By Nick Giongco
Ernesto Saulong quietly left for Tokyo yesterday morning but exuded with a lot of confidence as he attempts to crown himself as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantam king on March 1 at the Ryogoku Sumo Arena.
Japanese titleholder Ryosuke Iwasa will be Saulong’s opponent and despite the lopsided odds, the Mindoro Occidental puncher is upbeat.
“We’ve studied him very well,” said Saulong, who trained at Jerwin Ancajas’s Survival Camp in Magallanes, Cavite.
Rated No. 13 by the IBF, Saulong was joined in the trip by chief trainer Joven Jimenez and George Arvin and Harry Gutana and they will be billeted at the Hotel Grand Palace, just a stone’s throw away from the Imperial Palace.
Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions is handling the needs of Saulong’s group which will be reinforced with the arrival tomorrow of the fighter’s manager, Laguna businessman Engr. Ariel Araja.
Saulong hopes to make some noise in Tokyo so he can cause a commotion when he gets back.