Cebu Opens Boxing Season With Triple International Title Bouts
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 30 Jan 2025
Cebu ushers in a new boxing season with a triple International title fights involving a South Korean against a Japanese and two Filipinos versus a couple of Chinese in the main event bouts at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu City on February 8 2025.
World rated Jong Seon Kang clashes against Japan's #7 Ryuto Owan in a 12-round bout for the WBO Global featherweight title in the principal main event.
Meanwhile Genesis Servania and Rodex Piala cross mitts against a duo of Chinese fighters, Aketeliati Yeleijan and Yeerjialahasi Laaybieke for the vacant WBO Oriental lightweight championship and the WBO super featherweight title, respectively in a pair of 12 round bouts in the supporting main events.
Highly rated minimumweight Vic Saludar will also see action against Roldan Sasan in a 10 round non title bout in the promotion dubbed as "Binukbukay sa Sugbu" put up by Winley de la Fuente with Michael John Palacios as matchmaker which involves three more bouts as appetizers.
Jong is known to Filipino boxing fans as the South Korean who knocked out Pete Apolinar in defense of his WBO Oriental featherweight crown in 2021 but was outpointed by then upcoming Leinard Sarcon in a ten round fight in Siheung, South Korea. The loss to Sarcon is his only defeat in a fight record which saw him won over 20 others, 11 by KOs with two drawn contests. Since losing to Sarcon, Jong has won five straight fights, three by knockout and two on points including against Milan Melindo in 2023.
Owan has a record of 13 wins and 2 losses, including 8 KO victories. He has defeated five Pinoy fighters namely Jun Blazo, Alvin Medura, Robin Langres, Gary Tamayo and the most prominent being Mark Anthony Geraldo. He lost to world rated Yoshiki Shimomishi on points last year.
Servania should be favored against Yeleijan as the Chinese has previously been beaten by Albert Pagara in an IBF Asia lightweight title fight in Manila.
The other Chinese, Laaybieke has a record of 10 wins including 7 KOs against two losses suffered very early in his career. He is the defending WBO Oriental super featherweight titlist having won the belt against Vergel Vitor via 5th round TKO in Tagbilaran City, Bohol last year.
Piala has a mark of 10-1 with one KO win but his only loss came against the world rated Kenji Fujita on points in Japan in a WBO Asia Pacific featherweight title bout.
Saludar's fight could be a tune up or stay busy bout as he is highly rated in the minimumweight where two Pinoys Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran hold the WBC and IBF titles and Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo holds the unified WBA-WBO belts.
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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