Ali Cañega and Joseph Ambo scored wins in the two main bouts at Manny Pacquiao’s show in Mandaluyong last night.
Cañega took a well deserved majority decision over quality prospect Jhun Rick Carcedo, who made it an enthralling 10 rounds for the fans. The win earnt Cañega the PBF super lightweight belt, but a title that may have been void with a different result. Carcedo weighed in 5lb over the limit, and a good 6lb heavier than Ali Cañega, who always looks very long and lean.
Joseph Ambo got the victory against outstanding southpaw Gary Tamayo, but it presented in unfortunate circumstances.
The bout seemed to be trending in Tamayo's favour, but he struggled for breath at stages of the contest, and was forced to retire in the 4th round. "The Hawk" was taken to hospital shortly afterwards, and our thoughts are behind him in making a swift and full recovery.
Congratulations to all the fighters who put on a great show yesterday at BLOW BY BLOW.
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
