IT SHOULD be an exciting night of boxing as Elmo Traya and his Chinese opponent Wei Wei Liu vowed to take each other’s heads off in their World Boxing Foundation (WBF) Australasian super lightweight battle on Saturday night, June 24, 2023, in the main event of Moneypunch Promotions’ boxing show at the Consolacion Sports Complex in Consolacion, Cebu.
Traya wasn’t shy with his prediction and said that Lui’s night will be over quickly by brutal fashion.
“There’s no limit in talk. But he has to back it up and do his best to knock me out because if I catch him, he’ll surely get knocked out. I don’t even think he’ll get past the first round,” a confident Traya said after Friday’s weigh-in at the Insular Square in Mandaue City.
The 28-year-old Traya has dropped four of his last five contests since 2018 and is eager to return to the winning column. Traya said he didn’t have a good training camp in his last two fights, losing to Abdul Azizi Ssebulime and Phoobadin Yoohanngoh. However, this time, he had a full three month training camp and is in top condition.
“I’m very hungry for a win. I won’t allow him to bring the belt to China,” he said.
Liu, a former K-1 fighter, earlier said that a knockout win is imminent and that he’ll come out victorious with the belt around his waist.
“Be careful. We will take the belt to China. I must win. I will knock him out in three rounds,” Lui said through his trainer and manager Robin Wong.
After a kickboxing career, Lui transitioned to boxing in 2019. He won all four of his fights, with his latest win, an eighth-round technical knockout of South Korean Hyun Woo Gang in South Korea.
Traya easily made weight at 139.3 pounds, while Liu was overweight in his first attempt at 140.3 pounds. He made weight in his second try at 140 pounds.
Traya, a former ALA Boy, is 12-5 with eight knockouts, while Liu is 4-0 two knockouts.
“I’ve witnessed Traya’s training. I’m confident that there’s going to be a knockout,” said Moneypunch Promotions head Christian Faust.
“This is an exciting selection of fights, high caliber and high standard. Everybody is going to be entertained especially with the title fight,” he said. / EKA