MASAM SPORTS 5: JADE BORNEA FACES MOHAMMAD OBBADI AS FINAL ELIMINATOR FOR JERWIN ANCAJAS' IBF JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 09 Jan 2022
Philippines’ Jade "Hurricane" Bornea will fight Italy’s Mohammed Obbadi and as approved by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) it will serve as a final eliminator to the IBF junior bantamweight title now held by Jerwin Ancajas.
The showdown will happen on January 14 in Monterrey, Mexico, and the winner will become the number one contender to Anjacas, who is already scheduled to fight in a voluntary title defense on February 5 or February 19 in the United States.
“The IBF has granted formal sanction approval for the IBF Jr. Bantamweight Eliminator for (number one) between Mohammade Obbadi and Jade Bornea,” Carlos Ortiz, chairman of the IBF Championship Committee wrote in an official letter to all parties, as reported by Boxing Scene.
Jerwin Ancajas had his title unification bout with WBO titlist Kazuto Ioka cancelled due to Japan's strict COVID-19 restrictions. The five-year IBF junior bantamweight champion will next face Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez tentatively set in the United States either in New York or New Jersey.
Sean Gibbons said Ancajas wants to return home to the Philippines after his next fight. Ancajas has been training in the US since September. He was scheduled to leave for Japan on December 11 but the title fight was aborted.
“We can’t question (what happened),” said Gibbons as quoted by PhilBoxing. “The Lord works in mysterious ways and this coronavirus is very mysterious. Jerwin is staying focused, he’ll keep working hard.”
Obbadi (22-1, 13KOs) will experience his first career fight outside Europe and his second bout outside of his adopted country Italy. The 28-year-old Obbadi waa born in Casablanca, Morocco but is now residing in Cascina, Toscana, Italy.
He is currently the No. 3 ranked junior bantamweight contender by the IBF rankings. He possesses a high ranking even if his opponents were relatively unknown. Bornea is ranked No. 7 in the IBF super flyweight division.
His only popular opponent dealt Obbadi’s only career loss, a seventh-round stoppage to Cristofer Rosales of Managua, Nicaragua in Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy on October 21, 2017. Rosales proceeded to win the WBC flyweight title six month later.
After the loss, Obbadi has won nine fights in a row, including a first round KO of Jerson Larios, an 8-round decision against Cristian Narvaez, and a six-round decision over Daniel Mendoza in Barcelona, Spain.
During the pandemic, Obaddi has just one fight, a six-round decision win over Joel Sanchez on April 16, 21021 in Milan, Italy.
The 26-year-old Bornea (16-0, 10 KOs) of Arakan, Cotabato del Norte, now based in General Santos City, has fought just once outside the country.
He outclassed American Ernesto Delgadillo (11-1-2, 2 KOs) for a ten-round, split decision win on January 30, 2020 in a showdown of undefeated junior bantamweights in Toppenish, Washington to win the vacant WBC-NABF super-flyweight title.
His all other 14 bouts before the one in Washington were fought in the Philippines. His last fight was his only bout since the pandemic - a ten-round unanimous decision win over countryman Roland Jay Biendima last April 30 in General Santos City.
As an amateur, Bornea competed at the 2012 AIBA Youth World Championships and lost to Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan, 14-25, in the quarter finals of the light flyweight event.
“I have always been well guided and disciplined by my team. I do my part by working hard in the gym. As my coaches keep on telling me, fights are won in training camps. I am always itchy to fight. This pandemic fight is a big break for me”, Bornea stated.
The Philippine boxing fans are hoping for Bornea's success even if it would mean another Filipino versus Filipino world championship fight will follow.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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