Maurice Hooker, center, and Vince Parra, far right (Photo: Stacey Verbeek)
By Chris Robinson
This weekend, much of the focus in the boxing world is going to be geared towards Las Vegas, as the intriguing Erislandy Lara vs. Canelo Alvarez clash takes center stage at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.
And while the matchup is a fine one, later tonight, nearly 300 miles away in Indio, Calif., a noteworthy prospect will look for another step forward.
Dallas’ Maurice Hooker (13-0-2, 9 KO’s) will fight for the first time from the Fantasy Springs Casino when he faces Mexico’s Lauro Alcantar 8-2 (1 KO) in a junior welterweight attraction.
I have been fortunate enough to cover Hooker for a few of his recent training camps out in Las Vegas with his trainer Vince Parra.
The first live action I caught of Hooker was his intense sparring session with promising amateur Kevin Johnson at the Mayweather Boxing Club in December. The two men went at each other with abandon and it was a showcase into Hooker’s temperament as a fighter.
Lanky with a killer right hand, Hooker can’t help but to remind people a little bit of a young Tommy Hearns the way he fights.
In Parra, Hooker was able to find the exact type of coach he needed and you can easily spot the connection they have when working together.
Born and bred in the California fight scene, Parra has years of experience in the game and has plenty of great stories to share, from his time sparring with a prime Shane Mosley to his behind-the-scenes reflections during his days guiding his former pupil Mercito Gesta.
Over the past year, Parra and Hooker have applied a nomad approach to their training, as they have ventured all over the West Coast looking for work.
In that time, Hooker has gained valuable experience sparring world class talents such as IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter, former titlist Ruslan Provodnikov, four-division champion Miguel Cotto, and several others.
So, while the Hooker-Alcantar clash may not grab headlines like the Canelo-Lara duel, it still represents yet another key moment in a fighter who we may be seeing back on our airwaves in the near future.
Want more of Vince and Maurice? Check out the exclusive clips below
Maurice Hooker goes to war with Kevin Johnson at the MBC
Gym bonds with Vince Parra and Mo
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com