Esquiva Falcao
London 2012 Silver Medalist
Bio
Right then, Esquiva Falcao is a proper old-school operator with an amateur pedigree most fighters can only dream of. The Brazilian southpaw won silver at the London 2012 Olympics, and at 36 he carries a professional record of 31-2 with 21 knockouts into the back end of his career. This is a man who has been to the top of the mountain and is not done climbing.
Make no mistake, Falcao is awkward. The southpaw stance, the timing, the ring smarts — he has the kind of craft that comes only from a lifetime in the sport. He has already challenged for a world title and rebuilt himself with back-to-back wins, capturing the Brazilian national championship last November and earning this shot at the young NABF champion.
The questions, as ever with a veteran, are about the legs and the tank. He is not the fighter who medalled in London a decade and a half ago, and a 36-year-old asking those questions against a 21-year-old is a brave business. But experience is a weapon, and Falcao knows exactly how to drag a young gun into deep, uncomfortable water.
Tonight in Quebec City he plays the role of the dangerous veteran trying to spoil a prospect's party. Underestimate Esquiva Falcao at your peril — class like his does not vanish overnight.