Bryx Piala flies to Saudi for WBC Boxing Grand Prix

Bryx Piala (right) with his trainer Eldo Cortes (left) prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia. | Photo from Eldo Cortes

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano boxer Bryx Piala and his trainer, Eldo Cortes of the ARQ Boxing Stable, are now in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to represent the Philippines in the much-anticipated World Boxing Council (WBC) Boxing Grand Prix that will kick off on April 17.

Bryx, 23, is the younger brother of reigning WBO Oriental super featherweight champion Rodex Piala. He will be competing in the featherweight division during the opening stage of the Grand Prix, to be held at the BLVD City Global Theater in Riyadh.

The tournament features 32 non-ranked boxers—none of whom are currently in the top 15 of any of the four major boxing sanctioning bodies. The featherweight field includes six boxers from the United States and five from Mexico, with Bryx being the sole Filipino representative in his division.

Meanwhile, the other boxers come from Ukraine, Colombia, Africa, France, Nigeria, Italy, Australia, and Kazakhstan.

Bryx is among the four boxers named in the initial lineup, alongside fellow Filipinos Jerald Into and Crisalito Beltran, who will also compete in their respective weight classes.

Despite suffering a tough loss to Japan’s Mikito Nakano via fourth-round knockout in an OPBF featherweight title bout last September, Bryx remains one of Cebu’s most promising young talents. Prior to that setback, he was riding a four-fight winning streak dating back to 2022.

He currently holds a professional record of 9 wins (3 by knockout) against 2 losses. A southpaw who stands 5-foot-7 with a 67.5-inch reach, the younger Piala is known for his technical, calculated fighting style.

The official fight pairings for the WBC Boxing Grand Prix are expected to be announced in the coming days.