Villanueva clashes with Mexican prospect in Sonora

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Arthur Villanueva. | Facebook photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Veteran ring warrior Arthur “King Arthur” Villanueva is set to return to the ring after a six-month layoff, taking on rising Mexican prospect Bryan Mercado Vasquez in a crucial 10-round bout on January 31 (January 30, Manila time) in Sonora, Mexico.

The bout, headlining a fight card promoted by Latin K.O.’s Oswaldo Kuchle, will see Villanueva looking to snap a two-fight losing streak from his 2024 campaign in the United States.

A former world title challenger, the 36-year-old Villanueva—once a standout of the famed ALA Boxing Gym—suffered a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) loss to world-rated American prospect Elijah Pierce in March.

Villanueva nearly scored a massive upset after knocking down Pierce in the second round, but the latter bounced back and returned the favor with a fourth-round TKO.

His struggles continued in July when he dropped a unanimous decision to Saul Sanchez.

Despite these setbacks, Villanueva remains one of the most battle-tested veterans in Philippine boxing. He has fought for the IBF world super flyweight title, the WBO interim world bantamweight title, and the WBC world bantamweight championship.

He holds a record of 35 wins (20 KOs), six losses, and one draw. This will be his second fight in Mexico, his first being in 2017 against Luis Nery, where he suffered a sixth-round TKO loss despite knocking Nery down in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Vasquez (29-1, 23 KOs) of Mexico City enters the fight on a dominant streak, having not lost since his second professional bout in 2015.

He proved his mettle last October, securing a unanimous decision victory over former world title challenger and fellow Mexican Jose Velasquez in a 10-round contest.

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