Manny Robles Is Boxing's Upset Maker

It's only February, and Manny Robles is off to a strong start as a "trainer of the year" contender.

This past weekend, the unheralded Brandon Figueroa, trained by Manny Robles, knocked out Nick Ball in the 12th round to win the WBA featherweight title.

Figueroa (27-2-1 with 20 KOs) was a significant underdog (roughly 3-1 in some markets ahead of this fight). Not to mention, Figueroa traveled to Liverpool, United Kingdom for the fight. More than one fighter has been robbed of a decision in the United Kingdom (Miguel Vasquez comes to mind).

Yet, Figueroa refused to leave an entertaining fight in the judges' hands, scoring a late KO over Ball, whose record is now 23-1-1 with 13 KOs.

Robles has trained other name fighters. According to Boxrec, he has trained Batyrzhan Jukembayev, Ramla Ali, Serhii Bohachuk, and Jessie Magdaleno.

Most impressive is his ability to coach his fights to big upsets, some of whom faced longer odds than Figueroa. In horse racing, any horse with greater than five-to-one odds to win the race in question is considered a long shot.

That was the case when Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza captured the WBO featherweight title by upsetting two-time Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramírez (14-3 with 9 Kos). Going into the fight, Espinoza was at least a six-to-one underdog. Espinoza still holds that title today and is undefeated (28-0, 24 KOs),

Espinoza was stirred to win following a rousing speech from Manny Robles and won a majority decision on December 9, 2023, picking up his first-ever world title. Espinoza defeated him again in their rematch on December 7, 2024.

The biggest heavywieght boxing upset this century

Not all of the fighters Robles has trained have been able to win a world title in an upset and hold onto it. Which brings us to the most important win in Manny Robles's career as an elite trainer.

Andy Ruiz Jr.'s upset victory over Anthony Joshua remains Robles’s most famous win of all. It was perhaps the greatest upset in heavyweight boxing this century. Going into their fight on June 1, 2019, Joshua was heavily favored. His Madison Square Garden appearance was meant to launch a series of fights in the United States.

Southern Californian, Andy Ruiz Jr., said not so fast. Ruiz was knocked down early but rallied to knock Joshua down four times. The referee stopped the fight in the 7th round, and Andy Ruiz Jr. leapt into the air as the new WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight champion.

He lost the titles in a rematch, but it was this win that first brought attention to Manny Robles as the upset king.

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