CEBU CITY — As Filipinos enjoy a Labor Day holiday on Wednesday, May 1, two of the country’s promising boxers will have a job cut out for them as they clash in a title fight in the main event of “Engkwentro sa Mandaue: “Halad ni Mayor Jonas Cortes alang sa Kapistahan” boxing card at the Mandaue City Sports Complex.
Former amateur standouts Ramil Macado and Lorenz Dumam-ag clash for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental flyweight title in a duel that the two unbeaten fighters treat with much importance.
“This is a very important fight for me because I see this as my stepping stone to reach the top,” Macado said after the card’s official weigh-in on Tuesday, April 30, at Bai Hotel in Mandaue.
Macado, a stalwart of the Cebu City-based ARQ Sports, is still unbeaten in eight fights with four of his wins coming by knockout. Dumam-ag of El Tigre Gym in Mandaluyong City has nine wins, six by KO, and a draw.
The two boxers easily made the 112-pound limit. The winner of the fight will likely break the world rankings of the WBO.
“I’m very excited for this fight. This is a very important fight and we will know tomorrow who the better fighter is,” said Dumam-ag.
In the co-main event, former world champion Vic Saludar trades leather with Thailand’s Sanchai Yotboon for the vacant WBO Oriental minimumweight belt.
Saludar tipped the scales at 103.4 pounds, while Yotboon came in at 104.1 pounds.
Saludar sports a 24W-6L, 14KOs record while Yootboon has a 14W-7L, 9KOs slate.
In the undercard, Ian Abne (10-0-1, 4 KOs) takes on Darwin Boyones (6-3, 4 KOs), former world title challenger Casey Morton-Croft (12-4-3, 4 KOs) faces Peeyalux Sanpokang (6-2, 5 KOs) in a women’s super flyweight special attraction, Raffie Jamero (2-1, 1 KO) takes on John Ver Espra (2-3, 2 KOs), Riel Gabunilas (3-0) collides with Ronald Ewican (5-10, 2 KOs), Jhon Magos (2-0, 1 KO) tangles with h Grant Elorza (2-4-3, 1 KO) and Ramil Roda (3-1-2, 1 KO) battles with Isagani Saludar (3-3, 2 KOs).(Calvin D. Cordova)
