Ricky Medina

Ricky “El Castigo” Medina was born October 14, 2000, in San Antonio, Texas, a city with a rich fighting heritage. Ricky Medina grew up in a tight-knit neighborhood in San Antonio, where boxing was more than a sport - it was a way of life. Under the guidance of his first trainer, Carlos “El Maestro” Hernandez, Medina learned the fundamentals. Medina’s dedication deepened spending early mornings and late evenings in the gym. Driven by a goal to rise above his surroundings and one day carry the torch for San Antonio boxing. From the start, Medina stood out in the amateur ranks capturing five national championships.

He turned professional at 18, debuting on February 24, 2019, with a unanimous decision over Jose Casiano (1-1-1), controlling the bout with a clean jab and sharp angles. On March 5, 2021, he traveled to Reynosa, Mexico, where he swept all six rounds against the rugged Jose Alfredo Cobos (7-4-2), proving he could dominate even in hostile territory. Later that year, on December 11, Medina outclassed Oscar Mojica (12-6-1) in San Antonio, earning scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73. The momentum carried into March 14, 2022, when Medina faced Armando Frausto (9-2-1) in front of a hometown crowd. After systematically wearing Frausto down with precision body shots and sharp counter hooks, Medina forced a doctor stoppage just ten seconds into the eighth round. That summer, he accepted the toughest challenge of his career against unbeaten Raymond Ford (11-0-1) for the WBA Continental Americas and IBF North American featherweight titles. Medina lost a unanimous decision but gained valuable experience from sharing the ring with a world-class opponent, sharpening his understanding of what it takes to compete at the sport’s highest levels. In September 2024, Medina stepped onto the T-Mobile Arena stage in Las Vegas to meet another undefeated contender, Jonathan Lopez. Despite Lopez taking the unanimous decision, Medina’s willingness to exchange against a faster, flashier opponent showed his commitment to growth.

His nickname, “El Castigo” (“The Punishment”), reflects a style that has San Antonio buzzing like the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas. San Antonio has produced modern champions like Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, whose rise has helped cement the city’s reputation as a true fight town—where big nights bring the community together, ending gang violence. Arenas buzz with energy, and the passion rivals that of Las Vegas. Medina’s mission is to add his name to that lineage, to become not just a product of San Antonio boxing but one of its defining figures, carrying the city’s fight culture onto bigger stages while keeping its spirit alive in every punch he throws.

Carlos “El Maestro” Hernandez’s influence on Ricky Medina is unmistakable. From foundational footwork to complex combo patterns, in an attempt to create the perfect flurry fighter who embodies both pinpoint accuracy and power. This relationship - fighter and trainer - echoes the legendary dynamic between Ippo Makunouchi and Genji Kamogawa, underscoring how great mentorship transforms raw potential into boxing artistry. Hernandez instilled in Medina a foundation built on fundamentals while encouraging an aggressive, break-down-the-opponent mentality. This dual focus on skill and tenacity defines Medina’s approach inside the ring and marks his evolution as a fighter. Medina’s footwork reflects Hernandez’s training philosophy: light angles, cut, and control distance. Much like how Genji Kamogawa honed Ippo Makunouchi’s movement, Medina uses center control pivots and lateral steps to evade counters and position himself to attack efficiently. This mobility is crucial in setting up his favorite combinations. This echoes a similar pattern to Ippo’s head-body-body-head assault, designed to disorient and dismantle opponents methodically.

Both Carlos “El Maestro” Hernandez and Genji Kamogawa favor a fight-opening style built on controlled aggression, designed to set the tone early with tactical jabs and fast-paced flurries. Hernandez, working with Ricky Medina, emphasizes a sharp, probing jab used not just to score but to create openings for quick, methodical combinations. Medina’s jab is crisp and stinging more than just a range finder; it’s a weapon that dictates distance and tempo from the first bell. This jab often leads into tight, flurries that mix head and body shots, keeping the opponent off balance and forcing them into a reactive, not active mode. Similarly, Kamogawa, the master trainer behind Ippo Makunouchi’s rise, teaches a jab that sets up the rhythm of the fight quickly, but snapping. Ippo’s jab isn’t about power alone but about breaking down defenses and setting up his signature relentless offensive bursts. Both trainers value footwork that supports these jabs with pivots and subtle steps that position their fighters to launch counters or close the distance quickly. One classic combination Medina employs begins with a sharp jab to the head, disrupting his opponent’s rhythm, followed by a hard right cross, and then a quick double-body shot—usually left hooks to the ribs—before finishing with a sneaky left hook to the head. This sequence mirrors the tactical layering taught by Hernandez: use the jab to measure and control, the right cross to inflict damage, and the body shots to sap energy and lower the opponent’s guard.

For example, in his fight against Oscar Mojica, Medina showcased this combination repeatedly, mixing head and body shots with surgical precision, gradually breaking Mojica’s defense and controlling the pace. This approach shows clear signs of his technical maturation—fighting smart while staying aggressive, a balance Hernandez pushed from early on. Medina also adapts mid-fight, seamlessly switching between outside boxing and close-quarter pressure, a skill learned from Hernandez’s insistence on versatility and mental sharpness. What ties the styles together is the gritty, toe-to-toe fighting that often unfolds after the initial exchanges. Hernandez’s fighters, like Medina, are known for their willingness to engage in close quarters, battling on the ropes with hard body shots and tough exchanges. This mirrors Ippo’s style under Kamogawa, where fights often devolve into scrappy physical battles. Filled with constant movement, bobbing and weaving. Much like a high-stakes pickup basketball game where every inch and every possession counts. Both mythical and real-life camps embrace this scrappy spirit—they train their fighters not just to be technical but to thrive in the chaos of close-range battles. The fights often look less like choreography. It’s this combination of technical sharpness and hardcore brawling that makes the styles of Hernandez and Kamogawa’s fighters uniquely compelling and effective.