It was the bullying, Eduardo “Sugar” Núñez says, when asked what pushed him into boxing. It used to get bad, he remembers, thinking back to his days growing up in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Sometimes terrifying. When Núñez was 13 he overheard a few kids talking about having a knife while he was in the bathroom. When he stepped out of a stall, the group advanced on him with it, poking him in the chest and slashing his shirt. When he escaped, one thought raced through his head: This has to stop.
Núñez can smile at the memory now. Bullied? Today he is a bully, at least in a boxing ring. Núñez, 28, is one of the most physical fighters in any weight class, a 130-pound world champion with a 93% knockout ratio. On Saturday, Núñez (29–1) will attempt to add one more when he takes on Mexican countryman Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) in a title unification clash.
