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Martin Caraballo Takes It All In | Canelo vs Crawford

The Moment Won't Be Too Big For 21-Year-Old 'Sweet Science' On September 13
By Thomas Gerbasi, on X: @thomasgerbasi (Cover photo by Nemesia Production/Unsplash.com) • Sep. 8, 2025

Martin Caraballo is like most of the fighters on Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford card, having never competed in a stadium that will hold over 60,000 people. 

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The 21-year-old is saying all the right things, declaring that “It's going to be my first time, but it ain't nothing too big for me.” But with only one pro fight under his belt, making his way to Las Vegas to battle debuting Sultan Almohammed with the world watching has to be the most lonesome feeling in the world.

Thankfully, the Floridian has some backup in the form of his coach, Ada Velez.

When Velez had the gloves on, she was the first native Puerto Rican to win a women’s world title, and before the ladies’ end of the sport took off in recent years, she fought killers like Melissa Del Valle, Layla McCarter, Kaliesha West and Melinda Cooper, earning herself a place in the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame. Velez only fought in Vegas once, defeating Cooper in their 2011 rematch, but it left an impression and taught her invaluable lessons that she will impart to her fighter. The most important? Take it all in but don’t let it take you over.

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“This is going to be so much fun,” said Velez. “You’ve just got to have fun and don't overlook at the crowd because you can get overwhelmed. But what you could do in the ring over in your old gym, you could do it better out there. You just got to focus and block everybody out and listen to one voice in that ring. That one voice is mine and that's it.”

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Velez laughs, but she’s serious. Sure, Caraballo has just one draw on his pro record and a reported 52 amateur bouts, but the former champ sees something special in him.

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“His nickname is ‘Sweet Science’ for a reason,” she said. “He's a very, very intelligent fighter inside of that ring. After his first fight, we got closer, and he now understands the bigger picture. When you have so many obstacles in the outside world, you sometimes lose focus. And he put a lot of things to the side as a man and he grew more and has more and more understanding and wisdom. And now we're compatible and now we click. I tell him to do something, he does it and he does it even better. He's very mature, he’s grown and he's ready to go.”

In April, Caraballo made his pro debut against Max Quinones and the pair fought to a four-round majority draw. The OCC Road House and Museum in Clearwater, Florida, which Caraballo estimates holds around 300 people, won’t compare to Allegiant Stadium, but getting that first one out of the way was important, especially since his 17-year-old foe will be making his debut this weekend.

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“It was a learning experience, for sure,” he said. “I did some things that I shouldn't have done, but it was a learning experience. So now that I overcame that, I’ll do way better.”

And should he score the upset, he probably won’t be going back to 300-seat venues anytime soon. No, it won’t be arenas and stadiums every night, but it will give him a higher profile and a future that the boxing world will be watching.

“I hope it changes for the better,” said Caraballo when asked how a win changes his career. “This is one of my dreams and I just want it to go up from here.”

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