YOUNG and undefeated prospect Christian Balunan is thrilled to face one of his ring idols in a crucial fight that could earn him a world title shot.
The 25-year-old Balunan is slated to fight two-time world champion Vic Saludar in an all-Filipino International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight title eliminator on July 27, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea.
“I’m excited for this fight because this is my opportunity to be able to fight for a world title. I’m also excited because my opponent is one of the boxers that I idolize,” Balunan told SunStar Cebu.
The winner of the world title eliminator will become the mandatory challenger to Filipino IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran.
“He’s a very good boxer. He’s a thinking fighter. He should not be taken lightly because he’s a former world champion. That’s why I have to be at my best,” said Balunan. “For now, I can’t say I have a clear advantage over him because he’s proven a lot as a boxer. I think my only advantage is that I’m the younger.”
Balunan is nine years younger than Saludar, who is 34 years old.
Saludar has shared the ring with some of the elite fighters in his weight division, including current World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo, WBA light-flyweight king Erick Rosa, Kosei Tanaka, Ryuya Taniguchi, and Wilfredo Mendez.
Saludar first won a world title in 2018, beating Yamanaka by unanimous decision for the WBO minimumweight belt. Though he lost the title in 2019, Saludar bounced back and reclaimed world champion status in 2021, defeating Robert Paradero by split decision to capture the vacant WBA strap.
Since his loss to Collazo in 2023, Saludar has been on a five-fight winning streak.
Balunan, meanwhile, is coming off the biggest win of his career last year. He beat former world title challenger Paradero by technical decision in Bohol.
Regarded as one of the most promising young fighters in the Philippines, Balunan trains under the tutelage of renowned Cebuano boxing coach Edito Villamor.
Balunan is currently rated No. 3 by the IBF, while Saludar is No. 4.
Balunan is 12-0 with seven knockouts, while Saludar is 26-6 with 16 knockouts. / EKA