OMEGA Boxing Gym’s promising boxer Jahleel “The Cebuano Disaster” Payao will have to switch his game plan after Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) tagged a new opponent for him for his main event bout in the “Who’s Next 5? Civil War ” on Oct. 27 at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.
OPSI vice president Jerome Calatrava said Payao will be fighting ALA Boxing Gym’s rising prospect Raul “Vulcan” Yu in the main event of the fight card instead of Renerio Arizala.
Payao (15W-1L-0D, 9KOs) will put his Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) bantamweight title at stake in the 10-round bout against Yu (9-2-2, 8KOs).
Calatrava said the reason for the change is because Eugene Rambo Lagos did not commit to the fight with Jason Canoy Manigos.
“So we moved Arizala to fight Canoy and put Raul Yu to fight Payao,” Calatrava said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.
Arizala of the Peñalosa Boxing Gym has a 13-7-2, 5KOs record while Manigos has a 26-7-2, 19KOs slate. Both collide in the co-main event for the bantamweight division.
Payao has won his last four fights since 2015. His most recent bout was last March, which was a technical knockout victory against Jason Tinampay for the PBF title.
Yu is looking to redeem himself after losing to Jade Bornea last February for the IBF youth super flyweight title in General Santos City.