Fifteen knockouts in 21 pro wins have established unbeaten Nestor Bravo as the latest potent puncher from Puerto Rico. So what’s the secret? Maybe it was an early introduction to Tito Punch.
“I used to drink it when I went to school, and I felt powerful when I was drinking it,” laughed Arecibo’s Bravo when talking about the soft drink attached to the island’s fistic hero, Felix “Tito” Trinidad.
And from that early age, Bravo, along with practically every Boricua, was invested in Trinidad like no fighter that came before or since. Bravo can’t put a finger on it, but he remembers the world stopping when the hall of famer made his way into the ring.
“I grow up seeing my family and everybody for Tito Trinidad,” he said. “I was six, seven years old and everybody had the day off after he fought. He brought, without social media, all of Puerto Rico together. It was just a celebration. He was an inspiration with his humbleness and the way he is. We have had great champions afterwards; we can name them all and it’s great. But, for me, Tito Trinidad, the way he brought the whole island together, that was something amazing.”
Despite making his home in Florida these days, Bravo has gotten a personal taste of what boxing means to Puerto Rican fans by fighting 13 of his 21 bouts at home, and yeah, there’s always a little added something to it for him.
“I get really good support there,” he said. “It’s something special to fight in your island and feel how the real support from Puerto Rican is there and how they enjoy every time you fight. It means a lot to me. We’re fighters who fight, at the end of the day, wherever they put us. But hey, when you fight in Puerto Rico, you feel that home crowd and it’s heartwarming.”
The 29-year-old Bravo gets a home game of a different sort on Saturday, when he faces Jair Valtierra at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. It’s the first defense of the WBO NABO junior welterweight title Bravo won last October by stopping Adrian Yung in seven rounds, an important fight for a young man ready to take that next step in his career.
Now.
“Most definitely,” Bravo said. “If people know me and they’ve worked with me, I can’t be denied. I’ve been in this process a long time and I’ve been waiting patiently. I just stayed quiet, kept working, and I definitely feel it is my time. I’m already ranked in the WBO, another win here will put me once step closer, and when the opportunity comes, trust me when I tell you this, I will not let it slip out of my hands.”
Fighting words from a real fighter who has paid his dues and wants to get that chance at a belt sooner rather than later. Sounds like someone who wants to bring a belt back home.
“Give me that title shot and I’m going to be a world champion for Puerto Rico,” said Bravo, refusing to yield to the pressure that comes with such a statement.
“To be honest, I don’t feel the pressure,” he said. “I feel like it just helps me and builds me a different kind of way and just makes me perform. I’m wearing my flag and I’ve got to defend it with dignity. So I feel super, super comfortable. I feel I’m the type of guy that I’m always a hundred percent ready, so when I go in a fight and I put my flag on it, I believe it gives me a boost. I’m doing it for me, I’m doing it for my people, I’m doing it for my family. I represent them when I’m in the ring. So I feel like it’s a boost for me, not so much a pressure.”
And when it’s all over, a toast of Tito Punch may be in order for Mr. Bravo.