THE GENERAL Santos City-based Sanman Promotions will be expanding this year as it is targeting to hold 10 boxing shows spread across the country.
“We are shifting to high gear this year and we are going to major cities like Manila and Cebu. For the first time, we will be putting up a fight card in Cebu probably in June or July,” said Jim Claude Manangquil, chief executive officer of Sanman Promotions.
To get things going this year, Sanman will be staging another edition of the Brawl in the Mall series dubbed as “Rise of the Next Champions” on February 25 at the Trade Hall Convention Center of SM General Santos City.
The card will feature an IBF World Youth super flyweight championship between undefeated Jade Bornea (6W-4 KOs) of Sanman Gym and ALA Boxing Gym’s Raul “Vulcan” Yu (9W-1L-2D-8 Kos).
The other title fights will have Sanman stalwarts Eden “Sanman” Sonsona (35-6-2-12KOs), “Iron” Ben Mananquil (12-1-2-3KOs) and Lolito “Thunder Shot” Sonsona (20-1-4-, 9 Kos) going up against separate opponents.
Eden, a former WBC International Silver super featherweight champion, will face Jovany Rota (9-9-0, 6 KOs) for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) International super featherweight crown while his younger brother Lolito from Jason Soong Boxing Gym will take on former WBC Euro Asia Pacific and WBO Asia Pacific flyweight champion Macrea “The Barb Wire” Gandionco (11-4-2, 7 KOs) for the WBF Asia super flyweight title.
Manangquil, on the other hand, will trade blows with former WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Glenn “The Rock” Porras (29-5-0, 17 KOs) for the WBF International bantamweight crown.
“All four title bouts are evenly matched. Fight fans will surely have a great night,” said Manangquil.