Press Release: Mike Anchondo, 27-1 with 19 KOs, is ready to continue his declaration as a world class boxer on April 27, 2007 when he faces off against Darling Jiminez on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. After years of struggling to make 130 pounds, Mike is moving up to the lightweight division where he can carry an extra five pounds. "The guys hit a little harder," Anchondo said, "but ultimately it comes down to the speed and power I have." That speed and power brought Anchondo to the WBO junior lightweight title when he defeated Julio Pablo Chacon in July of 2004. His title reign was short, however, as Anchondo found his plans muffled by conflicts with his then-promotional outfit, Golden Boy Promotions. "They patted themselves on the back before they patted me on the back," Anchondo stated. "They felt like I owed them something." What was the proudest moment of his career quickly degenerated into a quagmire. "The euphoria lasted for a couple of weeks, and then I hit rock bottom," Anchondo recalls. Unable to land meaningful bouts due to promotional politics, Anchondo began to lose focus on his career. "I remember telling a friend that I didn't want to be champion anymore because I just wanted to fight. While I was playing the waiting game, I wasn't training or focused. It all just fell apart."

When he faced off with Jorge Barrios, he found himself unprepared for the task at hand. Coming in 4 1/2 pounds overweight, Anchondo was stripped of the title he worked so hard to earn. "I was just totally out of shape," Anchondo said. "My body was going through dehydration." In a desperate last minute attempt to make weight, Anchondo took to the sauna to sweat off the excess weight. Without anything to perspire in his body, the situation worsened as his body temperature rose and weakened his already compromised physical and mental faculties.

Anchondo suffered the first and only loss of his career, but gained a lifetime of wisdom in the process. "I learned to trust my instincts." Those instincts have brought him to the next stage of his career and development. Since the Barrios fight, Anchondo has reeled off two victories over Antonio Ramirez and Armando Cordoba.

Mike's next effort is a return to ESPN2 against tough Dominican Darling Jiminez of The Bronx, NY. For his task, Anchondo returned to his SoCal roots. "Bring me home!" Anchondo said, as he moved his base of operations from Florida to a gym situated on the second floor of a garment factory in Vernon, CA. There, under the watchful eye of Joe Hernandez, he has found new life as a boxer, reigniting the passion he has cultivated since putting on his first pair of gloves at 6 years old.

After Jiminez, Anchondo plans on targeting the wide-open division in search of his second world championship. Ring Magazine champion Joel "El Cepillo" Casamayor tops his list, a bout made more manageable since both share a common promotional banner. Also in his cross-hairs are fellow Mexican-Americans Juan Diaz, Julio Diaz, and David Diaz.

One strand of unfinished business that continues to seethe in Anchondo is avenging his lone defeat. "One of the things I want to do before I retire is smash Barrios," Anchondo stated, as rage welled up from from his usually composed persona.

Now, 28 fights into his career, he has changed the team around him and returned to the business of scoring knockouts. Out are Golden Boy Promotions and Joel De La Hoya, his former manager and father of Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya. Now manning the ship for Anchondo are DRL Promotions and Andy Moore. Anchondo, who gained international recognition as a character in the video game "Fight Night Round 1", has also added publicist Ed Rosa to his team.