Tepora more determined to go after Santa Cruz and Valdez
WBA Interim Featherweight Champion Jhack Tepora (middle) with (from left) Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Omega PRO Sports International Vice President Jerome Calatrava, coach Julius Erving Junco, and Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino.
Lito Tecson
WORLD Boxing Association (WBA) interim world featherweight champion Jhack “El Kapitan” Tepora didn’t expect to get this much attention following his victory over Mexican Edivaldo Ortega in Malaysia last July 15.
Yesterday, the 23-year-old boxer from Danao City, northern Cebu, received a commendation from Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino.
“This is so important for me. I didn’t expect that they will honor me,” said Tepora, who has an unbeaten record of 22-0 with 17 wins by knockouts. He recently returned to Cebu after a series of media guesting in Manila. “This is the reason why I will do my best to win a world title. My target is the super world title of Leo Santa Cruz and Oscar Valdez.”
The Latin-American Santa Cruz is the WBA super world featherweight champion while Valdez of Mexico is the current WBO world featherweight champion.
Tepora said that he is set to return to training next week since he is scheduled to fight this November or December still under Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions.
Tepora, together with his trainer Julius Erving Jungco and Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) Vice President Jerome Calatrava, received a specially designed plaque of recognition from Dino.
Tepora also got P20,000 financial assistance from Special Assistant to the President Bong Go. Jungco got P10,000.
“[This is] to give encouragement not just to him but also to other bisaya and Cebuano athletes and boxers to do well. What’s important is sustainability, which means, that he has to maintain his training at the same time, not abuse himself,” Dino said.
Dino was joined by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, who was in town for other matters.
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