JULIO LEAR

updated February 20, 2007

At the age of 26, Julio is a four-year pro. A contender at 115 pounds, he has won three fights in a row since his only loss in May, 2005, against former WBA super flyweight world champion Alexander Munoz.

He is fighting outside of his native Argentina for the first time, and stepping up in class of opposition against Jorge Arce.

Julio said through an interpreter, "I train at the Corral De Palos Gym in Cordoba. It's famous because we have two world champions here already. One of them is Omar Narvaez, the WBO flyweight champion, and the other is Mariano Carrera, the WBA middleweight champion. They are my stablemates and train here, too.

"My style in the ring is just depends on my opponent. I've seen Jorge Arce fight. He's a true warrior, he is always going forward. I don't have any specific strategy right now. I just found out about this fight about two or three days ago. [note: interview on Dec. 19]

"But I will sit with my trainer and study Arce. I do know that I will have the best preparation of my career for this fight."

Argentinian journalist Sebastian Contursi, who is assisting Ler's promoters, said, "Julio has always been a very talented fighter. But he lacked in international experience until May, 2005, when he fought Alexander Munoz, the former champion. Julio gave a very good performance in that fight, even though he lost. But now that he's had that experience, he says that this time he's mentally prepared to fight an opponent of the caliber of Arce.

"His nickname, 'chupete,' comes from the verb 'chupar,' which is slang for like, drinking from a bottle. Literally, chupar means 'sucking.' People might think that he's a drunk or something, which is not the case, of course. The other meaning of the word chupete is that thing that the baby uses to suck. You know, a little thing that they put on their mouths when they are babies. A pacifier."

Julio added, "Years ago, my gymmate who is now the current WBA middleweight champion, Mariano Carrera, and I were doing an exhibition and we were drinking a beer. We started joking around, and he started calling me that."

Julio said, "I was born and raised in Cordoba, Argentina. I have two sisters who have passed away, and two brothers. One of my sisters died just a few minutes after she was born. The other one died in a car accident. My mother is a housekeeper, and my father is a construction worker.

"I wasn't that interested in boxing at first, but I was interested in the physical training of boxing. A friend of mine took me to a gym in Cordoba just to show me around, and I was impressed with the intensity of the training.

"I started boxing when I was 16. I had 53 amateur fights, with 38 wins, seven losses, and eight draws. I was a three-time national amateur champion, and I was on the national team, too, but I didn't fight in any major international tournaments. "I'm single. I used to live with my girlfriend and we have two children, one boy and one girl. But we're separated now."...