Brian Vera

Brian Vera
Born
Bryan Lee Vera

(1981-12-28) December 28, 1981 (age 42)
Statistics
Weight(s)Light middleweight
Middleweight
Super middleweight
Light heavyweight
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Reach74 in (189 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights45
Wins28
Wins by KO18
Losses17

Bryan Lee Vera (born December 28, 1981) is an American professional boxer currently competing as a super middleweight. He is best known for his memorable and notable victories over then-undefeated Andy Lee in 2008, former world champion Sergio Mora (twice, in 2011 and 2012) and Serhiy Dzinziruk in 2013. Vera currently trains in Cedar Park, Texas.[1]

Early life and education

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Vera attended Westwood High School and lettered in football, a sport he had played since a child in Pop Warner. His brother, Gilbert "Boogie" Vera, is a professional boxer,[2][3] and his father was a two-time IBA champion in the heavyweight division.[4]

Amateur career

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Vera's amateur career saw him clash with (among others), Jonathon Banks (in a losing effort), and then saw him returning in December 2005 (after beginning his professional career in 2004), when he returned for one last amateur fight against Ivan Stovell (in a losing effort).

Professional career

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Vera began his professional career in 2004 with a four-round unanimous decision win over Avien Cooper. He would win his next thirteen bouts, including a decision victory over Darnell Boone (who would later knockout the future lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson), before signing up with the ESPN television series The Contender.

The Contender

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He is one of the featured boxers on the third season of the boxing reality TV series, The Contender, which premiered September 4, 2007, on ESPN.[5] Vera suffered his first professional loss in the opening fight of the contest to the shows runner-up Jaidon Codrington.[6]

Vera vs. Lee

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In 2008, Vera fought then-undefeated and highly touted prospect Andy Lee. In a fight that he was supposed to lose according to most critics, Brian Vera pulled up the upset win and would defeat Lee by TKO in the seventh round. Although the stoppage was regarded as controversial, Vera was behind on points up until that point, though Lee himself appeared to be battered and exhausted from Vera's relentless assault in the 7th.

Vera vs. Kirkland

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Vera's career would hit a standstill soon after when he was matched against light-middleweight contender James Kirkland. Kirkland was vicious in his assault against Vera, battering his outmatched opponent all over the ring for the duration of the fight. Vera was knocked down twice in preceding rounds before the faithful eight round, in which a devastating combination from Kirkland put Vera down for a third time. Vera managed to rise up, but was immediately cornered and beaten on until referee Vic Drakulich called a halt to the match, with Vera losing by an eighth-round technical knockout. In the match, Kirkland had managed to land 283 out of 532 thrown punches, whereas Vera only landed 64 out of 470.

Vera only fought once in 2009, losing a definitive decision to Craig McEwan. McEwan was landing combinations nearly at will from the start of the fight, and Vera had no answer for his opponent's boxing ability. In 2010 Vera would go 1-2, first losing a unanimous decision against Isaac Rodrigues before scoring a third-round technical knockout over Sebastien Demers, and finally dropping a twelve-round unanimous decision to middleweight contender Max Bursak.

On February 4, 2011, Vera would defeat fellow Contender competitor Sergio Mora. Vera would win a close but definitive split decision over Mora, and followed up his success with an eighth-round knockout over Eloy Suarez.

Vera vs. Lee II

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Later that year Vera would rematch his old foe Andy Lee, this time losing by a wide margin. Lee used his height and reach to excellent effect, keeping the bullish Vera off of him all night, and even scoring a knockdown in the second. Lee displayed excellent boxing tactics and skills by controlling the distance of the fight and continuously blasting Vera with power punches from all angles.

Vera vs. Chávez Jr. I-II

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Vera would score four more wins following his defeat to Andy Lee, including a wide unanimous decision against former foe Sergio Mora, as well as a technical knockout victory over Serhiy Dzinziruk before being matched against former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez, Jr. Vera surprised many when he dominated the bout, easily outboxing and out-landing his much larger and sluggish foe. When it was announced after the fight that Chavez had won a unanimous decision, the decision was roundly booed. It was later revealed that not one press row scorer had scored the bout for Chávez Jr., all scoring it definitively for Vera.

Chávez Jr. and Vera would rematch six months later over a twelve-round bout. This time Chavez would use his size and strength more effectively, outboxing and outscoring Vera with relative ease. Vera would lose a far clearer unanimous decision.

Professional boxing record

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26 Wins (16 Knockouts, 10 Decisions), 16 Losses, 0 Draws
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 26-16 Egypt Ahmed Elbiali TKO 6 (10) 2019-12-28 United States State Farm Arena, Atlanta, United States
Loss 26-15 United States Marcus McDaniel UD 6 2019-02-09 United States New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Loss 26-14 Ghana Sena Agbeko UD 8 2018-12-08 United States Mid-TN Expo, Murfreesboro, United States
Loss 26-13 United States Jas Phipps UD 6 2017-12-08 United States Round Rock Sports Center, Round Rock, United States
Loss 26-12 United States Mike Gavronski TKO 6 (10) 2017-09-09 United States Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, United States
Win 26-11 Colombia Milton Nuñez RTD 5 (8) 2017-06-24 United States San Antonio Shrine Auditorium, San Antonio, United States
Win 25-11 United States Larry Smith TKO 2 (6) 2017-01-21 United States Alzafar Shrine, San Antonio, United States
Win 24-11 Mexico Juan Carlos Rojas MD 6 2016-10-15 United States Zaragoza Park, Austin, United States
Loss 23-11 Russia Matvey Korobov UD 8 2016-06-25 United States The Bomb Factory, Dallas, United States
Loss 23-10 United Kingdom Rocky Fielding TKO 2 (12) 2015-06-26 United Kingdom Echo Arena, Liverpool, England For WBC International Silver Super Middleweight title.
Loss 23-9 United States Willie Monroe Jr. UD 10 2015-01-16 United States Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States For WBA-NABA & WBO NABO Middleweight titles.
Loss 23-8 Mexico Julio César Chávez Jr. UD 12 2014-03-01 United States Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Loss 23-7 Mexico Julio César Chávez Jr. UD 10 2013-09-28 United States StubHub Center, Carson, California, United States
Win 23-6 Lithuania Donatas Bondorovas RTD 7 (10) 2013-03-29 United States Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, United States Retained WBO NABO Middleweight title.
Win 22-6 Ukraine Serhiy Dzinziruk TKO 10 (12) 2013-01-25 United States Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, United States Retained WBO NABO Middleweight title.
Win 21-6 United States Sergio Mora MD 12 2012-08-11 United States Illusions Theater, San Antonio, Texas, United States Won vacant WBO NABO Middleweight title.
Win 20-6 United States Taronze Washington UD 8 2012-04-21 United States Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, United States Won vacant WPBF International Middleweight title.
Loss 19-6 Republic of Ireland Andy Lee UD 10 2011-10-01 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 19-5 Mexico Eloy Suarez KO 8 (8) 2011-06-24 United States Dr Pepper Arena, Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 18-5 United States Sergio Mora SD 10 2011-02-04 United States Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Loss 17-5 Ukraine Max Bursak UD 12 2010-09-04 Ukraine Sportpalace Meteor, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
Win 17-4 Canada Sebastien Demers TKO 3 (10) 2010-06-11 Canada Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss 16-4 Brazil Isaac Rodrigues MD 10 2010-02-26 United States Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, United States
Loss 16-3 United Kingdom Craig McEwan UD 10 2009-05-08 United States Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Loss 16-2 United States James Kirkland TKO 8 (10) 2008-11-22 United States MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16-1 Republic of Ireland Andy Lee TKO 7 (10) 2008-03-21 United States Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 15-1 United States Max Alexander UD 6 2007-11-06 United States TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Loss 14-1 United States Jaidon Codrington KO 2 (5) 2007-09-08 United States Contender Arena, Los Angeles, California, United States Fight aired as part of ESPN2's "The Contender" series.
Win 14-0 United States Darnell Boone UD 10 2007-06-15 United States Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Ohio, United States Retained IBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title.
Win 13-0 Colombia Samuel Miller MD 10 2007-05-11 United States Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, United States
Win 12-0 United States Etianne Whitaker TKO 3 (10) 2006-11-04 United States Coushatta Casino Resort, Kinder, Louisiana, United States Won Vacant IBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title.
Win 11-0 Mexico Antonio Garcia KO 3 (8) 2006-08-18 United States American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 10-0 United States Marcus Hicks TKO 5 (8) 2006-06-09 United States Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas, United States Won vacant United States Texas State Middleweight title.
Win 9-0 Mexico Antonio Garcia UD 8 2006-02-16 United States Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Win 8-0 United States Jeremiah Chapman KO 2 (6) 2005-12-16 United States Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas, United States
Win 7-0 United States Cardyl Finley KO 1 (8) 2005-11-26 United States Music Hall, Austin, Texas, United States
Win 6-0 United States Freeman Taft TKO 2 (6) 2005-07-22 United States Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5-0 United States Trenice Brown TKO 3 (6) 2005-06-16 United States Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Win 4-0 United States Javier Diaz UD 4 2005-03-17 United States Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Win 3-0 United States Juan Jose Ruiz TKO 2 (4) 2005-02-26 United States Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas, United States
Win 2-0 United States Bert Montez TKO 2 (4) 2004-09-30 United States Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas, United States
Win 1-0 United States Avien Cooper UD 4 2004-08-27 United States Renaissance Worthington Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas, United States Professional Debut.

Big Knockout Boxing record

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0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd, Time Date Location Event Notes
Loss 0-1 United States Gabriel Rosado TKO 6 (7), 1:59 2014-08-16 United States Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada BKB 1 For vacant BKB Middleweight title.

References

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  1. ^ "Local boxer wins Super Brawl before the Super Bowl".
  2. ^ "Frank Erwin Center | Applause". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  3. ^ "Gilbert Vera : Boxer". boxrec.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16.
  4. ^ "Gilbert Vera : Boxer". boxrec.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16.
  5. ^ "Archived Document". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  6. ^ "Woods: Vera knocked out; first "Contender" to leave". 12 September 2007.
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