The trajectory of Ricardo 'The Scientist' Núñez is respected internationally, and the Cuban press specializing in boxing is aware that the Panamanian pugilist will be a tough task for the Caribbean Jadier Herrera. Herrera and 'The Scientist' Núñez will dispute this Saturday, January 10, the interim lightweight world title of the World Boxing Council (WBC) at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in the city of Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. For Cuban journalist Jorge Hebro, a member of the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, USA, 'The Scientist' Núñez possesses virtues that make him the most difficult rival Herrera has had in his professional career. 'Núñez, with experience and power, represents until now the most demanding challenge of his career (Herrera). With a record of 17-0 and 15 knockouts, the Antillean has dispatched his last nine rivals before the limit, a figure uncommon for a boxer trained in the Cuban school, traditionally associated more with control than destruction. On the other hand, 'The Scientist' Núñez, 32 years old and ranked WBC world No. 1 lightweight, has a professional record of 26 wins (22 knockouts). He is not a superstar, but a rival capable of punishing mistakes, something fundamental to measure the true ceiling of the young Cuban. Winning would not only mean an interim title; it would mean validation,' Hebro opined in an analysis published in the Nuevo Herald of Miami. Hebro recognizes that Herrera, at 23, is not a finished product, but one dangerously advanced.
