In the world of boxing, securing a victory is paramount. Accumulating enough wins against worthy opponents can elevate a fighter to contender status. Vladimir Hernandez, with his modest record of 17-6 (7 KOs), has become a contender through a series of impressive victories, including wins over Julian “J-Rock” Williams and Alfredo Angulo. His journey is a testament to perseverance and the ability to reinvent oneself in the face of adversity.
Hernandez is the main event Saturday as he faces Francisco Veron in a 10-round junior middleweight bout at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The bout will stream on ProBox TV.
Hernandez, 17-6 (7 KOs), doesn’t have the shiny record of most title contenders. He instead has a bunch of upsets. He upset former titleholder Julian Williams, Alfredo Angulo, and Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson. When people might have counted out Hernandez, a 36-year-old from Stockton, California, he reinvents himself. After losing a middleweight bout to Troy Isley, Hernandez has won three straight fights on ProBox TV. If he were to win a fourth fight on Saturday, he believes big things are ahead.
Julian Williams vs Vladimir Hernandez action (Frank Micelotta/FOX Sports)
Early Life and Career
Born in Durango, Mexico, to a family instilling strong values, Hernandez, 32, developed an interest in boxing at the age of 13. He dedicated himself to honing his skills, often prioritizing training over school.
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Career Split Between Mexico and the United States
Hernandez’s career has seen him compete both in Mexico and the United States. After consecutive losses in a light-heavyweight bout and a middleweight bout, he sought greater opportunities in California. This relocation to Stockton has proven beneficial, enhancing his boxing résumé.
Overcoming Challenges and Setbacks
Boxing fans may have seen Hernandez before in losing efforts on high-profile cards such as Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz I (DAZN) and Dmitry Bivol vs Jean Pascal (HBO). Like many low-profile fighters without A-side management, Hernandez was brought in to lose to boxers with greater promise such as Israil Madrimov and Souleymane Cissohko. Lose he did, but Hernandez left the ring with valuable experience that surely helped him push past Williams and Angulo just a short time later.
Hernandez asserts that the Madrimov (TKO by 6) and Cissokho (l pts 8) opportunities came on late notice and his efforts to drop weight just hours before the latter fight to meet the contractual agreement stole something from his performance. Even still, he disagrees with the scoring of the Cissokho contest.
Hernandez, who has suffered tough losses in his career to up-and-comers such as Jesus Ramos Jnr, Souleymane Cissokho, Isley, and Israil Madrimov, doesn’t want to start all over again.
Victories and Recognition
Hernandez has won his last three fights on points, beating fighters with a combined record of 69-11-2. Against Williams, fans saw Hernandez fall behind early and absorb some very educated punches. However, his durability and stamina allowed him to completely control the second half of the fight in spite of being cut, bruised and swollen about his face. He never slowed down against Angulo either, but controlled that bout from the onset.
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Hernandez received his fair share of accolades in his last three fights. His knockout of Guido Emmanuel Schramm was seen as a knockout of the year contender in 2024. Hernandez’s win against Raul Garcia is considered one of the most exciting fights of that year. In March, Hernandez won a split-decision over Isaias Lucero in a back-and-forth barnburner.
Hernandez’s style is not unlike that of many Mexican boxers that came before him. Since he lacks one-punch KO power, he relies heavily on his conditioning.
Training Regimen
To maintain peak condition, Hernandez follows a rigorous training routine.
“In the morning, I run six-seven miles. Then I rest before going to the gym,” Hernandez described. “We do 25-30 rounds of everything. Ten rounds of sparring without stopping, throwing any blows. Ten rounds on the punch mitts. Five [rounds of shadow boxing] with a lot of waist movement. If I think, I can box at a distance with movement, but with Williams [I had to do it differently.]”
Future Aspirations
Now that he has added that victory to his résumé, Hernandez believes he may be perceived differently as a boxer. “I think that [next] time they know that I am something dangerous and they know that I will be more dangerous because I will train better,” he predicted. “I am a person who is wanting to fulfil a dream and help his family and move forward with my daughter. All my achievements are based on effort without the help of a promoter. The only thing I have to do is work hard and with effort I can achieve what I want.”
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“I am finally ranked No.15 by the WBC, and winning this fight will put me in the position for a title fight,” Hernandez said. “Honestly, I can’t afford to lose, and that is where I am.”
That effort has earned Vladimir Hernandez a number 10 ranking at super-weterweight with the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. Given the attention received from scoring one of the year’s great upsets in an all-action fight, Hernandez has earned a shot at another top ten contender. Vladimir Hernandez has taken a tough road as a professional, one that ultimately he hopes ends with a title shot
Hernandez sees himself as the fighter of the people, an action fighter who embodies the fighting spirit of the fight fans who pay to see him compete. When asked if he saw himself as the people’s fighter, he responded.
“I 100 percent believe that,” Hernandez said. “Thank you to everyone who supports me, it makes me feel like I am the fighter from the pueblo, the town’s fighter, and the people’s fighter.”
“I think people love an underdog story,” Hernandez told BoxingScene. “People love to support people who come from the hood, the slums, and build their way up.”
Veron, 14-1-1 (10 KOs), has only lost once, and that was his last fight to Brandon Adams in August. Veron, a 26-year-old from Buenos Aires, Argentina, also had a draw with Jahi Tucker in 2023. Veron most notably competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.