Unbeaten Jhack Tepora (left) defends his WBO Oriental junior featherweight title against Yon Armed tonight.
(CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
With two championship belts at stake and headlined by two unbeaten boxers, fight fans are in for a treat as the fourth installment of ‘Who’s Next?’ Pro-Boxing Series fires off tonight at the Grand Pacific Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Fighting for the first time under the moniker “El Capitan,” Jhack Tepora of the Omega Boxing Gym defends his WBO Oriental junior featherweight title against Indonesian fighter Yon Armed in the main event of the Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI)-organized card.
In the co-main event, Tepora’s stablemate Christian “The Bomb” Araneta tangles with another Indonesian boxer Demsi Manudfe for the vacant WBO Oriental junior flyweight crown.
In a chat with sportswriters last Thursday, Armed vowed to knock Tepora out either in the fourth or fifth of their 12-round showdown.
“He better deliver on his promise or else I will be the one to knock him out,” said Tepora, reacting to Armed’s bold prediction.
Staking his perfect 19W-0L-0D-14LOs record, Tepora was on the dot in yesterday’s weigh-in, tipping the scales at 122-pounds, while Armed was a pound lighter.
“I came here to win. I’ll do whatever it takes to win the title,” said Armed, who sports a 14W-7L-6KOs record.
Christian Araneta battles Indonesian Demsi Manufoe in the co-main event of “Who’s Next?” 4.
/ (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Also looking to protect his unblemished is Araneta, who vowed to deliver in his first title fight.
“I am thankful that I was given the chance to fight for the belt. It is also my first time to fight in Waterfront and I promise to do my best to win,” said Araneta, who is off to a 13W-0L start as a pro boxer with 11 knockouts.
Araneta and Manufoe had no trouble making the weight for the 108-pound duel as they weighed 107 and 106 pounds, respectively.
Manufoe has 11 victories, eight by knockouts, and six losses.
“This is a very important fight for Araneta and Tepora. This will dictate their future,” said OPSI president Pio Paulo Castillo.
In the supporting main events, Salatiel Amit (9W-2L-2D-7KOs) takes on Renerio Arizala (13W-5L-1D-5KOs), while top prospect Cris Rosales (20W-0L-1D-8KOs) faces Jerry Nardo (21W-10L-0D-11KOs).
The undercard battles pit Jerry Castroverde (9W-4L-5KOs) vs Ryan Quimbo (5W-13L-2D); Feljun Taneo (7W-1L-4KOs) vs Jeffrey Stella (4W-1L-1D); Tomjune Mangubat (6W-0L-6KOs) vs Marvin Tampus (27W-24L-3D); Mark Vicelles (3W-0L-1D-2KOs) vs Fabio Marfa (25W-32L-3D); and Marjun Plencenaves 1W-0L-1KO) vs debuting Mark Anthony Ando.