IT’S a do-or-die fight for veteran Cebuano fighter Bert “The Ninja” Batawang as he takes another crack at a world title.
Batawang, 38, will face a former tormentor, Ulises “Archie” Solis, in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title eliminator today at the Gimnasio Oscar “Tigre” García in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
The winner will become the mandatory challenger of Colombian IBF light flyweight champion Carlos Tamara, who recently won the crown from Filipino warrior Brian Viloria via a 12th round stoppage.
In the weigh-in yesterday, Batawang tipped the scales at 107.5, while former world champion Solis was half a pound heavier at 108.
Solis, 28, beat Batawang in their first encounter in 2007, stopping the Cebuano in nine rounds.
Batawang is 45-14-3 with 37 KOs, while Solis is 29-2-2 with 20 KOs.
Both fighters won their last fights.
Batawang is off from an impressive fifth-round KO over Indonesian veteran Jack Amisa, while Solis won a unanimous decision over unheralded Panamanian Derciu Cabarca.
A loss for Batawang could mean the end of his almost 20-year career.