World Boxing Council (WBC) world super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (left) with Marjohn Yap in Thailand.
from Marjohn Yap’s Facebook account
Marjohn Yap says sparring with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai a huge boost for his preparation
Marjohn “The Journey Man” Yap’s preparation for his title defense got a boost after he was invited to spar with reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) world super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in Thailand.
The 29-year-old Yap, a native of Cagayan de Oro City, is the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight champion who is preparing for his upcoming title defense against Japanese Takafumi Nakajima on April 4. The venue of their fight has yet to be announced.
Yap, a former ALA Boxing Gym pug now fighting under the banner of Muto Boxing Gym in Osaka, Japan, has a record of 28 wins (14 by knockouts) and 12 losses.
He is now in Thailand to serve as one of the sparring partners of Rungvisai (44-4-1, 40KOs), who is scheduled to defend his WBC world super flyweight title against former WBA and WBO world flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico (36-2-0, 25KOs) on February 24 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
“This is a good experience for me. Being a sparring partner of a world champion who is known for his toughness is not just a great honor but also a chance for me to learn new techniques and strategies that I can use against my opponent,” said Yap.
Yap has already sparred with the Thai champ and believes he will learn a lot from the experience.
“He is very strong, his punches are packed with power and his stamina is outstanding no wonder he knocked out Chocolatito Gonzales,” added Yap.
Yap won the OPBF bantamweight title in 2016 by beating Takahiro Yamamoto and defended it twice against Kentaro Masuda and Seizo Kono. He has won his last 10 fights since 2015.
Nakajima has won fourth straight and has a record of 29-9-1.
Rungvisai gained popularity after his huge upset victories against the former number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzales (46-2-0, 38KOs) of Nicaragua last year.
He defeated Gonzales by majority decision in their first encounter to snatch the WBC world super flyweight title in March 18, 2017, at the Madison Square Garden in New York. In their rematch last September 9 at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California, Rungvisai again won via fourth-round knockout.
His victory against Gonzales was considered as the biggest upset of the year in the world of boxing.