IT'S win or bust for “King” Arthur Villanueva as he gets one more shot at becoming a world champion. He will face World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali on July 6, 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
“I know this is a hard fight but I will go all out to win this. I have a slim chance of winning, but I will do my best because this could be my last chance at a world title,” Villanueva told SunStar Cebu.
Villanueva, who turned 30 in January, lost in previous two attempts at winning a world title. He lost to McJoe Arroy in 2015 for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight belt and lost to Zolani Tete in 2017 for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight crown.
Villanueva, ranked No. 15 by the WBC, was handpicked by Oubaali for his first title defense.
The 32-year-old Oubaali, 15-0 with 11 knockouts, won the vacant WBC belt last Jan. 19 after a unanimous decision win against Rau’shee Warren the Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrien Broner undercard. (EKA)