JIMBOY Haya tries to get his winning streak going when he faces Vic Saludar in the main event of tonight’s “Normin Glory 8” at the Bulua Covered Court in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.
The fighters hurdled the 105-pound weight limit with Haya tipping the scales at 103 and Saludar 104.
At stake in the fight is Saludar’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific minimumweight belt.
While only a regional belt is at stake, Haya’s trainer Jingjing Tepora said the Omega Boxing Gym stalwart is in a must-win situation.
“This is a very important fight for Jimboy. A win may make him a world-rated boxer according to Leon (Panuncillo Jr.),” said Tepora.
Panoncillo, vice president for WBO Asia Pacific, supervised yesterday’s weigh-in.
Tepora said Haya has just to follow the gameplan to seal his third straight win.
“We have studied Saludar’s style and weaknesses. We noticed in his last fight in Japan that he is vulnerable to body shots,” said Tepora.
Tepora was referring to Saludar’s knockout loss to Kosei Tanka in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, last Dec. 31.
The loss denied Saludar from pocketing the WBO world minimumweight crown. He bounced back from that loss by beating Lito Dante last April 2 to bag his current belt.
Haya has nine wins — six of them by knockouts — and two losses, while Saludar totes a 12W-2L-9KOs record.