WBC SILVER minimumweight titlist Denver “The Excitement’ Cuello of the Philippines got the coveted mandatory challenger status with a stunning second-round knockout win over Ganigan Lopez of Mexico yesterday in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico.
In an awesome display of speed and power, Cuello (31W-4L-6D, 21 KOs) knocked down Lopez (20W-5L, 15 KOs) in the opening round and decked him for a good with body and head shots in the second. Referee Frank Garza signaled the end of the bout at the 2:37 of the round.
Cuello fights under the name Cuello Singwangcha to honor his sponsor, Thai boxing patron Naris Singwangcha of Thailand.
Cuello hails from Iloilo and fights out of the Aljoe Jaro stable of Binangonan, Rizal.
He is now next in line as the challenger to WBC champion of the 105 lb. division Kazuto Ioka of Japan.
“Ioka cannot avoid us now. We’ll try to bring a title fight here but we will fight him even in Japan. But it seems he does not want to fight Cuello,” said manager and promoter Aljoe Jaro.
This was the third knockout win for Cuello on Mexican soil. Last year he stopped Sebastian Arcos and Carlos Perez in Quintana Roo, Mexico. /correspondent Rene Bonsubre Jr.