Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony “ATV” Velazquez (16-0-1, 14 KOs) takes on Yusuph “Mr. Mwanza” Metu (11-1, 8 KOs) in the main event at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, this Saturday, April 26th, in a scheduled ten-round bout.
“Training camp has been great. It has been long. I took one week off after my last fight, and I have been in camp ever since,” said Velazquez, who scored a third-round technical knockout over Brian Damian Chaves in February. “I cannot wait for the fight.”
Metu, a thirty-two-year-old orthodox boxer from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa, has knocked out eight of his twelve opponents before the end of the fifth round, including Karage Suba, whom he stopped in the second round in his last fight in November. Metu sustained his first loss in his previous bout to undefeated Albert Khamkhoev via a ten-round unanimous decision in September for the vacant junior middleweight Eurasian Boxing Parliament title. Metu fought an unheard-of seven times last year, including five bouts in five months, and won six of them. He will be fighting outside his country for the second time, and the first time in the United States.
Velazquez will box in his hometown of Springfield for the fourth time in his eight-year career and the second time in his last three bouts. This is his second consecutive main event that he has headlined.
“I feel good fighting at home in front of my fans. I am confident going into this fight. I want a great performance at home and to get the stoppage win, especially since he has never been stopped before. I want to be the first one to do it,” said Velazquez, who is always well supported by a legion of hard-core fans at his boxing fights. “I will use my boxing skills and body shots to break him down in the first few rounds, and then once he is tired, I will stop him.”
As long as Velazquez continues to win impressively this year, including against Metu, he will undoubtedly rise in the super welterweight divisional rankings and put himself in a position for a significant fight next year, outside of the New England area, where he has predominantly fought. Then, a world title bout in the not-so-distant future. Velazquez hopes to stay active and continue to improve his boxing skills with three more bouts this year.
“I believe that I have what it takes to become a world champion because of my strong work ethic and dedication to boxing, and my faith and belief in myself that I can become the best fighter in the world,” Velazquez said. “I have a great team, trainer, and family, and I have sparred with many different talents, so there is nothing that I have not seen before.”
Velazquez has gained invaluable fighting experience throughout his amateur career, which consisted of 60 fights (51-9) that spanned from 101 pounds to 141 pounds, as well as extensive sparring. He has sparred with several elite boxers, including former world champions Tony Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs) and Richard Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs). He also spars regularly with 2020 Dominican Republic Olympian and world-rated welterweight Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs), as they share the same veteran trainer, Hector Bermudez. They both train at his boxing gym, Universal Boxing Academy in Springfield.
He has worked with Bermudez, who has guided five world champions—Jonathan Guzman, Carlos Gongora, Vince Phillips, Ryad Merhy, and Javier Fortuna—for the last four-plus years. Velazquez’s brother, Deriel, is his assistant trainer. Before that, he was trained by his father, Carlos (who was an amateur boxer with a 56-5 record in the 112-pound division), starting at the age of eleven. Carlos trained at the same boxing gym (Bairoa Gym) in Caguas, Puerto Rico, as Velazquez’s boxing idol, four-time world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer, Miguel Cotto.
The twenty-nine-year-old orthodox boxer’s career is off to an impressive start for several reasons. He demonstrates adaptability, confidence, composure, and ring IQ well beyond his age and fighting experience. Velazquez has an impenetrable defense, blazing-fast hand speed, and tremendous punching power in both his left and right hands. He has an impressive eighty-eight percent knockout ratio. Velazquez has stopped fourteen of his sixteen opponents, including seven in the first round, and thirteen before the fourth round.
Velazquez obtained his most significant victory of his career (in his second-to-last bout) over (1-loss) Florent Dervis en route to a ten-round unanimous decision in September 2024. He received the vacant NABF junior middleweight title with the win. This was his first fight that lasted eight rounds, and his first regional title.
“My career is going well, especially the last two years. I have a good manager now [Gunther Feingold has been his advisor for the past two years]. I had a couple of setbacks with different managers early in my career. Now, my career is back on track,” said Velazquez, who does not have a promoter. “It felt good to win the NABF title because these smaller titles will help me move up in the divisional rankings and get me the higher-profile fights that I want.”
The only blemish on Velazquez’s otherwise spotless record is a controversial eight-round split decision draw (80-72, 74-78, and 76-76) to (1-loss) Rashid Stevens two years ago. He wanted a rematch with Stevens, who was not interested and has not fought since.
“I thought I should have won that fight, as did many people who watched it [one of the judges scoring at ringside, Peter Hary, gave Velazquez every round in the fight, 80-72]. I pressured him the entire fight, and he just ran away,” said Velasquez, who has since won four in a row, three by knockout. “I fought three weeks before this fight [a first-round technical knockout over Rodrigo Lopes Rodrigues], and I hurt my hand, so I could not train for this bout, but I should have stopped him.”
For more information about Velazquez’s boxing career and upcoming fights, add him on Instagram @Anthonyvelazquez_ and Facebook /AnthonyVelazquez.
“My dream is to become a world champion. I want to fight for a world title. I know I can beat these world champions. I want to fight [WBC/WBO world champion Sebastian] Fundora,” Velazquez said. “The world does not know who I am right now, but they soon will, when I shock the world and win a world title.”