Bryx Piala faces unbeaten Tanzanian in Round of 32

Bryx Piala (right) and Juma Choki (left) stares each other during the official weigh-in. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano boxer Bryx Piala will lock horns with Tanzanian prospect Juma Choki in the Round of 32 of the World Boxing Council (WBC) Grand Prix slated on April 17 at the Global Theater Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Piala and Choki faced each other for the first time during the official weigh-in on Wednesday, April 16, as the final pairing of the Round of 32 in the featherweight division of the WBC Grand Prix was finalized.

Piala weighed in at 125.9 pounds, while Choki was slightly heavier at 127.8 lbs for their six-rounder bout.

Choki was slightly overweight as the Grand Prix’s rule stated that the featherweight and light welterweight competitors are allowed a two-pound allowance beyond the weight limit.

On paper, Choki, 24, has the upper hand with his impressive unbeaten 9-0 (win-loss) record with three knockouts.

However, he spent most of his fights in Tanzania, beating fellow countrymen. His only fight abroad was in Dubai, UAE in 2023. He defeated erstwhile unbeaten Abdul Azizi Ssebulime of Uganda via a fourth round technical knockout.

This will be his first time squaring off against a Filipino boxer with the caliber of Piala who has experience fighting in Japan in 2024, but fell short for a victory with the OPBF featherweight title on the line against hometown boxer Mikito Nakano.

On the other hand, Choki will be Piala’s second foreign opponent after Nakano. Before losing to Nakano, Piala racked up four straight wins since 2022.