Second chances are very few and far in between, and Braian Suarez knows that.

Argentina’s Suarez was supposed to take on Lyndon Arthur back in March in Bolton, and made it all the way to the weigh-in when a diagnosis of sinusitis came in at the last minute and forced him to scratch his plans.

Back in Bolton for the second time and ready for what will finally be his first fight abroad, Suarez hit another roadblock when he came in a little over half a pound above the divisional limit for the light heavyweight division, but the fight will go on, and he will face Arthur tomorrow at the Bolton Whites Hotel.

“I am very happy for this new opportunity,” said Suarez (18-1, 17 knockouts) in a recent interview. “I’ve been preparing myself for this. I feel well physically and mentally. And as I said, this fight is the most important one of my career, I need to do everything to bring back the win. Really pumped up for the fight. Ready to give my best.”

Having an extra five months to study his opponent should be enough for Suarez to know how to approach this challenge, but he believes he had Arthur (22-1, 15 KOs) already figured out even ahead of their first failed meeting.

“Arthur is a good fighter, he moves well in the ring and has great footwork. Our idea is to overwhelm him and not give him any room to maneuver and be comfortable. We have to make him uncomfortable and be on the attack a lot,” said Suarez. “I imagine a fight a fight in which I will be attacking all the time while he retreats, but he has his own strengths that I need to look out for. I have to be the one who takes the initiative, though.”

Jumping right into the fight could be a tricky proposition for Suarez, whose only loss was a heartbreaking stoppage at the hands of Venezuela’s Albert Ramirez last hear.

“My loss in 2022 was tough, I didn’t expect it,” said Suarez, 31, who fought that fight in an outdoor venue in mid-winter in Argentina, an unusual setting in a barely sheltered garage by the local casino in Buenos Aires. “I was caught with a very hard punch to the midsection, in the very first round when my body was still cold, and I was unable to recover quickly enough. But you learn from those things, and I hope this will never happen again.”

As much as he may be affected negatively by his weight issues and other negative situations, Suarez believes that the comparison provided by his performance against a common rival with Arthur sheds some light of hope on his prospects for a mild upset in this fight.

“I saw Arthur’s fight with (Walter) Sequeira and I did draw some conclusions, but we have studied those fights thoroughly and we have a good fight plan that we will try to put in motion against Arthur,” said Suarez, who brutally stopped Sequeira in Argentina back in 2020. “A win here will put me right in the middle of the picture at the international level.”

Even though Suarez does not have any pro bouts outside Argentina, he does claim to have some top-level international experience.

“My first experience as an amateur abroad was in Cuba, in the famous Cordoba Cardin tournament. It is a tough tournament, it was my first experience away from home, and I got a bronze medal after losing the semifinals to future world champ Carlos Gongora. It was a great experience,” said Suarez, who would later participate in AIBA’s World Series of Boxing as well, losing to Germany’s Peter Mullenberg in his most high-profile bout in that series. “That one was a tough fight that I ended up losing, but I was not as experienced back then. It helped me become the fighter I am now.”

Suarez started as a soccer player in the local Almagro club and went through the entire farm system before trying boxing when he was 18 as a hobby, and he has proved to be a fast learner. Still, he feels the best is yet to come.

“I am very proud to represent my country. I will fight with victory in mind, whatever the cost.”

Diego M. Morilla writes for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.

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