Top Rank announced today it signed yet another blue chip 2012 Olympian — 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao of Brazil. He will make his professional debut in early 2014.
It’s intriguing for several reasons, not least of which is the fact that Falcao’s bronze medal winning brother Yamaguchi signed with Golden Boy earlier this year.
Falcäo, 23, advanced to the Olympic finals as a middleweight, mowing down top international competition before losing to gold medalist Ryota Murata (also a Top Rank fighter) of Japan. It was the first time a Brazilian boxer ever reached an Olympic final.
“We are thrilled that Esquiva has joined Top Rank. He has so much talent and we look forward to letting that talent shine on an international stage,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “Brazil boasts a robust media market and a rabid fan base. There is a reason why Brazil is hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. We look forward to using those platforms in promoting Esquiva.”
The southpaw Falcäo joins a sterling list of Olympians already on Top Rank’s roster, including gold medalists Zou Shiming of China, Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine, Murata, and Egor Mekhhontcev of Russia, and three other exciting prospects — American Jose Ramírez, Puerto Rican Felix Verdejo and Mexican Óscar Valdez — all of whom aspire to become Top Rank’s next generation of world champions.
