Sergio Mora (17-0, 3 KOs) became a known commodity with his terrific performance on the NBC TV show "The Contender", which has been moved to ESPN for its second season. Mora ran thru the best fighters on the show including Ishe Smith, Jesse Brinkley, Peter Manfredo Jr. and the deceased Najai Turpin.

Mora showed a lot of guts and versatile boxing skills on his way to winning the $1 million prize. Sergio Mora has a lot of guile and heart and his Mexican pride is very indicative of his background.

Sergio recently announced he was finished with Contender match-ups and was looking for bigger and better things. Mora has a plethora of opponents available at 160 and has the makings of a star if he can improve his power.

Mora is a brawler despite below average punching power and he is not afraid to mix it up. Mora relies on activity and his ability to roll with punches. He does switch from orthodox to southpaw but he has even less power as a lefty.

Sergio Mora should have his pick of promoters but he definitely would seem to be a perfect target for West Coast specialist Bob Arum and his longtime promotional company Top Rank. Mora needs to continue to build on his California fans and possibly cross over into Las Vegas. Mora could be an intriguing opponent for Cali stars Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas. Mora is naturally a bit bigger than all three but his lack of power makes him nothing to be feared.

The coming year will be critical for the development of Mora. He plans on fighting in either February or March against a ranked opponent, whatever that means. Faded ex-middleweight champ William Joppy might be a good stepping stone, as would Shannan Taylor or Antwun Echols.

Mora is mentally prepared he just needs to find a top trainer and develop more power and better timing on his punches. Sergio Mora could become a titleholder within a few years if he continues on this pace.

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