
Two Filipinos. Two world titles. One night in Japan.
And now we know who's holding the clipboard.
The IBF has named the officials for Miel Fajardo's shot at Masamichi Yabuki on 26 November at the Ebara Wave Arena in Tokyo.
The referee ? Koji Tanaka — regarded as Japan's top ring official.
The judges ? One from Japan, one from Australia, one from the Philippines.
The supervisor ? The secretary general of the Japan Boxing Commission.
In Japan. Against a Japanese champion.
We're not saying a word. Just saying.
But here's the thing — Fajardo might not need anyone's help.
14-3-2. 12 KOs. SEVEN of them in the first round.
He earned this mandatory shot by taking out Argentina's Tobias Reyes in 65 seconds back in April.
Yabuki is no pushover — 20-4 with 18 KOs, making the third defence of his IBF flyweight belt, and the solid betting favourite.
On paper, it's the champion. But one-punch power is the great equaliser.
And that's only half the night.
In the co-feature, unbeaten Zyvyr Medecilo (9-0, 5 KOs) challenges WBA minimumweight champion Takeshi Ishii (12-1, 9 KOs).
Medecilo is the bigger underdog. The fight came together in a matter of days, while he was in Japan on a sparring contract.
Win, and he becomes the fastest Filipino ever to win a world title — in his 10th fight, beating Malcolm Tunacao's mark of 11.
Right now the Philippines has ONE reigning world champion — Pedro Taduran.
By the night of 26 November it could be three.
Hungry dogs fight harder.
And the message for both of them is simple — leave the judges out of it !!
🇵🇭 MIEL FAJARDO (14-3-2, 12 KOs) vs MASAMICHI YABUKI (20-4, 18 KOs) 🇯🇵
🥊 IBF Flyweight World Championship
🇵🇭 ZYVYR MEDECILO (9-0, 5 KOs) vs TAKESHI ISHII (12-1, 9 KOs) 🇯🇵
🥊 WBA Minimumweight World Championship
📅 Thursday 26 November 2026
📍 Ebara Wave Arena, Ota City, Tokyo
Stay tuned !
Sources:
Daily Tribune (12 Nov 2026) — https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/11/ibf-taps-japanese-ref-for-fajardo-title-shot
Daily Tribune (11 Nov 2026) — https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/10/fajardo-medecillo-step-on-brakes
Daily Tribune (13 Oct 2026) — https://tribune.net.ph/2026/10/13/tokyo-hosts-double-phl-vs-japan-world-title-fights
Philstar (19 Oct 2026) — https://www.philstar.com/campus/sports/2026/10/19/2564329/double-trouble-fajardo-medecilo-head-japan-rare-world-title-shots




























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)




















