PINOY BOXERS IN CRUCIAL WEEKEND BOUTS OVERSEAS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 19 Sep 2017
It will be an eventful weekend for Filipino boxing fans who will be following the fortunes of four fighters figuring in crucial overseas fights.
Genesis Servania (29W-0L,12KO?s) will have to wage the fight of his life when he challenges WBO world featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (22-0,19KO?s) of Mexico at the Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona on September 22.
On the same date in South Africa, Jack Tepora (20-0,15KO?s) of the Omega Gym of Cebu will battle South African Lusanda Komanisi (21-3, 18KO?s) at the Orient Theater in East London.
Servania was a headliner of the ?Pinoy Pride? fight cards before he moved to Japan two years ago. He is ranked number four by the World Boxing Organization and holds the WBO Asia-Pacific featherweight title.
Valdez won the vacant WBO world title against Argentinian Matias Rueda by second round TKO in July of last year. He is an accomplished amateur boxer, winning a gold in the AIBA juniors in 2008, a silver in the 2011 Pan-American Games and a bronze in the 2009 World Amateur Championships. He also qualified for the 2012 Olympics where he was eliminated in his third bout. Valdez, a Top Rank boxer, has already two successful defenses tucked under his belt.
Tepora on the other hand will be making his first overseas venture and risking his unbeaten record. He holds the WBO Oriental super bantamweight belt. Tepora is ranked by the WBO as number nine on their contender list but he will be fighting one division higher as a featherweight.
Komanisi is a former IBO world champion and has two wins against Filipino Roli Gasca.
On September 23, Nonito Donaire (37W-4L,24KO?s) will be making his first appearance inside the ring since he lost his WBO world super bantamweight title to Jessie Magdaleno last November 5, 2016.
Donaire will face Ruben Garcia Hernandez (22-2-1,9KO?s) of Mexico at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas for the vacant WBC Silver featherweight title.
The only regional title on Hernandez?s resume is the WBC Carribbean Boxing Federation belt he won in 2013. Last year, he lost to former IBF world bantamweight champ Randy Caballero.
Donaire is currently ranked number four in the 122lb division of the WBO but will be going back as a featherweight where he had a short stint as a WBA world champion. The Filipino Flash has distinguished himself in five weight categories.
This will be Donaire?s first fight outside of Top Rank when it was announced a couple of months ago that he joined Ringstar Sports.
Also on September 23, Romero Duno (14W-1L,13KO?s) of the Sanman Gym of Gen.Santos City will battle Juan Pablo Sanchez (30W-13L,14KO?s) of Mexico on the undercard of the WBA world lightweight title fight between Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Sanchez is a former WBC Mundo Hispano lightweight titlist. Duno, who holds the WBC Youth Intercontinental title, but the WBC doesn?t have him in their latest rankings.
Duno made waves last March in Los Angeles when he stopped erstwhile undefeated Golden Boy prospect Christian Gonzalez in two rounds. This led to Golden Boy Promotions signing Duno to a contract.
PHOTO- Clockwise from top left Genesis Servania, Nonito Donaire, Jack Tepora, Romero Duno
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