Araneta eyes IBF crown

CRISTIAN Araneta attempts to become the newest Filipino world champion on Thursday, June 19, 2025, as he trades leather with Thai boxer Thanongsak Simsri for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight title at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

 Araneta and his team are confident they will bring home another world title to the Philippines.

“We will be victorious,” Araneta’s trainer, Omega Boxing Gym head coach Jinggoy Junco, told SunStar Cebu. “It will depend on the situation and the opponent. If he decides to immediately attack, then we will catch him early. But if he decides to run, then we will get him in the later rounds.”

Araneta tipped the scales at 107.5 pounds, while Simsri weighed in at 107.1 pounds.

 The 30-year-old Araneta has finally earned mandatory status after winning in his third IBF light-flyweight title eliminator. 

Araneta’s first IBF light-flyweight title eliminator was in 2019, when he lost to Daniel Valladares via fourth-round stoppage in Mexico after suffering an unfortunate shoulder injury. 

Araneta’s second title eliminator came in 2021 against Sivenathi Nontshinga in South Africa, where he lost by a close unanimous decision.

 In 2024, Araneta finally broke through, scoring a technical knockout against Arvin Magramo in Cebu City to clinch the mandatory challenger position.

 Araneta, the No. 1 ranked light flyweight, was originally set to face then-champion Masamachi Yabuki, but the latter decided to relinquish his belt, setting up this title clash between the two top-rated fighters, Araneta and Simsri. 

Despite being only 25 years old, Simsri has a ton of experience with a total of 39 pro fights. He has beaten the likes of former world champion Masataka Taniguchi and Filipino fighters Miel Fajardo and John Paul Gabunilas. His lone defeat came via a seventh-round technical knockout against Yabuki in 2022.

Araneta has an impressive win-loss record of 24-2 with 20 knockouts, while Simsri is 38-1 with 34 knockouts.

If victorious, Araneta will become the third active world champion from the Philippines, joining World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight king Melvin Jerusalem and IBF minimumweight titleholder Pedro Taduran. /EKA