Ricardo Sandoval

Ricardo Rafael Sandoval was born on February 5, 1999, in Montclair, California Ricardo Sandoval began his professional career in 2016 with a first-round knockout of Jesus Enrique Hernandez. He quickly built momentum with consecutive wins over Daniel Diaz and Henry Maldonado. In 2017, Sandoval continued his rise by defeating Oscar Gonzalez by unanimous decision and scoring a knockout over Angel Moreno. His aggressive style and power punching made him a rising contender in the flyweight division.

In 2018, Sandoval fought Carlos Ortega, winning by unanimous decision in a tough 10-round bout. Later that year, he claimed a victory against Abraham Mena with a third-round knockout. In 2019, Sandoval fought Jesus Santiago, winning by unanimous decision. In 2020, Sandoval faced Victor Hugo Reyes, scoring a technical knockout in the sixth round. This victory was followed by a win against Jose Rivas later that year, where Sandoval dominated with a fourth-round stoppage. In July 2024, Sandoval captured the WBC Silver flyweight title by defeating former world champion Ángel Acosta via tenth-round knockout. In his title defense on February 15, 2025, Sandoval earned a unanimous decision victory over Saleto Henderson and in his next fight against Kenshiro Teraji, Ricardo managed to get a split decision unifying the flyweight titles even though being knocked down in the 5th round.

Growing up in the Inland Empire Sandoval’s journey from Montclair to world-ranked contender serves as an inspiring example of overcoming obstacles through hard work.

Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval is a relentless flyweight pressure-fighter known for his high-volume offense and punishing body attack. Fighting out of the orthodox stance, he leads with a sharp jab to break range before launching compact combinations - often a double jab followed by a straight right or a tight left hook to the body. His offense is built around pace, mixing head-body sequences with tight punch form. In fights like his knockout win over Jerson Ortiz, he showcased his signature left hook to the midsection, while against Gilberto González he followed a left hook with a clean straight right, revealing how well he chains combinations.

Sandoval’s footwork is subtle and forward-leaning. He doesn’t bounce in and out - he inches forward behind a high guard, staying just close enough to counter or dig inside. He uses his height to jab taller or lean over shorter fighters while walking them down. Against Saleto Henderson, he used reach and positioning to land clean jabs and straights without having to move laterally, opting instead for constant pressure. His head movement is limited but effective - rolling with punches rather than slipping wildly, always looking to return fire from the same pocket.

Defensively, Sandoval is durable and disciplined. He relies on a tight, upright guard and often absorbs shots while looking for counters. Against David Jiménez, even after suffering a knockdown, Sandoval stayed composed, avoided further damage.

What sets Sandoval apart is his consistent ability to raise the tempo in later rounds. In bouts like the 2023 firefight against Victor Sandoval, he slowly broke his opponent down, increasing output round by round. CompuBox stats reflect this: against Jiménez, he threw over 700 punches, landing far more than his opponent. His tactical approach is simple - start ramp up the volume and exploit fatigue.

Stylistically, Sandoval is steeped in the Mexican pressure-fighting tradition. He doesn’t jab to stall - he jabs to enter. Every punch is thrown with intention, often blinding high to land low. He embodies a pressure fighter’s mindset: a test the body and break willpower.