BENNY Cañete has withdrawn from his upcoming fight with Ariel Antimaro on Oct. 29, 2025, after suffering a shoulder injury during training.
Cañete sustained a rotator cuff injury, possibly a tear, in a recent sparring session with Leonard Sarcon at the Omega Boxing Gym.
Cañete went to UCMed and was advised by Dr. Rhoel Dejaño to undergo rehabilitation for his left shoulder and rest for six to eight weeks.
The Cañete vs. Altamirano bout was slated for the undercard of the stacked “Thrilla in Manila 50th Anniversary” event at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Jubert Buhat will step in to replace Cañete against Altamirano on fight night.
The card’s main event is a world championship bout between World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight king Melvin Jerusalem (24-3, 12 KOs) and South African challenger Siyakholwa Kuse (9-2-1, 4 KOs).
Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial (6-0, 4 KOs) will fight for a regional title for the first time in his career, taking on Eddy Colmenares for the WBC International middleweight strap in the main supporting bout.
Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nicol Ali Walsh (11-2, 5 KOs) is also featured on the main card in a 10-rounder agaist Thai fighter Kittisak Klinson (10-2, 6 KOs).
Former world champion Marlon Tapales and undefeated prospect Carl Jammes Martin are also seeing action in the stacked event.
Tapales (40-4, 21 KOs) will trade leathers with Pakistani Nadir Baloch (12-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round fight, while Martin (26-0, 20 KOs) will clash with one-time world title challenger Aran Dipaen (21-4, 18 KOs).
The boxing event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historic Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight, dubbed the “Thrilla in Manila,” which took place at the same historic venue in 1975. / EKA