Robles, Abne redeem ARQ’s glory with double WBA title win

Berland Robles (left) and Ian Paul Abne (right). | ARQ Sports photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines — After enduring a year of crushing defeats, the ARQ Boxing Stable redeemed its glory on Saturday night, December 14, as Berland “The Triggerman” Robles and Ian Paul “The Assassin” Abne delivered exceptional performances to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) South titles in “Engkwentro 14” held at the Bulacao Activity Center in Talisay City, Cebu.

The Cebu-based ARQ Boxing Stable had endured a rough patch after five of its fighters—Ramil Macado, BJ Wild, John Paul Gabunilas, Yeroge Gura, and Bryx Piala—suffered painful defeats in international bouts. The losses led to the departure of several boxers, leaving the once-proud camp thirsty for redemption before 2024 wraps up.

The redemption came swiftly and emphatically on Saturday night, as Robles and Abne put the stable back on the winning column with convincing victories against their Chinese opponents.

READ: Engkwentro 14: ARQ warriors Robles, Abne promise fireworks

In the evening’s main event, the 24-year-old Robles, a hometown hero, delivered an excellent performance to capture the WBA Asia South flyweight title against the equally-determined Chenghao Luo.

Robles showcased his potential in a grueling 10-round war that ended in a majority decision win for him. Two scorecards favored the Cebuano warrior, 96-94 and 97-93, while one judge saw it as a 95-95 draw. With this win, Robles maintained his unblemished record, improving to 11 wins, 4 knockouts, while Luo dropped to 8-2.

READ: “Engkwentro 14” boxing spectacle set for Dec. 14 in Bulacao

MASTERCLASS DOMINANCE

In contrast to Robles’ closely-fought duel, Abne delivered a masterclass of dominance against Jin Ping Yang to claim the WBA Asia South super flyweight crown.

Abne overwhelmed Yang with relentless precision to secure a unanimous decision victory. The judges’ scores—100-90, 99-91, and 98-92—painted a clear picture of Abne’s superiority in the ring.

READ: Robles puts unbeaten record on the line vs Mama in main event clash

The 23-year-old’s win extended his unbeaten streak to 12 victories, 4 knockouts, and 1 draw, while Yang slumped to 6-5.

Saturday night wasn’t just about Robles and Abne. The ARQ camp made a statement with a clean sweep of all five bouts on the card.

Rodel “The Hulk” Wenceslao, ARQ’s lone welterweight prospect and reigning World Boxing Federation (WBF) Australasian welterweight champion, delivered a fourth-round technical knockout against Negros Occidental’s Ryan Sermona.

Ian Paul Abne’s older brother, April Jay “Astroboy” Abne, won by unanimous decision against Anferne Palarca of Bohol, pushing his record to 15-1, 6 KOs.

Rising star Angelus “Pitbull” Pilapil also added another unanimous decision victory to the stable’s tally, outclassing Mohaleden Kalibo of North Cotabato.