• STEVEN LUEVANO
• Updated: 082708
• Age: 27 (3-3-81)
• Residence: La Puente, California
• Birthplace: East Los Angeles, California
• Record: 35-1-1, 15 KOs
• Height: 5’8”
• Reach: 69”
• Manager: Cameron Dunkin
• Trainer: Robert Garcia (former IBF jr. lightweight world champion), Eduardo Garcia (Robert’s father)

STEVEN LUEVANO (pr. lou-EVAN-o) (35-1-1, 15 KOs)...

World championship fights: 3-0-1, 1 KO...

WBO featherweight world champion, three successful defenses...

Former NABO featherweight champion, one successful defense...

Former NABO jr. featherweight champion...

WBC Continental Americas featherweight champion...

1997 National Jr. Olympic amateur champion, 119 pounds...

At the age of 27, Steven is an eight-year pro. The WBO featherweight world champion, he won the vacant title in July, 2007, and has made three successful defenses.

In his last fight in June, 208, he fought to a 12 round draw against fellow-lefthander Mario Santiago.

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: It was the fight of the night on the Pacquiao-Diaz card as Luevano, 27, and Puerto Rico’s Santiago, 29, battled in entertaining fashion all the way. Santiago had the better part of the action early but seemed tired down the stretch. Luevano, in great condition for his third defense, seemed to strengthen as the fight went on. He withstood some serious punches from Santiago but appeared to will himself through some rocky moments, the sign of a real champion. Luevano and Santiago exchanged knockdowns in the second round and provided a lot of fireworks for an appreciative crowd.

Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported [excerpts]: What a good fight it was between featherweights Steven Luevano and Mario Santiago, whose all-southpaw 12-rounder was absorbing from start to finish, including a dramatic second round in which each went down.

Luevano earned the draw on guts, willpower and experience.... I thought that Luevano, after shaky spells in the middle rounds, might be able to pull out a win as he pressed ahead in the later stages but he just couldn’t quite get enough punches on target to swing the verdict his way. Each man thought he had won: the draw seemed a fair and fitting conclusion to this excellent contest.

In his previous fight in March, 2008, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Thai challenger Terdsak Jandaeng.

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com: The 27-year-old La Puente, Calif., native sure knows how to fight. He’s so smooth and disciplined in the ring that he would give just about anyone in the division a difficult fight. Although Jandaeng landed a great short left hand in the fourth round to knock him down, Luevano quickly collected himself and dominated the fight. He relied on his best weapon - his right jab, which he used effectively with abandon, landing a CompuBox featherweight record 240 of them. The evidence was Jandaeng’s swollen left eye. It was a very solid victory for Luevano, in his second title defense.

After Steven travelled to London and won the vacant WBO title with an eleventh-round knockout against local favorite Nicky Cook in July, 2007, Boxing News editor Claude Abrams reported from ringside that Steven is “a superb technician with outstandingly quick hands and beautiful poise, the type of boxer I could watch all day. Not long into the fight one could tell Luevano was a little special – he cut a relaxed figure and the speed and smoothness with which he countered soon had Cook hesitant to attack.”

Key Fights – 2008 – 3RD WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 6-28-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he fought to a 12 round draw against lefthanded Mario Santiago (19-1): the bout was on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-David Diaz main event at Mandalay Bay; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and it stole the show; Santiago scored a knockdown with a left hand that dropped Steven to one knee in the 2nd round, but Steven got up and knocked down Santiago with a left hand moments later; there were several good exchanges in the fight - both were rocked in the in the 5th and 8th rounds, and again in the 10th; scored 117-111 Luevano, 115-113 Santiago, 114-114; after the fight, Steven said, “The guy had a good jab and he really controlled the early part of the fight, but I felt I was the stronger guy in the second half. He tried to take me out early and I felt I was going to be stronger toward the end of the fight and I was. I’m still champion but the record book should say ‘W’ instead of ‘D.’ ”...

2ND WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 3-15-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded Terdsak Jandaeng (29-2): the fight was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch main event at Mandalay Bay; Steven dominated most of the fight – he rocked Jandaeng with a left hand in the 1st round and raised a swelling around his left eye; Jandaeng scored a knockdown with a left hand in the 4th round, but Steven recovered and outboxed and outworked Jandaeng for the rest of the fight; scored 119-109, 119-109, 118-109; after the fight, Steven said, “He can be pretty strong. He was a lot stronger than I thought and he got me good. I just put that out of my mind and started working my jab and controlling him with my jab, but it was a really tough fight.”...

2007 – 1ST WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-6-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Antonio Davis (24-3): the fight was on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera main event at the Mandalay Bay; Davis gave a good effort – he pressured and swarmed over Steven at times and bloodied his nose in the 6th round; but Steven dominated most of the fight – he jabbed and moved effectively and Davis was cut under his left eye in the 5th; Steven came on strongly in the late rounds – he cut Davis over his left eye, which was also badly swollen, in the 8th round, scored a knockdown with a left hand in the 11th, and won by scores 119-108, 119-108, 118-109; after the fight, Steven said, “He was awkward. I had a tough time for four rounds.”...

WON VACANT WBO F WORLD TITLE – on 7-14-07 in London, ENG, he knocked out previously undefeated former British Commonwealth and European featherweight champion Nicky Cook (27-0): the bout headlined at the O2 Arena and drew an estimated crowd of 7,000; Cook was the hometown favorite and betting favorite, as well, but Steven dominated the fight - he consistently outboxed Cook and steadily wore him down with body punches; Steven scored a knockdown with a left hand to the chin in the 2nd round, but Cook rallied in the middle rounds – he won the 3rd and 6th rounds on two scorecards, then swept the 7th and won the 8th on two scorecards, as well; but Steven came back very strongly in the 9th - Cook was cut over his left eye early in the round, and Steven scored two knockdowns – both with left hands to the body – before the bell; Cook fought desperately in the 10th round, but Steven scored a knockdown with a series of punches late in the round; Steven scored a final knockdown with another left hand to the body early in the 11th, and Cook’s corner stopped the fight in mid-count at 0:29; after 10 rounds, Steven led by scores of 97-89, 97-90, 95-92; ...

2006 – LOST NABO F TITLE ON SCALES, WON FIGHT - in his last fight on 10-13-06 in Nogales, AZ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Baudel Cardenas (15-6-2): Steven lost the title when he weighed in over the 126 pounds limit at 127.5, but dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 2nd round and outboxed and outpunches Cardenas for most of the fight; scored 119-108, 119-108, 118-109...

WON VACANT NABO F TITLE - on 7-21-06 in Uncasville, CT, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Cristobal Cruz (32-7-1): Steven outboxed and outworked Cruz and dominated most of the fight; Steven scored one knockdown in the 1st round and another in the 9th, but his nose was bloodied by a clash of heads in the 10th round; scored 117-108, 116-109, 115-110; after the fight, Steven said, “He took a lot of good shots. I landed a lot of right hooks and he took them well. I could feel them in my wrists.”...

On 3-31-06 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Jorge Martinez (13-4-2): Martinez gave a good effort, but Steven dominated most of the fight; he scored knockdowns in the 1st and 3rd rounds, and won by scores of 100-88, 97-91, 96-92…

2005 - on 11-25-05 in Santa Ana, NM, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision in a nontitle fight against Martin Honorio (19-3-1): it was a good, close fight, but there were several head clashes throughout the bout, and Honorio was warned repeatedly for leading with his head and for low blows; Steven started fast and built a lead - he scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 2nd round, and Honorio was penalized one point for headbutts in the 3rd; Steven’s nose was bloodied in the 4th, but he also staggered Honorio in the round; Honorio rallied in the second half of the fight - he kept a fast pace and constantly pressed forward, and Steven was swollen under his right eye in the 8th; scored 94-93, 95-92, 96-93…

WON VACANT NABO JF TITLE - on 9-9-05 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former Mexican jr. featherweight champion Ruben Estanislao (17-8-2): the fight headlined at the Edgewater Casino in an outdoor arena, and the temperature was around 100 degrees; it was a good, hard fight - Estanislao pressed forward and outworked Steven in the early rounds, but Steven rallied in the second half of the fight; Steven’s nose was bloodied in the 8th round, and Estanislao ws cut over both eyes; scored 118-110, 118-110, 117-111…

WON VACANT WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS F TITLE - on 6-17-05 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d Genaro Trazancos (21-6-1): Steven dominated the fight and scored a knockdown in the 3rd round; he scored another knockdown in the 5th, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:40…

On 3-5-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Julian Rodriguez (14-10-3): the fight was on the undercard of the Jose Luis cAstillo-Julio Diaz main event, and Steven dominated; he rocked Rodriguez several times, and the referee stopped the fight at 3:00 if the 5th round…

2004 - on 11-5-04 in Cicero, IL, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Aldo Valtierra (21-6): the fight was the main event at the Hawthorne Racecourse, and Steven gave an impressive performance; he scored a knockdown in the 3rd round and dominated the fight; scored 100-88, 99-89, 99-89…

On 10-8-04 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Cristian Favela (9-5-3): Steven dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 2nd round, and consistently landed the sharper punches; scored 100-89 on all three scorecards…

On 7-2-04 in Struthers, OH, he TKO’d local favorite Fred Neal (17-2-2): it was an exciting fight; Steven scored three knockdowns in the 3rd round, but Neal came back and fought hard; both fighters were cut over their left eyes; Steven scored another knockdown in the 9th round when Neal was held up by the ropes, and Neal’s corner stopped the fight after the 9th round; the Ohio commission records it as a TKO10 …

On 5-21-04 in Corpus Christi, TX, he knocked out Rodrigo Cerda (21-7-1): Steven scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 1st round, and Cerda was counted out at 2:04…

On 2-13-04 in Laughlin he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Armando Cordoba (20-12-1): Cordoba scored a knockdown in the 2nd round that put Steven on the seat of his pants, but Steven came back and dominated the rest of the fight; he scored two knockdowns in the 7th round and won by scores of 79-71 on all three scorecards…

2003 - on 12-5-03 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d Jose Luis Tula (15-10-2): Steven knocked down Tula with a straight left hand in the 2nd round and he was counted out at 2:39…

On 8-15-03 in Gardnerville, NV, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against veteran Miguel Escamillas (17-4-1): Steven dominated the fight and won by shutout scores of 60-54 on all three scorecards…

On 6-14-03 in Anaheim, CA, he TKO’d Aristeo Perez (7-5-1): Steven cut Perez over the right eye in the 2nd round, and the referee stopped the fight on the cut at 2:46; after the fight, Steven said, “I actually was waiting for that to happen. He kept lunging and I was countering him. I felt that he would receive a cut or my punch would hurt.”; Steven had also beaten Perez by six-round unanimous decision in November, 2002…

On 5-2-03 in Las Vegas he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Arizona prospect John Nolasco (11-1-2): Steven dominated the fight; he kept a busier pace, bloodied Nolasco’s nose in the 3rd round, and won by scores of 80-72, 80-72, 79-73…

On 3-28-03 in Oxnard, CA, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Philip Payne (13-6-1): Steven dominated the fight, scored a knockdown in the 6th round, and won by scores of 60-53 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Steven said, “I was playing it smart and not trying to go for the knockout. I had the opportunity to make him miss and I made him pay. I’m very happy with my performance tonight.”…

On 2-22-03 in Anaheim, CA, he knocked out Marcos Badillo (16-26-1): Steven scored two knockdowns in the 1st round and stopped Badillo at 2:59…

2002 - on 11-1-02 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Aristeo Perez, scored 60-54 on all three scorecards…

On 10-4-02 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Ivan Alvarez (18-11): it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Steven knocked down Alvarez with a straight left; he got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:31 of the 1st round…

On 8-9-02 in Las Vegas he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Juan Garcia, scored 60-53 on all three scorecards…

On 6-21-02 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Justo Sanchez (11-13-1): Steven wore down Sanchez, and the referee stopped the fight after the 3rd round…

2001 – on 7-15-01 in San Jacinto, CA, he won a technical decision against Freddy “Conejo” Castro (1-2-1): Castro was cut by a clash of heads in the 4th round, and the fight went to the scorecards; scored 40-36 on all three scorecards; Steven broke his left hand, and was inactive for 11 months…

On 6-3-01 in San Jacinto he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Juan Martinez (11-16), scored 60-53, 60-53, 59-54…

On 4-8-01 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Martin Llamas (4-10-1), scored 40-36 on all three scorecards…

On 3-4-01 in Reno, NV, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Francisco Rodriguez (8-6-1)…

He debuted at the age of 19 on 6-17-00…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Steven said, “My cousin, Frankie Carmona, got me into boxing. He started going to the gym, so then we just started, too. My mom found out that he was boxing, so she wanted us to try it out to see if we liked it. We never really did any other sport. We ended up liking it. I was seven. My cousin did end up having a couple of professional fights. I had over 200 amateur fights. We figured it out - it was like, 187 wins and 18 losses.”…

He reportedly won 15 national amateur tournaments in all, including four Silver Gloves, two Jr. Golden Gloves, one international Jr. Olympics, and five Blue and Gold…

Steven and his wife Marina have three children...

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 1997 National Jr. Olympic amateur champion, 119 pounds…

Olympic Team Box-offs, Mashantucket, Conn., 125 pounds: on 2-25-00 in he lost an 11-8 decision against Rocky Juarez, who went on to win the Olympic silver medal…

2000 Olympic Trials, Tampa, Fla., 125 pounds: in his first bout on 2-9-00, he won a 17-10 decision against Michael Evans of Dayton, Ohio; in the semi-finals on 2-10-00, he won a 22-0 decision against Hong Gu of Ft. Carson, Colo./Army; in the finals on 2-12-00 he lost a 17-7 decision against Rocky Juarez of Houston, Tex….

STRENGTHS: A lefthander with good skills, speed, and movement...has a good defense, a good counterpuncher...has good punching power...is poised and confident in the ring...is experienced against very good opposition...had a strong amateur background...

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 37 fights...231 total rounds...47 world champioinship rounds...

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.2 rounds...

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 42 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 6 (5-0-1)...11 rounds – 1 (1-0)...10 rounds - 5 (4-1)...