WORLD Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 1 super-flyweight contender KJ Cataraja is ready to put on a show on Japanese soil as he faces hard-hitting Mexican Kenbun Torres in a 10-round bout on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at the Yamato Arena in Osaka, Japan.
“I’m always ready for anyone they throw at me. This was an opportunity, and I grabbed it. Maybe next time I’ll be fighting for a world title,” Cataraja told SunStar Cebu. “What I saw in his last fight against (Reymart) Gaballo was that he’s very good with his hook. That’s the punch that caught Gaballo. That’s the punch I need to look out for. I’ll fight my fight, I’ll box him. But if there’s a chance to knock him out, then I’ll take it. I won’t rush things because I’m also ready to go the distance.”
This fight is a huge gamble for the 29-year-old Cataraja because a loss could cost him his chance to fight for a world title. Aside from being rated No. 1 by the WBO, Cataraja is also ranked No. 11 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 15 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Cataraja is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jun Blazo on Feb. 13, 2024, in Pasay City.
The 36-year-old Torres is a natural bantamweight but will be moving down to fight Cataraja in a catchweight bout.
“This is a huge challenge for me because he beat Gaballo. That’s why I won’t take him lightly,” said Cataraja.
Torres was very impressive in his last fight, scoring a first-round knockout upset of Gaballo, the former interim WBC bantamweight champion.
Cataraja has a perfect record of 17-0 with 13 knockouts, while Torres is 14-5 with 10 knockouts.
Two other Pinoy warriors are also seeing action in the same card.
World-rated minimumweight Samuel Salva (20-1, 13 KOs) locks horns with former world champion Yudai Shigeoka (8-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder, while Danrick Sumabong (13-4-1, 9 KOs) trades leathers with undefeated prospect Sho Nogami (3-0, 2 KOs) in an eight-round fight. / EKA