Nelson Oliva believes sparring with boxing’s best fighters is beneficial to his development in the sport.
Oliva will face Alfonso Olvera tonight at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. The eight round match will be a six match New Blood card that will stream live on Fubo Sports, FOX Deportes, Stadium and Gray TV (9:30 p.m. ET/ 6:30 p.m. PT).
At Friday’s weigh-in, Oliva weighed in at 153.6 pounds. Olvera came in at 153 pounds.
Oliva (11-0, 8 KOs), who lives in Los Angeles, had the fortune of sparing IBF and WBO world titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly and middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz recently. The rounds of sparring benefited Oliva, even changing the mental approach to his fights.
“When I started working with Hamzah, I noticed their approach when it comes to sparring,” Oliva told The Ring this past week. “They really know how to pace themselves and these are already 12-round fighters. I’ve noticed it in the caliber of sparring compared to other fighters I’ve been in the ring with.”
The 28-year-old Oliva is trained by Henry Ramirez, who has also trained the likes of former world heavyweight Chris Arreola and welterweight Josesito Lopez.
Ramirez has seen Oliva’s skills improve over the past few years, whether it’s the amount of mitt work done in the gym or sparring against top level fighters.
“Nestor is a very good fighter,” Ramirez told The Ring earlier this week. “He’s low maintenance and a very humble guy. You actually feel like you’re talking to an adult when you talk to him. He is a good boxer. I think he became a natural boxer. He has a lot of knockouts, but he has improved his skills a lot. He has more evasion. That’s something he will show later. He has fluctuated between 154, 160 and 168 pounds, but he is going to campaign at 160 pounds.”
Oliva first began fighting on Thompson Boxing Promotion cards, promoting fight cards in nearby Ontario and Corona. The general manager and matchmaker was Alex Camponovo, who now runs CBN Promotions since last year.
The Olvera fight will be Oliva’s second this year, but Oliva is grateful for the opportunity to fight on local cards in front of family and friends, including developing as a fighter.
“I’ve been with Alex since the beginning of my career,” says Oliva, who made his pro debut in February 2021. “It was great working with them. It keeps me busy and I think it’s the most important thing about my career. Stay busy and stay active, and just keep getting these fights. I want to improve myself and improve confidence in myself. My team believes in me, and with the skills I’m learning, just to be consistent in my development to go to the next level.”
Oliva would like to fight again this year. Whether he does or not, Oliva believes 2025 will be a great year for him, one where he can stand out and establish himself as a legitimate prospect at 154 pounds.
“I actually believe that 2025 will be a great year for me,” Oliva said. “This is my first official fight as a junior middleweight. There is a lot of talent in that division. There are many battles for me that can be made there.
“Anything can be next after my fight against Olvera. I am open to all opportunities. I’m just a phone call away. I definitely want to fight more often.”
In his last fight on March 30, Oliva Franyerson defeated Puerta by unanimous decision. In his previous fight on November 4, Oliva outboxed Dario Meneses-Guerrero en route to a decision victory.
Olvera (13-8-3, 5 KOs), who is originally from Nogales, Mexico and now lives in Tucson, Arizona, has not fought since a knockout victory over Ousmane Sylla on May 13 of last year. Prior to the win over Sylla, over a span of 11 months, the 34-year-old lost back-to-back fights to Quinton Randall and Delonte Johnson.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at (email protected)
