Rene Calixto

Bio

Rene Calixto is the kind of seasoned, hungry Mexican contender who makes for dangerous nights. With a record of 24-1-1 and 11 knockouts, Calixto has built a deep, well-tested resume, and crucially he arrives for this fight on his third attempt at winning a world title.

Let's not beat around the bush — a man on his third crack at a belt fights like one who knows the chances do not come forever. Calixto came up agonisingly short in a pair of close fights at super flyweight, decisions that could have gone his way on another night. That kind of experience in the deep waters of championship boxing is not to be underestimated.

He carries the classic Mexican traits: pressure, body-punching and a sturdy chin that lets him walk through fire to land his own. If he can weather an opponent's early power and drag the fight into the championship rounds, his durability and volume become real weapons down the stretch.

Calixto now travels to Japan to challenge IBF flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki on June 6, knowing an upset on hostile soil would change his life. Make no mistake, he is a live underdog — and live underdogs are exactly how the best stories in boxing get written.