Kidapawan City, North Cotabato, March 11 - World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental Miniflyweight Champion Rommel Asenjo, 21, ranked Number 2 in the world by the WBO, takes a crack at the world championship when he fights Interim Champion Mexican Raul "Rayito" Garcia April 30 in Mexico for the title to be vacated by the current champion Donnie Nietes of the Philippines.
The championship fight, arranged by ALA Boxing Promotions of Cebu City which now promotes Asenjo and two other Braveheart boxers from North Cotabato, was set following the decision of Nietes to move up to the junior flyweight division for a possible match up against reigning WBO champion Giovanni Segura.
Asenjo, a farmer's son from the frontier town of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, will be the first Braveheart boxer to get a crack at a legitimate world boxing title. In June last year, another Braveheart boxer, Edrin Dapudong of M'lang, stunned Mexican boxing by scoring a first round knockout of Jesus Jimenez to win the World Boxing Council Flyweight Silver title. He lost the title, considered as a junior belt, in his first defense in September of last year.
Called "Little Assassin" by his handlers for his ruthless fighting style where he stalks his opponent inside the ring, Asenjo has a record of 20 wins with 16 knockouts and only two losses, both by decision.
Lively and friendly outside the ring, Asenjo is described by Braveheart chief trainer Noli Pinol as a "sadist" when he wears the gloves because he loves to punish his opponents. He got into trouble several times and slapped with point deductions for hitting his opponent while already down and even after the bell ending the round has sounded.
"I have warned him about this and he has been told never to do that in a world championship fight because he could get disqualified," said former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol who owns the Braveheart Boxing Club along with his 10 brothers.
Asenjo is one of the eight boxers now managed by the former governor who are all products of a grassroots boxing program started in the province in 1998 which included the hiring of a Cuban boxing coach, Honorato Espinosa, in 2005.
The championship fight on April 30 will be Asenjo's toughest assignment in his young boxing career thus far.
Garcia, nicknamed "Rayito" and one of two boxing brothers from Mexico, is a 28-year-old veteran and former world champion himself who won the title from Filipino Florante Condes. He defended the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title four times before losing it to a South African fighter Nkosinathi Joyi but came back to win the WBO Interim title or the junior championship.
A southpaw like Asenjo, Garcia holds an impressive record of 29 wins with 17 knockouts, one loss and one draw. He also has the advantage of fighting in his own territory.
"Asenjo will have to win this fight by knockout," Pinol said adding that the North Cotabato fighter is capable of scoring a knockout given his tremendous punching power.
The Filipino Oriental champion will prepare for the world championship fight in the Braveheart Boxing Farm at the foot of Mt. Apo in this city. He and his team are expected to fly to Mexico a few days before the fight.(pr)
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