Ray Ximenez Jr.

Ximenez plans to compete at a Pleasant Grove tournament on September 11th then join the punch-for-pay ranks.

Ximenez has amassed a record of 95 wins and 15 losses, accumulating several trophie cases worth of championships.  2007 and 2008 National PAL, 2009 Silver Gloves Nationals, three-time Ringside World Champion, 2009 Junior Open Gold Medalist and a five-time  Dallas Golden Gloves winner.  It’d be an understatement to call Ray, Jr. a "topnotch amatuer fighter".

Brandishing that type of pedigree, you'd think the 2012 Olympic Games would be the goal, but as Ximenez, Sr. explains, "It was a combination of things that lead to this decision.  First of all, they don't really count bodyshots in amatuer scoring, they completely changed the weight classes not too long ago, and there seems to already be favorites at those particular weights.  Of course we wanted to shoot for the Olympics, but those factors and the weight really messed it up."

Ximenez, Jr. is looking to turn pro at 115-116 pounds and already has a target opponent in mind, Alton Juarigui.  He's also looking to add a catchy nickname and is openly inviting fans to visit his Facebook page to offer suggestions. Just do a search for "Ray Ximenez" on Facebook and shoot some names at him.