By Scott Lee

Dominican Junior-lightweight Argenis Mendez has all but finished preparations for his IBF World Title Eliminator this Saturday evening in Carnival City, Brakpan, South Africa, where he takes on experienced Cassius Baloyi.

The classy 24-year-old Mendez, a 2004 Olympian and based in Brooklyn, New York, feels this has been his best ever camp after 8 weeks working with trainer Lee Beard both in California at the Wild Card Gym, and for the past 3 weeks in Johannesburg.

Mendez 17-1 (9), while respecting his experienced opponent, is confident that everything is now in place and that he’ll be the one with his hand raised on Saturday.

“The camp has been great, we had quality sparring in California, and the technical and fitness work with Lee has raised my game even higher”

Trainer Beard, who has worked with high-profile boxers including Joan Guzman, Ricky Hatton and Tim Coleman, feels his charge has all the abilities to go to the pinnacle of the sport.

“Argenis oozes quality, he can box but he carries fearsome power and the form he’s in at the moment, I can only see one result on Saturday night,” Beard said. 

Mendez said “The people in Johannesburg have been very welcoming to us, and I’d like to thank Branco Milenkovic for his hospitality”