Bornea KOs Obbadi, earns IBF mandatory spot

FORMER amateur star Jade Bornea finally made his mark in the pro ranks after earning himself a world title shot following his third round knockout win over No. 3 ranked Mohammed Obbadi in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight title eliminator on Jan. 15, 2021 (PH time) at the Auditorio Jacales in Monterrey, Mexico.

Obbadi was off to a strong start and boxed effectively against Bornea, who was still trying to find his range.

In the second round, Bornea started to find his rhythm and landed a right straight that backed Obbadi, who was fighting for the first time outside of Europe.

The 26-year-old Bornea started to tag Obbadi with his punches in the third round. He finally caught Obbadi with a clean shot, a solid left uppercut to the side of the body that dropped him on his knee. Obbadi was clearly in pain and was counted out by the referee at the 1:25 mark of the third round.

Bornea remained unbeaten with 17-0 with 11 knockouts, while the 28-year-old Obbadi dropped to 22-2 with 13 knockouts.

With the win Bornea becomes the mandatory contender of the IBF super flyweight title. He will face the winner of the IBF super flyweight fight between Pinoy defending champion Jerwin Ancajas and Argentinean challenger Fernando Daniel Martinez.

After a split decision win over previously unbeaten prospect Ernesto Delgadillo in 2020, Bornea logged the biggest win of his career to date against Obbadi.

Bornea had an impressive amateur career, wherein he won the bronze medal in the 2012 AIBA Youth World Championships. In 2013, Bornea beat future world champions Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Kosei Tanaka in the same tournament—the 2013 Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships.

Now, Bornea is an inch closer to achieving his dream of becoming a world champion.