CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two-time world title challenger “King” Arthur Villanueva plans to continue re-sharpening his boxing skills as he found a new sense of motivation following his impressive win last Saturday, March 27, 2021, in “Kumbati 9” at the IPI compound in Mandaue City.
The 32-year old Villanueva scored a unanimous decision victory against compatriot Bryan Tamayo in a six-rounder bantamweight bout in his first match after a 21-month hiatus.
Read: Villanueva, Barriga notch confidence-boosting wins in ‘Kumbati 8 & 9’
With the win, Villanueva of Bago City, Negros Occidental improved his record to 33 wins (18 knockouts) with four defeats and one draw.
“Ako ra ipadayon akong training para ready ko kung naay scheduled fight,” Villanueva told CDN Digital.
(I will continue training so I will be ready for any scheduled fight.)
Villanueva’s victory was a wonderful sight to see, considering that he decided hanging his gloves for good last year.
Villanueva announced last year that he was retiring from boxing due to personal reasons.
Before announcing his retirement, Villanueva lost a world title shot against WBC world bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali via a sixth-round stoppage in 2019 in Kazakhstan.
But Villanueva displayed no signs of ring rust in his performance last Saturday.
Filipino boxing fans got a glimpse of his old and deadly form, defeating the taller southpaw opponent in dominating fashion.
According to Villanueva, he is very happy with his performance, but he needs to work more.
“Karon kay nag adapt ko sa lain nga style nga training ni John Wild. Among plan nga i-master namo ang iyang style nga gusto. Daghan pa ug improvements pa ang angay buhaton, pero lipay mi kaayo nga naka daog mi ug kontra nga southpaw,” Villanueva said.
(Now, I am trying to adapt to the training style of John Wild. We are planning to master the style he wants. There are lots of improvements needed but we are happy with the win against a southpaw.)
Although the journey going back to the top is treacherous and full of obstacles, Villanueva remains optimistic.
“Sa dula nako, medyo nag lisud jud ko pag balik kay dugay na lagi ko ni undang ug kuwang pud ko ug sparring. Kung unsa nga style ang effective para nako, mao among gamiton sa sunod nga mga dula,” Villanueva stated.
(With regards to my fighting, I’m still having a tough time since I stopped for a long time and I lack sparring. Whatever style will be effective for me, that’s what we will use in our next fights.)
His first shot at a world title came up short after losing to McJoe Arroyo via technical decision for the IBF world super flyweight title in El Paso, the United States, in 2015.
/bmjo