Tuñacao battles Esquivel in WBC eliminator tiff this Sat

Former WBC World Champion Malcolm Tuñacao (31-2-3, 19KOs) of Cebu will earn another shot at a world title if he beats hard-hitting Mexican Christian Esquivel (25-3, 18KOs) in a WBC bantamweight eliminator bout this Saturday in Kobe, Japan.

The winner of the Tuñacao-Esquivel bout will become the mandatory challenger of WBC world champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12KOs) of Japan.

The Tuñacao-Esquivel elimination fight promoted by Shinsei Promotions will take place at Kobe’s Central Gym in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Esquivel has already arrived in Japan along with head trainer Pablo Cano and assistant coach Freddy Melo.

“I respect Malcolm. I’ve seen videos of his fights. But I will take advantage of his mistakes to attack him. I will win by points or knockout.”

Meanwhile, Tuñacao said that his training has been effective and he is ready for the Mexican world-rated fighter.

“My training has been good here in Kobe,” said the Cebuano fighter who is currently ranked WBC No. 1, WBA No. 6 and IBF No. 8.

“I have been working with my head trainer and manager Masato Yamashita (founder of Shinsei Boxing Gym in Kobe), my preparation has gone so well.”

Tuñacao, who last Saturday celebrated his 35th birthday, is undefeated in six years. The Filipino, nicknamed “Eagle Eye,” became world champion by destroying defending champion 3-K Battery Medgoen Singsurat of Thailand, the very same fighter who, just eight months earlier had knocked out Manny Pacquiao.

In his last fight three months ago, the southpaw Tuñacao, who has lived in Japan for over eight years, outclassed Uganda fighter Martin Mubiru in the coastal city of Nagoya in central Japan.

Tuñacao’s fight with Esquivel is a must-win for the experienced Pinoy fighter born in Mandaue, Cebu as a victory this Saturday will make him the mandatory challenger of the WBC bantamweight world champion.

HASEGAWA VS SANTOS

The card’s co-main event will feature Tunacao’s stablemate former 2-division world champion Hozumi Hasegawa (30-4, 13KOs) of Kobe, Japan in a collision course with rising Mexican Arturo “Rey” Santos (12-2, 4KOs) of Nogales, Sonora.

Santos, who represented Mexico in the Beijing 2008 Olympic games, comes to Japan after a 12-round unanimous decision win over Russian Khabir Suleymanov for the WBF super bantamweight title last August in Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

Prior to that victory, Santos lost a controversial split decision over veteran Fernando Montiel last June in Chihuahua, a non-title combat that one judge saw Santos outpointing Montiel.

Meanwhile, the veteran southpaw Hozumi Hasegawa, 31, comes from a crushing round seven TKO win over then undefeated Mexican Felipe Carlos Felix (18-1, 10KO’s) last April at the Tokyo International Forum, an intense fight attended by this author. /carlos costa of philboxing