SUICO GETS WBA TITLE SHOT!
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Jun 2006
World rated Randy Suico at long last gets a shot at a world title when he clashes with undefeated WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz on July 15 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Boxing promoter and manager Rex "Wakee" Salud who is putting together the fight card for the battle between his close friend Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Oscar Larios informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that he received an overseas call from Suico's manager, well-known Japanese journalist Joe Koizumi telling him that Suico had to be pulled out of the July 2 card because of the title shot.
Salud revealed that Diaz is handled by Main Events while his original opponent, Russian Almazbek Raiymkulov was under Bob Arum and Main Events didn't want to deal with Arum. As a result Salud said he would replace Suico with Dennis Laurente against Silverio Ortiz on the Mano-A-Mano card.
Suico who lost a chance for a crack at the WBC super featherweight title of Marco Antonio Barrera when he dropped a controversial twelve round decision to Mzonke Fana of South Africa in a world title eliminator in May 2004 is coming off a sensational fourth round TKO over world challenger Ryuhei Sugita last February 5 in Nagoya in an OPBF title defense.
After the fight Koizumi announced that Suico was moving up to the lightweight division. The 26 year old Suico has a record of 24-2 with 21 knockouts and dropped what many felt was a controversial decision to former IBF champion Javier Jauregui in September last year in Los Angeles.
The 22 year old Diaz has an unblemished record of 29-0 with 14 knockouts. He won the title with a unanimous decision over Lakva Sim in July 2004 in Houston and has had four successful title defenses, the last against Jose Miguel Cotto whom he beat via a twelve round unanimous decision last April 8 at the Tomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
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