Sammy Contreras Jnr may just be 22, but he’s well plugged into the institutional knowledge of the venue known as the “War Grounds,” where he will fight Saturday night.
The son of a boxing manager who advised women’s champion Marlen Esparza among others, lightweight Contreras, 7-0 (3 KOs), meets Jorge Ayala Lopez on the undercard of the DAZN-streamed show headlined by ranked super-middleweight Diego Pacheco’s bout versus Immanuwel Aleem at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The outdoor venue has hosted four fights of the year, including Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III, Timothy Bradley Jnr-Ruslan Provodnikov, Lucas Matthysse-John Molina and Francisco Vargas-Orlando Salida.
During the midst of that action, Contreras recalls being there for the razor-thin welterweight-title victory by Shawn Porter over former champion Kell Brook.
“I always had a dream of fighting there just because when I was little, I would go watch fights there and I witnessed so many great fights,” Contreras said. “I’m excited and grateful for the pleasure of fighting there now, too.”
Being placed on this same stage now by promoter Top Rank on a Matchroom-promoted card carries with it an obligation in Contreras’ eyes to perform fully for the hard-core fans who’ve flocked to the “War Grounds” previously to view all those epic battles and talent stretching from Gennady Golovkin to Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“It means so much to be at that type of stage. I have to take advantage of it, do my job, go out there, execute, listen to my corner and get the job done,” Contreras said.
Raised in Los Angeles, Contreras has fought steadily since his April 2025 pro debut. Saturday’s bout will be his fourth this year, and the stretch included his impressive second-round knockout of Cesar Cantu on the sold-out March 21 ProBoxTV card in San Bernardino, California.
Three of his past four victories have been one-sided routs on the scorecards with him losing but one round on one judge’s scorecard during those affairs.
While there seems to be an undue amount of pressure on prospects to compile knockouts, Contreras said he understands the balance of it all, and emphasizes piling up the victories is most essential.
“Every fighter wants to go out there and get the knockout, but knockouts are not always going to come every fight. I just feel like you have to go in there, believe in your team and if you have the opportunity to get the chance to get a knockdown, then it’s good, but the main thing is to just go out there and do your job,” Contreras said.
The educated fan will notice Contreras’ attention to ring generalship.
“Taking control of the fight, having control, from the first round, taking my time, being patient, not overreacting with things,” Contreras said. “I feel like that’s a big thing – setting things. That’s a big key for me, especially with my type of style.”
Top Rank’s International Boxing Hall of Fame matchmaker Brad Goodman will attend Contreras’ fight, saying after a move up in competition to defeat Venezuela’s Ronal Ron (24 pro fights) last time out, he may only need one more bout to start fighting in eight-round bouts.
Goodman has high praise for Contreras, calling him one of Top Rank’s brightest prospects and drawing a rare comparison to another L.A. product who came up with Top Rank, Oscar De La Hoya.
“He does remind me of Oscar, that style when he first started, of jumping up and down, using the jab,” Goodman said. “In the looks department, too. He’s a good left hooker… we have high hopes for him.”
Contreras said his father sat him in front of the television to watch fights when he was as young as four years old, putting gloves on the boy so he could mimic the action.
Contreras can’t recall who he was watching back then, but the sport has clearly taken with him, as the training and sparring sessions in the competitive environment of L.A. has fastened his development.
“I got into the gym because I was a pretty chunky kid growing up. Eventually, I lost weight having some time there at the gym,” Contreras said. “And then my dad gave me two options because I started liking it. He asked me if I wanted to compete or if I wanted to take this as a hobby. I chose that I wanted to compete. I wanted to take it seriously. And, well, it’s been a journey, a great experience, and I can’t wait for it to keep going.”
