernando Beltran’s Zanfer Promotions.

Velasquez (5-0, 2 KOs) made his professional debut on December 17, 2016 in his hometown of Cancun, with a knockout victory over Eduardo Casimiro. During his most recent outing on August 30 of last year, he beat Erik Zamora in Cancun.

The promising flyweight is penciled in to return on Saturday, September 8 in the undercard of Supefly3, which will be held at The Forum in Inglewood, California.