Jhunriel Ramonal Returns to Ring Versus Chinese Foe in May
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Apr 2021
Ramonal (R) in action.
The enigmatic Jhunriel Ramonal hopes to continue with his career resurgence as he takes on also comebacking Xiaojun Qiu of China for the vacant WBA intercontinental super bantamweight title on May 29, 2021 in Biñan City, Laguna.
Ramonal, 31, currently the highest rated Filipino fighter at the 122 lbs division, last saw action on New Year's Eve two years ago or late 2019 by knocking out his second straight then world rated Japanese opponent Yasuku Kuga in the very first round of their 12 round fight at Ota City Prefectural Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
With the win, Ramonal won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific super bantamweight championship and raised him to his current rating as number eleven overall among the world's top 122 pounders.
It was a fitting follow up to his third round stoppage of then highly touted Shingo Wake in October 11 of the same year at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, avenging his OPBF title TKO loss to Wake in late 2013.
Since staging a comeback in late 2018 after nearly four years of absence, Ramonal is unbeaten in five bouts, counting his knockout of Danny Tampipi and two draws with then world rated Ernesto Saulong and then unbeaten Junel Lauza. Ramonal currently totes a deceiving 17-8-6 win loss record, laced by 10 knockout wins.
On the other hand, his scheduled opponent Xiaojun Qiu, 23-4, 10 KOs will be fighting his first bout since 2016. Only two fighters were responsible for his four career losses: Venezuelan Nehomar Cermeno who defeated him twice with the WBA super bantamweight title on the line and now retired Filipino fighter Jonathan Baat who also beat him twice in three fights.
Qiu claimed his first professional title, the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental super bantamweight title against Jilo Merlin in his twelfth fight. He followed this up with a victory over Lizandro De los Santos to claim the interim WBC Youth World super bantamweight title. He would later avenge his two defeats to Baat in 2014, retaining his regional title after five defenses.
In early 2015 Qiu faced veteran Sylvester Lopez and won the vacant WBC Silver super bantamweight title via 6th round technical knockout, moving him up the World Boxing Council's rankings.
However, Qiu was unsuccessful in his two attempts to win the world title, losing to Cermeno by 12th round TKO in Beijing for the vacant WBA super bantamweight title in June 2016 then dropping a unanimous decision to the same Cermeno for the regular title in December of 2016, also in Beijing.
Qiu also holds wins over Pinoys Robert Udtohan, Diarh Gabutan and Jonel Alibio as well as South African Raymond Commey and Russian Ivan Berchuk.
Ramonal therefore has plenty of Pinoy fighters to avenge versus Qiu aside from continuing the momentum of his career resurgence which hopefully would lead to a world title shot in due time. The current world champions in the division are Uzbek Murodjun Akhmadaliev who holds the WBA and IBF unified titles, Mexican Luis Nery (ABC) and American Stephen Fulton (WBO).
The Ramonal-Qiu main event bout is being promoted by the Dino Olivetti Promotion.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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