Alejandro Paulino is eager to prove he is a lightweight on the rise.
The unbeaten Paulino will face Toka Kahn Clary on November 2, manager Roland Estrada confirmed to The Ring. The 10-round bout will take place at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Kahn Clary will be a step up in opposition, but Estrada is confident Paulino could rise to the occasion and make a statement to the rest of the fighters at 135 pounds.
“This will be the biggest fight of Alejandro’s short, but aggressive career,” Estrada told The Ring Sunday night. “Toka Kahn Clary is a great fighter who has fought and trained with a who’s who of boxing legends. His reputation is highly-regarded in our sport and especially in New England. We have put together our camp as if Alejandro is fighting for a world title, so there will be no excuses.
“Come Sunday morning (November 3), we will either know whether this kid (Paulino) is just another fighter or whether he belongs being mentioned as one of the top fighters in the lightweight division.”
Paulino (18-0, 14 knockouts), who resides in nearby New London, last fought on September 7, knocking out Luis Porozo in the opening round. In his previous fight on March 23, Paulino overcame a flash knockdown in the first round to knock Estivan Falcao down in round right en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The 26-year-old, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, fought 15 times this year for the Boston Butchers of the Team Combat League, which ended in late July. Paulino would go on to only lose one fight.
Paulino took up boxing at the age of 18 and is promoted by longtime New England promoter Jimmy Burchfield.
Kahn Clary (29-3, 19 KOs) has not fought since November 2022, defeating former world junior lightweight title challenger Jonathan Oquendo by unanimous decision. In his previous fight in December 2020, Kahn Clary would lose by decision over 10 one-sided rounds to Shakur Stevenson.
The 32-year-old had fought on many Top Rank cards before losing by knockout to Jhon Gemino in September 2016. The southpaw Kahn Clary would win his next six bouts before losing by decision to former world featherweight titleholder Kid Galahad.
Kahn Clary is originally from Monrovia, Liberia and now resides in Providence, Rhode Island. He does have three wins over three unbeaten prospects in Jose Haro, David Berna, and John Moralde.
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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