Mike Plania. | Sanman Boxing Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Magic” Mike Plania returns to the United States after nearly a year to fight American Elijah Pierce on August 4 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pierce and Plania will fight for eight rounds in a non-title bout in the main event of this fight card.
The world-rated Plania of the Sanman Boxing Gym went home to General Santos City after his long stint in the United States which gave him six victories and one defeat and pushed his career to new heights.
However, he concluded his US stint with a loss to American Ra’eese Aleem for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) North American Boxing Organization (NABO) super bantamweight title via unanimous decision in September last year.
After that, Plania returned to General Santos and redeemed himself with back-to-back victories against fellow Filipino opponents.
He defeated Jeffrey Francisco and Mark Anthony Geraldo via knockouts in December and May, respectively.
The wins improved Plania’s record to 28 wins with 15 knockouts and two defeats.
This time, he will try to reinstate his presence in the United States by taking on Pierce.
Both Pierce and Plania are 26 years old.
Pierce, however, hasn’t tasted defeat since 2019. The Oklahoma City native is on an eight-fight winning streak. His most recent win was last April against compatriot Tramaine Williams in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Still, this will be Pierce’s first time fighting a Filipino opponent.
Plania is currently ranked No. 14 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight division, where fellow Filipino Marlon Tapales reigns as the world champion.
He is gunning for an emphatic victory to eventually gain a world title challenge. /rcg
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