Three pro fights. One regional title. Next stop… the world ?
Japan's Raito "The Thunder" Kataoka, just 20 years old, stopped the Philippines' ArAr "Asero" Andales in round nine at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Thursday night to win the vacant OPBF light-flyweight title.
Kataoka is now 3-0 (3 KOs). His promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi — the man behind Naoya Inoue — admitted Andales was not the kind of opponent you take in a third fight. A dangerous gamble, he said.
And Ohashi wasn't wrong about the danger.
Andales is no stepping stone. The Northern Samar man came in ranked No. 7 by the IBF and No. 12 by the WBC, on a five-fight win streak, and he once challenged Knockout CP Freshmart for the WBA minimumweight title in 2019.
"Asero" means steel — and he lived up to it. Kataoka himself said afterwards he was very tough. The referee finally stepped in at 2:56 of round nine.
So well done to the Thunder.
But big respect to Andales, who flew into the lion's den and took the fight plenty of others wouldn't.
Ohashi now says Kataoka can fight for a world title in his FOURTH pro fight. Win it, and he breaks the Japanese record of five, held by Kosei Tanaka and Kira.
Inoue was ringside, by the way.
And the Filipino steel ? Bent, not broken.
Stay tuned !
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)
