Endry Saavedra

Bio

Endry "El Chino" Saavedra is one of Venezuelan boxing's most serious world title contenders at middleweight, and anyone dismissing him as a journeyman making up the numbers is going to be in for a rude awakening. At 34 years old, Saavedra brings the kind of hard-nosed professionalism that you only develop through years of proper fights — and his record of 17-1-1 tells you he's been in there with genuine competition.

The WBO have ranked Saavedra at number two in the world at middleweight for good reason. He hits hard, he's durable, and he has the experience to deal with hostile environments. Coming to London to fight on the Wilder-Chisora undercard — in front of a crowd that will be entirely against him — is exactly the kind of pressure situation that Saavedra has been prepared for.

Make no mistake: Saavedra is fighting for a life-changing opportunity here. A win over WBO number one Denzel Bentley in London earns him mandatory challenger status for the WBO World Middleweight title. The WBO Interim Championship is the doorway to the biggest fight of his career. Venezuelan fighters have a proud tradition of travelling the world and taking on the hometown fighters — Saavedra fits that mould perfectly.

He's a proper opponent. Not a name, perhaps, to the casual British fan, but within boxing circles, Saavedra's ranking and record mark him out as a genuine threat. Bentley cannot afford a sloppy performance, and that's exactly what Saavedra's presence guarantees.