
If any fighter has earned a break in 2026, it's Joey Canoy.
In March he was booked for a WBC eliminator against Siyakholwa Kuse in South Africa.
Scrapped. Kuse got a title shot instead.
In June he was three days away from challenging Oscar Collazo for the WBO and WBA belts in California.
Scrapped again. No US visa.
Two world-level fights. Two times he packed his bags for nothing.
So what did the "Babyface" from General Santos do ?
Stayed busy. Won at home in March. Won again in October.
And this week, at the WBC convention in Acapulco, his name came up again — Kuse, now the WBC strawweight champion, will defend against… Joey Canoy.
Funny how it works. The man he was meant to fight in an eliminator is now the man holding the belt.
The WBC is calling it a voluntary defence. Canoy has been their No. 1 contender this year. We'll let you decide what that means !
Here's the thing — Canoy is 33, a southpaw, and he's been around the block. He beat Melvin Jerusalem back in 2017, before Jerusalem became a two-time world champion. He took the WBC International title off Vietnam's Minh Phat Sam in General Santos last year.
But he's come up short in South Africa three times before.
Kuse is 23, and he took the green belt off Jerusalem in front of his own people at Emperors Palace in May.
Right now the Philippines has ONE world champion — Pedro Taduran.
Miel Fajardo and Zyvyr Medecillo get their shots in Tokyo on 26 November.
Canoy could make it a lot more than one.
Date and venue still to come. Let's just hope this time somebody sorts the paperwork early !!
🇿🇦 SIYAKHOLWA KUSE (10-3-1, 4 KOs) vs JOEY CANOY (26-5-2, 15 KOs) 🇵🇭
🥊 WBC Strawweight World Championship
📅 Date and venue TBA
Stay tuned !
Sources:
WBC (11 Nov 2026) — https://wbcboxing.com/en/wbc-mandatories-in-acapulco-decisions-across-all-18-divisions/
Fightnews, Bob Newman (11 Nov 2026) — https://fightnews.com/wbc-convention-day-3-mandatory-defenses-and-more/200179
SunStar Cebu (Mar 2026) — https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/canoy-wins-over-balidio
The Ring, Anson Wainwright (19 Jan 2026) — https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/siyakholwa-kuse-vs-joey-canoy-set-for-wbc-strawweight-eliminator-2Ws7TFgYCc7TD0ZJhoTHA0
The Ring (June 2026) — https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/collazo-to-face-valdez-visa-issue-costs-canoy-105-pound-title-fight-41moTVkJYeXAV9utzTFQHF
Cebu Daily News (June 2026) — https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/738920/canoy-collazo-world-title-showdown-cancelled
Wikipedia, Joey Canoy — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Canoy
Wikipedia, Siyakholwa Kuse — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siyakholwa_Kuse
Rappler (8 Nov 2026) — https://www.rappler.com/people/athletes/boxing-results-pedro-taduran-brandon-moreno-world-title-november-7-2026/
Daily Tribune (11 Nov 2026) — https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/10/fajardo-medecillo-step-on-brakes
























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)

























