Kenny Demecillo. | CDN photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Kenny “Big Heart” Demecillo will test his mettle in Puerto Rico as he faces hometown prospect Kevin Gonzalez on June 15.
Demecillo, who is fighting under Sanman Boxing’s banner, will make his return after an 11-month hiatus following his botched United States debut in August last year.
The 31-year-old Demecillo, a former Omega Boxing Gym pug, lost to Dominique Crowder in his previous fight in Baltimore. Crowder walked away with a lopsided unanimous decision victory to stay unbeaten in 15 fights.
Meanwhile, Demecillo absorbed his seventh loss with 17 wins, 10 knockouts, and two draws, while Gonzalez has a 26-1-1 (win-loss-draw) record with 13 knockouts.
Gonzalez is rated No. 6 in the World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight division.
Their bout will be held at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manati, Puerto Rico. The bout is promoted by international boxing promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and Fresh Productions.
Their bout will serve as one of the seven undercard bouts for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world super flyweight showdown between Liam Paro and Subriel Matias in the main event.
Demecillo, a native of Iligan City, will try his luck this time in Puerto Rico, where most Filipino boxers haven’t fared well.
To recall, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) world minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) world title belt in Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, against Oscar Collazo by stoppage.
Also, Garen Diagan challenged Collazo months after but also lost via stoppage.
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