Less than a month before his first fight abroad, unbeaten Cebuano prospect Mark Vincent “Machete” Bernaldez said he’s ready to fight Tsuyoshi+ Tameda in Tokyo, Japan on Aug. 5.
Bernaldez has been training at the famed ALA Boxing Gym in Talamban, Cebu City for the past months and has already finished around a hundred rounds of sparring against top-notch sparring partners including five-division world champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr., who recently won via second round technical knockout against Anthony Settoul of France in Macau, China.
He has also sparred against unbeaten IBF Intercontinental junior featherweight champion “Prince” Albert Pagara and IBF youth featherweight champion Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo.
But Bernaldez doesn’t want to get too confident and in fact is feeling a bit of pressure as the fight nears since this will be the first time he will be leaving his wife and baby for a fight abroad. But he is trying to use this as motivation.
“We can’t avoid to feel the pressure, considering that it’s my first time to fight abroad,” he said. “But I’ve trained for this fight very hard. I won’t let him defeat me.”
The 23-year old Bernaldez said that his experience in sparring against top boxers gives him the needed confidence to face Tameda.
Bernaldez has a higher knockout percentage of 67 percent compared to Tameda’s 64 percent.
The Cebuano, who has fought in undercards of the ALA-Cobra Tunay Na Lakas fight cards and Pinoy Pride Series, holds a record of 15 wins with 10 knockouts while Tameda meanwhile holds a record of 11 wins with nine knockouts coupled with a single loss and two draws.