TOUGH FIGHTS FOR 3 FILIPINOS IN MEXICO SATURDAY NIGHT
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 26 Apr 2014
Filipino superfly contender Richie Mepranum (27-3-1, 6KO) of Sarangani Province, will attempt to score a monumental upset when he challenges unified WBA/WBO super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada (25-2-0, 18KO) of Hermosillo, Mexico Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) at Centro Convenciones in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. Both Estrada and Mepranum weighed in at 112 lbs during Friday's official weighin.
A veteran campaigner in the US and Mexico, this is Mepranum's second shot for a world title. He lost to Julio Cesar Miranda by 5th round TKO in a WBO flyweight title fight on June 12, 2010.
Estrada, on the other hand, will try to add another Filipino victim to his glowing record. He took Brian Viloria's WBA/WBO belts on April 6, 2013 in Macau and successfully defended it against mandatory challenger Milan Melindo on July 27, 2013, also in Macau.
In co-main event, John Mark Apolinario (17-3-3, 4KO) of Sarangani Province will battle Hernan Marquez (36-4-0, 26KO) in a 10-round flyweight non-title bout. Apolinario and Marquez both stepped the scales at 117.5 lbs during the weighin Friday.
This is Apolinario's comeback fight after failing to secure a world title in his last three fights. He drew with Panama's Roberto Vazquez twice for the Interim WBA bantamweight title, the first fight was held in Argentina Nov. 3, 2012 and the second was in Panama on Mar. 16, 2013. Apolinario lost to Koki Kameda for the WBA bantamweight title on Jul. 7, 2013 in Tokyo in his last attempt for to get a championship belt. Hernan Marquez will try to bounce back after getting knocked out by Giovanni Segura last November in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Over in Mexico City, Ranel Suco (15-7-2, 6KO) of La Trinidad, Benguet, takes on knockout artist Julio Ceja (26-1-0, 24KO) of Tlalnepantla, Mexico for the WBC bantamweight silver title. Ceja and Suco both stepped the scales at the bantamweight limit of 118 lbs Friday according to a FightNews report.
Photo: Juan Francisco Estrada (left, center) and Richie Mepranum (right, center) pose during Friday's weighin.
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