CEBU CITY, Philippines – Chaiwat Buatkrathok arrived in Cebu Monday noon, with high hopes to beat former IBF minimumweight champion Milan “El Metodico” Melindo and bring the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Silver Featherweight belt back to Thailand.
The 10-round championship match between Melindo (38-5, 14KOs) and Buatkrathok (38-7, 25KOs), is the main event of the Prime Stag Promotions’ Sinulog boxing presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, at the Cebu City Sports Center, which will also feature the up-and-coming star Kitt Ceron Garces who will be exchanging blows with Noli James Maquinlan of Compostela Valley, scheduled for eight rounds, super bantamweight clash.
Since losing the unification bout with WBA 105lb champion Ryoichi Taguchi in December of 2017, Melindo was scaling up starting at the 108lb class when he challenged and lost to Kenshiro Teraji for the WBC World Light flyweight belt in October 2018 in Yokohama.
The Cagayan de Oro native puncher then tried his luck in the heavier flyweight class but again lost to another undefeated Japanese prospect Junto Nakatani in October 2019 in Tokyo.
After more than two years of inactivity, Melindo tried his luck in the heavier Super featherweight division and forced hard-luck puncher Crison Omayao to quit from his stool in Zamboanga City in April last year.
Now under the stewardship of Prime Stag Stable, Milendo, a former ALA Boy, is hoping to get back on track and gain a lofty status among the featherweights in the world. However, Chaiwat is a tough nut to crack as he also had fought his share of tough battles, in fact he is the holder of the WBC Asian Boxing Council’s Continental Featherweight title following a unanimous decision win over New Zealand’s Nort Beauchamp in July last year.
Also seeing action in the under card were Prime Stag’s another title hopeful Marco Pomar who will be fighting Alvin Camique of General Santos City for eight rounds contest under the Super Flyweight class, Carlo Bacaro of Omega Boxing Stable taking on Ryan Sermona of Manila in the welterweight division.
Elmo Traya of Tabuelan will trade punches with Edsil Jungco of Iloilo also in the 147lbs division, Ken Albert Billeta of Chao Sy Stable is looking to win his second professional match against John Rey Labajo of 10,000 BC in the Flyweight bout.
John Ver Espra of Prime Stags Stable against John Mark Hechanova of Butuan City and Kier Torregosa also of Prime Stags Stable fighting Henry Flor of Bohol, both are under the 115lbs category. RCM
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