Yoenli Hernandez believes he is already the best fighter in the middleweight division as he prepares to face Francisco Daniel Verón on August 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Hernandez will compete in the co-main event of the Rolando Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez pay-per-view card. The unbeaten Cuban is currently ranked No. 1 by both the WBA and WBO and No. 2 by the WBC.
“I’m the best middleweight in the world right now,” Hernandez said. “My hunger for glory, my desire to be champion and win every title - that’s something I don’t see in the rest of the division.”
Hernandez enters after a career-best stoppage victory over Terrell Gausha and has been preparing in Orlando, where he has sparred with Yoenis Tellez and David Morrell Jr. He says the focus of camp has been correcting mistakes from his recent fights with Gausha and Kyrone Davis.
Verón has questioned whether Hernandez remains too reliant on his amateur background, comments that have clearly caught the Cuban’s attention. Hernandez responded by warning that his opponent will need to match his intensity once the opening bell sounds.
“He’s talking too much,” Hernandez said. “It’s one thing to call the devil, another to see him arrive.”
Hernandez believes the high-profile Las Vegas platform gives him an opportunity to make a major statement and says his objective is not simply to win, but to produce the performance that establishes him as the most complete middleweight in boxing.
Image Credit: PBC