Jake Amparo (left) and Reycar Auxilio (right). | Facebook photos
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It’s not just reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) world minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem who will be stepping inside the ring on Sunday, March 30, as two other Visayan boxers are also set to showcase their skills in Tokyo, Japan.
PMI Bohol Boxing Stable’s one-time world title challenger Jake “El Bambino” Amparo and Big Yellow Boxing Gym’s rising prospect Reycar Auxilio will take on Japanese opponents in a fight card promoted by renowned Japanese boxing promoter Hideyuki Ohashi.
The Boholano Amparo is set to clash with unbeaten Japanese prospect Takero Kitano in an eight-round main event bout, while Cebu’s Auxilio will square off against another promising Japanese fighter, Ren Ohashi, in a separate eight-rounder.
READ: Jake Amparo returns to Japan to face unbeaten prospect
This will mark Amparo’s return in Japan following the biggest bout of his career, where he challenged then-International Boxing Federation (IBF) world minimumweight champion Ginjiro Shigeoka as a last-minute replacement for Ar-Ar Andales last year.
Unfortunately, Amparo suffered a second-round knockout loss in that fight. Shigeoka later lost his title to another Filipino, Pedro Taduran.
READ: Amparo dominates Francisco in Kumong Bol-anon XVI
AMPARO, AUXILIO
Despite the setback, the 27-year-old Amparo remains a formidable contender in the minimumweight division. He is currently ranks No. 5 in the IBF and holds a record of 16 wins, 4 by knockout, 6 losses, and 1 draw.
However, he faces a tough test in Kitano, who boasts of an unbeaten 7-0-1 (win-loss-draw) record, with 3 knockouts, and holds the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) Youth minimumweight title.
READ: Big Yellow’s Reycar Auxilio debuts in Japan on March 31
Meanwhile, Auxilio (7-4-1, 6 KOs) is coming off a fourth-round stoppage victory against Jess Rhey Waminal in a Big Yellow Boxing Promotions fight card last December in Mandaue City.
He will go up against Ohashi (2-0, 2 KOs), who is coming off a dominant third-round knockout win against Thai fighter Weeraphon Ketnarong last August.