After bungling his first attempt at a world title, “King” Arthur Villanueva is treating every opportunity that comes his way as if it’s his last chance.
The 28-year-old ALA Boxing Gym stalwart Villanueva, a native of Bago City, Negros Occidental, is in the thick of a grueling training in Cebu as he is determined to bounce back from a sorry loss to McJoe Arroyo in their IBF World super flyweight showdown two years ago in the United States.
Villanueva surrendered the belt via a 10th round technical decision loss.
“Opportunity knocks only once, so I’m treating this chance like it’s my last,” said Villanueva.
Villanueva looks to pick up the pieces when he takes on former world super flyweight champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete of South Africa for the WBO world bantamweight eliminator on April 8 in Manchester, England.
“I lost once and I’m not gonna let that happen again,” he said.
Aware of the opponent he is up against, Villanueva said he is training doubly hard while regularly watching Tete’s fight tapes to familiarize his opponent’s style.
“From the tapes I’ve watched, Tete’s got a powerful uppercut but I’m also confident with how I’ve been preparing for this fight,” added Villanueva.
With a 74 knockout percentage, Tete holds an impressive record of 24 wins and three losses, with 20 knockout wins.
Some of his most notable opponents included Mexican Juan Carlos “Zurdito” Sanchez Jr. and Paul “Baby Faced Assassin” Butler from England.
Villanueva, on the other hand, has 30 wins and one loss, with 16 knockout victories. He is currently the top contender in the division while Tete is number two.
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