Fuentes battles Aritomi

ROCKY Fuentes will defend his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight title against Japanese warrior Yasuto Aritomi in his third straight bout in Japan.

The 24-year-old Cebuano, who is one of the most promising boxers out of the ALA Gym, won the OPBF title after dethroning Masfumi Okubo via a majority decision last March 9 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo Japan.

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He defended the crown three months later by stopping world-rated Japanese fighter Shigetaka Ikehara in the 11th round at the same venue.

“We are anticipating a different fight. The opponent isn’t going to go toe-to-toe with Rocky because of his power,” ALA promotions president Michael Aldeguer said.

Aldeguer said Fuentes should dictate the fight and be aggressive.

Fuentes, who is ranked seventh in the World Boxing Council, is 26-6-2 with 16 knockouts while the 30-year-old Japanese is as impressive with 17-1-2 with eight knockouts.

If Fuentes wins his title defense, Aldeguer said he will include him in a huge event in the Philippines. Aldeguer also believes that Fuentes is ready for a world title fight.