HOUSTON – June 3, 2025 – Rising lightweight contender Justin Pauldo will look to push himself closer to a 135-pound world title with an emphatic performance this Saturday, June 7 as he takes on veteran contender Juan Carlos Burgos in the 10-round ProBox TV main event from the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas.
“I’m targeting anyone with a belt,” said Pauldo (18-2, 9 KOs). “But first I have to go win in spectacular fashion. I’m only focused on the fight in front of me. As long as I keep making statements, everyone will demand to see me fight against the top guys. It’s coming soon.”
Managed by Fighters First Management company, Pauldo has risen up the rankings, holding the number 14 spot in the WBC and number 12 in the WBO. In his last outing, Pauldo delivered the biggest victory of his career to date, knocking out the former world champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov emphatically in round eight of their February showdown.
“My mentality going into that fight was the same as it always is,” said Pauldo. “I was looking to go in there and do whatever I can to dominate and win in impressive fashion. It was exciting to win like I did against a former champion. It was a great night for my career for sure.”
In earning that career-best victory, Pauldo showed his ability to recover from defeat, getting the big win after a split-decision defeat to Miguel Madueno in February 2024. Prior to Madueno, Pauldo had put together 12-consecutive wins since his first defeat, which came via another split-decision against Efrain Cruz in July 2015. Pauldo has displayed time and again his ability to weather any turbulence that he might run into in his career.
“I’ve been able to bounce back from losses because of my resilience, mental focus and grit,” said Pauldo. “No matter what, if you keep moving forward and keep your head down, you can recover and you’ll be alright. I’ve been able to bounce back from losses and come back stronger. That’s a great attribute I have.”
Pauldo is trained by the legendary Ronnie Shields, along with Pauldo’s brother Daquan Pauldo and Latravia Pierce. With an elite team in his corner, Pauldo continues to show his considerable potential and the steady improvement needed to compete at the top level.
“It’s been a great training camp at Ronnie Shields’ camp in Houston,” said Pauldo. “My team has brought in lots of real hungry, young fighters to help push me in sparring. I’ve been mainly focusing on my fundamentals, while also pushing myself to get better in every area.”
On Saturday night, Pauldo will face the most experienced opponent of his career in Tijuana’s Burgos (36-8-3, 22 KOs). Burgos owns a victory over former world champion Cristobal Cruz and has fought former world champion Roman Martinez and current 140-pound contender Angel Fierro to draws. In addition, he’s gone the distance with current young stars in the sport including Devin Haney, Keyshawn Davis and Andy Cruz.
“I’m expecting a lot of veteran tricks,” said Pauldo. “I know he’s a rough and rugged guy. He’s been in there and fought a lot of top fighters. So I’m expecting him to be an extremely game fighter and hopefully that’ll bring out the best in me.”
As fight night nears, Pauldo expressed his confidence in coming through Saturday night victorious and with his path still set on bigger goals ahead.
“The fans can expect me to go out and deliver a great performance on June 7,” said Pauldo. “I appreciate all of the support and I hope everyone gets to watch me get this win and then rise to the top of the division.”
For additional information on Fighters First Management, visit www.fightersfirst.com.