A former world champion and one of boxing’s top young stars, Sergio Mora has fit more excitement into his nine years in the pro game than most fighters do in their entire careers. But the 29-year old is far from satisfied, and as the latest member of the Golden Boy Promotions roster, “The Latin Snake” is gearing up for big things in the coming years.
 
A native of East Los Angeles, the same neighborhood that produced future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, Mora was inspired by the rise of “The Golden Boy” and by the age of 15, he began boxing, first in local fights, and then in more organized amateur bouts. His talent for the game was obvious early on, and he soared to the number two spot in the US amateur rankings. Mora would fall short of the 2000 Olympics when he lost in the trials to future world champion Jermain Taylor, but his future was bright as he entered the pros on August 17, 2000 with a four round win over Antonio Maldonado.
 
In his early pro career, Mora gained a solid reputation in the California area, not only for his fights but for his sparring sessions with some of the top local champions, including De La Hoya. But it wasn’t until 2004 that he got his big break when he was chosen to participate in the NBC boxing reality show ‘The Contender.’
 
It was on ‘The Contender’ that fans around the country got to know Mora as a fighter and a person, and when all was said and done, Mora had defeated Najai Turpin, Ishe Smith, Jesse Brinkley, and Peter Manfredo Jr. to win the show’s title while becoming a household name to millions of fans in the process.
 
The next step for Mora was to win a world championship, and during that quest he went unbeaten in his next five fights following the show, defeating Manfredo in a rematch, as well as Archak Ter Meliksetian, Eric Regan, and Rito Ruvalcaba, with the only blemish being a 2007 draw with Elvin Ayala.
 
Those victories earned him a shot at the WBC junior middleweight title on June 7, 2008 and he made the most of his opportunity, scoring a hard-fought 12 round decision over Vernon Forrest to win the championship. Three months later, Forrest would win his belt back, but Mora has not let the defeat discourage him. In fact, he’s more focused than ever as he plans his assault on the middleweight title.
 
On April 3, 2010, Mora made his long-awaited return to the ring against Calvin Green and showed no signs of ring rust as he stopped his opponent in the seventh round.
 
But he faced his biggest challenge in his career on September 18, 2010, when he faced future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.  They battled back and forth for 12 rounds in front of hometown fans with the fight ending in a draw.