Japanese boxers (from left to right) Keita Kurihara, Kotaro Sekine, and Kenshin Hosokawa. | Boxrec and Facebook photos.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Top-caliber Japanese boxers spice up the undercard bouts of the upcoming “Kumbati 16” fight card of the Omega Sports Promotions on January 26, 2024, at the plush NUSTAR Resort and Casino, here.
The Japanese pugs will be headed by Keita Kurihara, who is on a mission to dethrone the reigning Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight champion, Froilan Saludar in their rematch which serves as the co-main event.
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The main event pits Omega Boxing Gym’s Christian “The Bomb” Araneta against Arvin “Hurricane” Magramo for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world light flyweight title eliminator.
Kurihara suffered his eighth defeat in the hands of Saludar in their first meeting last October in Tokyo, Japan via a stunning first round knockout. He also has 17 wins with 15 knockouts and one draw.
The victory improved Saludar, a one-time world title contender’s record of 34-7-1 (win-loss-draw) with 24 knockouts.
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Kurihara will be joined by compatriot and unbeaten Kotaro Sekine (7-0-1, 6KOs) who will take on Filipino Al Toyogon (14-8-2, 9KOs) in an eight-rounder non-title bout in the super lightweight division.
Also fighting is Kenshin Hosokawa (6-1-1, 5KOs) who has already fought three times here in the Philippines. He will square off with Ronnie Baldonado in another eight-rounder bout in the super bantamweight division.
Lastly, pro debutee Kyota Watanabe faces Louriz Biasong (1-0) in the curtain opener for four rounds.
Also fighting in the undercard is Omega Boxing Gym’s Benny Canete (9-1, 6KOs) against Phissanu Chimsunthom of Thailand for 10 rounds.
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On the other hand, one-time world title challenger, Jeo Santisima (22-7, 19KOs) of ZIP Sanman Boxing returns after his three-fight losing streak. He takes on Pablito Canada (8-24-6, 2KOs) for eight rounds.
Also, Sanman Boxing’s Jayson Mama (19-1, 10KOs) faces Audie Dacua (5-4, 4KOs) for six rounds in the undercard.
The fight card will also be aired in Japan via a pay-per-view for Japanese boxing fans getting the opportunity to watch their own ring warriors fight in Cebu.
Photo caption: Japanese boxers (from left to right) Keita Kurihara, Kotaro Sekine, and Kenshin Hosokawa. | Boxrec and Facebook photos.