Gerwin Asilo arrives in Japan for career-defining bout

Gerwin Asilo poses for a photo while training upon his arrival in Japan earlier this week. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Gerwin “Gladiator” Asilo of PMI Bohol Boxing Stable has touched down in Japan, ready for the biggest fight of his young career.

Asilo arrived on Tuesday, October 8, in preparation for his upcoming clash on a historic boxing card at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena from October 13-14.

Asilo, 23, hails from Ubay, Bohol, and is regarded as one of PMI Bohol Boxing Stable’s brightest prospects. He is set to face former kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific bantamweight title on October 14.

READ: PMI’s Asilo ready to seize spotlight in Japan

The bout will take place on the undercard of an event featuring seven world title fights, spanning two days.

Accompanying Asilo in Japan are his stablemate Regie Suganob, PMI’s top contender; trainer Romnick Hoybia; and veteran matchmaker Edito Villamor.

READ: PMI’s Asilo is lone Pinoy warrior in Japan’s mega boxing event

This is already the second time this year for a PMI Bohol boxer to compete in Japan.

Asilo’s stablemate Jake Amparo made headlines when he stepped in as a last-minute replacement to fight for a world title against Ginjiro Shigeoka.

READ: Asilo knocks out Thai veteran to win WBO regional title

Unbeaten record

For Aslio, he enters this fight with an unbeaten 9-0 record, with four knockouts.

The reigning WBO Oriental bantamweight champion will be tested by Nasukawa, a Japanese star known for his illustrious kickboxing career, after he seamlessly transitioned from kickboxing to professional boxing with a perfect 4-0 record, including two knockouts.

Nasukawa gained global attention in 2018 when he faced American boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition match and suffering a knockout loss.

Despite this, Nasukawa keeps an impressive kickboxing resume that includes an undefeated 42-0 record with 28 knockouts, and a 4-0 slate in mixed martial arts (MMA), featuring two knockouts and one submission. He is a former RISE bantamweight and featherweight world champion.

Nasukawa’s quick success in boxing has been notable, with his most recent victory coming against the seasoned Jonathan Rodriguez (17-3-1, 7 KOs) of the United States.

True challenge

However, Asilo represents his first true challenge against a top-tier opponent. The Filipino earned his WBO Oriental title with a dominant second-round knockout of Thai veteran Surat Eaim Ong (19-5-1) last July in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

The mega event will be headlined by seven world title fights. Among them, three-division world champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) will defend his WBC bantamweight title against Thailand’s Petch Sor Chitpattana (76-1, 53 KOs). Another three-division champion, Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs), faces South Africa’s Phumelele Cafu (10-0-3, 8 KOs) for the WBO super flyweight title.

Other world championship bouts include Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) taking on Seiya Tsutsumi (11-0-2, 8 KOs) for the WBA bantamweight title, Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) squaring off against Christofer Rosales (37-6, 22 KOs) for the vacant WBC flyweight title, and Shokichi Iwata (13-1, 10 KOs) battling Jairo Noriega (14-0, 3 KOs) for the vacant WBO light flyweight belt. Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs) and Jonathan Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs) will also vie for the WBO flyweight crown.