Ricardo Rafael Sandoval | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 February 1999 Montclair, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | El Nino |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Flyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record [1] | |
| Total fights | 28 |
| Wins | 26 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 2 |
Ricardo Rafael Sandoval (born 5 February 1999) is an American professional boxer. As of December 2021, he is ranked as the world's fifth best flyweight by The Ring [2] and sixth best by TBRB. [3]
Sandoval made his professional debut against Adalberto Solares on 18 June 2016, and won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. He amassed a 16–0 record during the next three years, with eleven of those fights coming by way of stoppage. Following his step-up fight against Marco Sustaita, Sandoval was scheduled to face Gilbert Gonzalez on 16 November 2019. [4] He won the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout. [5]
Sandoval's sole fight of 2020 came against Raymond Tabugon on 6 February 2020. He won the fight by a seventh-round knockout, stopping Tabugon at the 1:43 minute mark of the round. [6]
Sandoval was scheduled to face one-time WBC flyweight title challenger Jay Harris in an IBF flyweight title eliminator, in the main event of a DAZN card, on 25 June 2021. [7] Despite coming into the fight as a slight underdog, [8] Sandoval nonetheless won the fight by an eight-round knockout. The fight was stopped at the 2:21 minute mark of the round, after Harris was dropped to the canvas twice and was unable to beat the eight count following the second knockdown. [9] Sandoval was scheduled to fight Carlos Buitrago in a stay-busy fight on 4 December 2021. He won the fight by a seventh-round technical knockout. [10]
Sandoval faced David Jiménez in a WBA flyweight title eliminator on 16 July 2022, on the undercard of the Ryan Garcia and Javier Fortuna lightweight bout. [11] Sandoval was knocked down in the eleventh round, which proved to be the pivotal moment of the bout, as he lost the fight by majority decision: Two judges scored the fight 114–112 for Jiménez, while the third judge scored it 113–113. [12] Most ringside observers thought Sandoval won the fight, as well as the odds-makers, who had Sandoval as a +900 favorite to win by the end of the contest. [13]
Sandoval faced Jerson Ortiz on 18 February 2023. He won the fight by a second-round knockout. Sandoval dropped his opponent with a punch to the body in the dying seconds of the round, which left Ortiz unable to rise from the canvas. [14]
Sandoval is scheduled to face Ángel Acosta in a 10-round flyweight bout at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA on July 6, 2024. [15]
| 27 fights | 25 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 18 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Win | 25–2 | Ángel Acosta | KO | 10 (10), 1:23 | 6 Jul 2024 | Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Silver flyweight title |
| 26 | Win | 24–2 | Carlos Buitrago | RTD | 8 (10), 3:00 | 30 Mar 2024 | YouTube Theater, Inglewood, California, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 23–2 | Victor Efrain Sandoval | UD | 10 | 21 Oct 2023 | Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 22–2 | Rocco Santomauro | UD | 10 | 10 Jun 2023 | Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Jerson Ortiz | KO | 2 (10), 2:46 | 18 Feb 2023 | Pomona Fox Theater, Pomona, California, U.S. | |
| 22 | Loss | 20–2 | David Jiménez | MD | 12 | 16 Jul 2022 | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Carlos Buitrago | TKO | 7 (10), 0:46 | 4 Dec 2021 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Jay Harris | KO | 8 (12), 2:12 | 25 Jun 2021 | Bolton Whites Hotel, Bolton, England | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Raymond Tabugon | KO | 7 (10), 1:43 | 6 Feb 2020 | Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Gilbert Gonzalez | TKO | 5 (10), 2:25 | 16 Nov 2019 | Plaza De Toros, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Marco Sustaita | KO | 5 (10), 1:16 | 18 Jul 2019 | Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, U.S. | Retained WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight title. |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Christian Aranda Orenday | TKO | 6 (10), 2:07 | 18 Jul 2019 | Bufalo Wild Wings, Culiacan, Mexico | Won vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight title. |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Abisai Palomo Ochoa | TKO | 4 (6), 1:51 | 24 Nov 2018 | Oasis Hotel Complex, Cancun, Mexico | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Oscar Vasquez | UD | 8 | 4 May 2018 | Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Victor Hugo Reyes | UD | 8 | 17 Mar 2018 | Gimnasio Burocratas, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Irving Fierro Verdugo | RTD | 2 (8), 3:00 | 9 Feb 2018 | Gimnasio Independencia, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Efrain Gonzalez | UD | 4 | 8 Dec 2017 | Gimnasio Independencia, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Brent Venegas | SD | 6 | 17 Nov 2017 | Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Pedro Antonio Rodriguez | UD | 6 | 4 Aug 2017 | Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Oskar Jesus Talla Davalos | KO | 1 (4), 2:44 | 4 Aug 2017 | Escape Bar, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Benjamin Solares | KO | 1 (4), 1:52 | 27 Jan 2017 | AS Boxing Arena, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Hector Garcia | KO | 1 (4), 1:13 | 14 Jan 2017 | Gimnasio Municipal Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tecate, Mexico | |
| 5 | Loss | 4–1 | Alonso Ceja | MD | 4 | 4 Nov 2016 | AS Boxing Arena, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Alonso Ronquillo Nunez | TKO | 3 (4), 2:33 | 15 Oct 2016 | Gimnasio Mariano Matamoros, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ulises Gabriel Rosales | TKO | 3 (4), 1:34 | 15 Sep 2016 | AS Boxing Arena, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Hector Garcia | KO | 1 (4), 1:05 | 19 Aug 2016 | Gimnasio Mariano Matamoros, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Adalberto Solares | TKO | 3 (4), 1:00 | 18 Jun 2016 | Plaza Fundadores, Los Algodones, Mexico | |