Life lessons, in and out of the ring, have molded Elijah Pierce into the fighter he is today.
Pierce is counting on those lessons to lead him to a world title opportunity.
The hard-hitting Pierce, rated No. 9 by The Ring at 122 pounds, will face Jose Sanmartin tonight at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The 10-round bout will headline a five-bout Cold Summa card that will stream live on DAZN (7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT).
At Thursday’s weigh-in, Pierce weighed in at the junior featherweight limit of 122 pounds. Sanmartin came in at 121.8 pounds.
In his last bout on March 29, Pierce (19-2-1, 16 knockouts) overcame a knockdown in round two to knock out Arthur Villanueva in the fourth round. Pierce admitted making the mistake of overlooking Villanueva, something he should not have done and acknowledges has made him better in preparing for opponents.
“It was another humbling experience,” Pierce told The Ring Tuesday. “I overlooked Villanueva. I didn’t know too much about him. I didn’t watch a lot on him. One or two fights. I thought he was not comparable to me, as far as skill. I didn’t actually do the research, and actually, nor did my team do research on his background. We didn’t know he was (Ring Magazine junior bantamweight champion Naoya) Inoue’s sparring partner. We didn’t know he was a three-time world title challenger until after the fight. So those are the things that were important. He wasn’t just a slouch. He wasn’t someone to be overlooked. He was actually somebody tough and rough who had a persevering nature to fight, besides the lack of skills.
“At the end of the day, hats off to him. He brought out that other side of me. It woke me up. Looking forward to this fight, I’m on my A-game. I’ll be on my A-game because it was one of those lessons I had to learn. We’re not there yet. We have to stay sharp at all times.”
The 27-year-old was originally scheduled to face Sanmartin (35-8-1, 21 KOs) of Colombia earlier this year, but the fight was rescheduled to tonight. Pierce has had a resurgence over the last couple of years, having won his last 10 bouts since losing by majority decision to fringe featherweight contender Sulaiman Segawa in September 2019.
Pierce’s other defeat as a pro came in June 2018, losing by unanimous decision to current lightweight Giovanni Cabrera.
Despite the setbacks, Pierce believes he is a more complete fighter, and is only going to continue to get better.
“Losing those fights, actually, the first loss was to a guy who was actually a lightweight,” said Pierce, who is co-managed by Trifon Petrov and Jessie Tanksley. “The second loss was due to personal issues. I (only) trained for two weeks for that fight. That was against a guy I could easily beat. I lost to him by majority decision, again training on two weeks’ notice. It was another learning lesson. You can’t expect to be sound in the ring if you’re not sound upstairs. Once I gained knowledge and had the right team behind me, where they told me to drop down and fight at 122 pounds because I was not cutting weight properly. I was not eating right. I was going through a lot of growing pains I had to go through.
“Once I got the necessary insight, things around me started to significantly improve after that. I’ve always been blessed with God-given ability. Power, speed, quick reflexes, great footwork. This is all thanks to my Dad, who stresses footwork. All those things have played a part and turned me into who I am today. I’m still untapped and haven’t shown who I really am to the world. I am a person who doesn’t overcompensate. I like to assess the fight by what’s necessary. A lot of the time, I’ve beaten these guys because of my natural athleticism, I haven’t had to dig into my skill-set really to beat these guys, as of yet. At the same time, I’ve had to be humble and hone these skills until it’s time to bring them out.”
After Inoue, the 122-pound division is a toss up with several top contenders jostling for a shot to face the unbeaten Inoue. Other top contenders are former unified world titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev, unbeaten Sam Goodman, former world title challenger Luis Nery, and former world titleholder TJ Doheny, who will face Inoue on Tuesday.
Pierce has been pushing for a fight against a top contender at 122 pounds, but is convinced no one in the division is better than him.
“I believe I am the best 122-pound fighter in the world,” said Pierce. “No doubt in my mind. I may not be the champ yet. And I’m big on the word ‘yet.’ I have to continue to put in the work and stay focused. It will happen. I’m sure it will happen soon. I have to continue to work hard and be patient. In terms of the natural skill-set I have, the mindframe that I have, nobody is able to deal with all the attributes I really possess. I’m eager to show them. I haven’t been put in a position to show them as much as I can. That’s probably another thing I’ve had to learn. “
“Sometimes you have to know when and where to play your cards. You have to know when to do certain things. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb and do it. All these little things play a part and I look to them after each fight and assess. What could I add to make myself that much more of a spectacle in the sport? What can I do better? What should I focus on more? I think this fight will be a perfect example of that. I kind of went outside myself a little bit more. I’ve done more personal work myself for Sanmartin. I pretty much know from a personal standpoint what he’s bringing and what he can do. I’ve broken him down and I’m very excited to showcase what Elijah Pierce can do (Friday).”
Tonight will mark Pierce’s third fight under the Overtime Boxing/ OTX banner. All their fight cards thus far have streamed on DAZN, providing a platform for Pierce and other unbeaten fighters and contenders to showcase their talents.
Having previously fought on a few club shows in recent years, Pierce is grateful for the opportunity to fight on these OTX platforms, allowing him to be exposed to fight fans.
Pierce is confident a world title shot is on the horizon. He hopes to get involved in philanthropy work and getting involved in community projects outside the ring once he becomes a world titleholder. That world title opportunity, according to Pierce, is on the horizon, after a long journey where he is now a contender.
“OTX has been nothing but gracious. The general managers and most of the guys managing and doing the operational work, we’ve gotten really close. I like what they’re doing. I like how they promote me. Everything has happened organically. It’s an honor, in my opinion, to be the face of a company that is ongoing and new because they’re in the spotlight. I’m grateful to bring a different type of attention to the company. I think OTX has been a fit for me. I’m blessed to have this partnership with them. I’m just looking forward to continuing holding that candle for OTX. They’ve done a great job as far as being behind me.
“I’m looking forward to what’s next. We’re almost there, being ranked No. 3 (by the WBA). After this fight, we could be ranked No. 2. We hope to fight in an elimination fight next, and possibly in a world title opportunity sometime next year. It doesn’t get any better than that. I would love to be OTX’s first world champion and bring a title to the company.
“I just look at it as another milestone in my journey to a world title. This is what it’s been all about. I want to be a world champion.”
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 santio89@yahoo.com
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