Jornel Lugo awaits next opportunity during COVID-19 pandemic
Interview with Jornel Lugo above
Jornel Lugo’s first professional main event bout will need to wait.
His scheduled Shamrock Showdown headliner against Carlos Espinosa on March 17 was canceled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. It’s a minor setback for the 24-year-old, but it’s not the end of the world.
Lugo says it’s only a matter of time till he earns another main event opportunity.
“If I’m the best like I believe I am then it’s going to happen at some point and will continue to happen, so it’s alright,” Lugo said
“It’s just not as soon as I wanted it to be.”
Unbeaten in three professional bouts, Lugo is yet to fight anyone with a losing record. With each fight, his opponents’ records improve on paper.
At the time he fought each of his three opponents, they held a combined record of 6-1.
In his most recent outing, Lugo earned a unanimous decision win against John Duoma at Bellator 232 last October. Duomo came into the bout at 4-1.
The Florida resident is already looking for another step up in competition. His manager is in talks with LFA, while his coach is working with Titan FC.
“One thing that I like is that I’ve stepped up pretty fast,” Lugo said. “Each fight, I’ve stepped it up. A lot of these guys in South Florida or in general, they fight a lot of bums. They’ll fight guys like 1-10 or just losing records”
“If you’re the best, you’re the best”
Lugo turned professional just a little over a year ago. After competing nine months ago, he is on the longest layoff of his career. Lugo planned for a January return and then again in March, but both bouts fell through.
“I feel like it’s much harder to just start camp than to just keep doing it,” Lugo said. “‘I’ve been literally in camp since January. I wouldn’t even call it camp, I just call it staying in good, good fight shape.”
Lugo is currently pegged as the No. 11 bantamweight in Florida according to the Tapology rankings. He is yet to have a close fight with a lop-sided decision and two first-round finishes
It’s easy to claim being the best in the world, especially considering the amount of fighters on the planet. Lugo is willing to put his skills to the test.
“A lot of people at 3-0, wouldn’t want to fight a guy with over six fights, who has a winning record,” Lugo said. “ If you’re the best, you’re the best, if you’re not, then you’re not.”
