Leduan Barthelemy has the pedigree of a champion boxer, and now he hopes to take another step toward becoming one himself.
At 6 feet tall, Leduan Barthelemy provides a tall order for opponents at 130 pounds. He will try to remain unbeaten March 28 when he faces Reynaldo Blanco in a 10-round bout in Nice, California. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
Barthelemy is the youngest brother of Olympic gold medalist Yan and two-division world champion Rances. While the 27-year-old Cuban doesn’t possess the impressive ring credentials that his siblings do, he remains unbeaten six years into his professional career.
Leduan Barthelemy (12-0, 6 KOs) will look to continue his climb up the 130-pound rankings when he faces Reynaldo Blanco (14-3, 8 KOs) on March 28 in a 10-round bout that headlines a Premier Boxing Champions Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays card at Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California (FS1, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
The co-main event will feature unbeaten Marcos Hernandez (9-0, 2 KOs) against Kyrone Davis (11-1, 5 KOs) in a 154-pound bout set for 10 rounds, and unbeaten 160-pound prospect Malcolm McCallister (8-0, 8 KOs) will compete in a six-round contest.
“I'm very grateful to be headlining on FS1 and FOX Deportes,” Barthelemy said. “My opponent is very durable and has never been stopped. I know he's determined to win this fight, but so am I.
“I'm well prepared to go the distance if need be, but if I have him hurt, I'm going for the knockout. I'm going to dictate the pace with my game plan from the opening bell.”
Barthelemy, who was born in Cuba but now lives and trains in Las Vegas, has already fought once this year. The 6-foot-tall southpaw earned a six-round unanimous decision over Jesus Aguinaga in Las Vegas on January 28 as part of the Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz undercard.
For his fight against Blanco, the unbeaten Cuban will return to the scene of two of his four victories in 2016. Barthelemy earned a first-round KO of Pedro Melo at Robinson Rancheria Resort on March 15 before winning an eight-round split decision over Ricardo Nunez there on September 13.
Barthelemy’s oldest brother, 37-year-old Yan, won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics before compiling a pro record of 13-3 (4 KOs) competing at 118 and 122 pounds. Rances Barthelemy, 30, is a two-division world champion who vacated his 135-pound title last year to pursue opportunities at 140 pounds.
Blanco, 29, was born in Nagua, Dominican Republic, but lives and trains in Puerto Rico. He won five of his six fights in 2016, and is coming off a second-round KO of Gustavo Rodriguez in the Dominican Republic on December 16.
While aware of his opponent’s impressive lineage, Blanco said he’s not looking to become anybody’s steppingstone.
“I'm coming to get this win and ruin his record,” Blanco said. “I'm very grateful for the opportunity and I'm training hard in camp so that I'm ready for anything Barthelemy brings.
“I'll leave it all in the ring and I believe I have what it takes to get the victory.”
For a complete look at Barthelemy vs Blanco, visit our fight page.
