JESSE Espinas continued his boxing resurgence with an impressive victory over promising prospect April Jay Abne and captured the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) Asia flyweight title on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at the Gov. Andres Bernos Memorial Gymnasium in Bangued, Abra.
Espinas and Abne immediately engaged in a fierce exchange, trading some heavy shots in a fast-paced start.
The 32-year-old Espinas caught Abne with a right hook followed by a left straight that dropped the younger fighter to the canvas.
Abne survived the initial knockdown and went on to fight Espinas for six more rounds.
Espinas, who showcased his boxing prowess the whole night, connected with punishing uppercuts to the body and sent Abne down again in the eighth round.
Although Abne beat the count for the second time, it didn’t take long for Espinas to finish the job. He landed a solid left straight and followed it up with a right shot that floored Abne once more. This time, the referee immediately waved off the bout at the 2:34 mark of the eighth round.
Espinas improved to 25-7 with 15 knockouts and will most likely earn a spot in the IBF flyweight rankings. He’s currently ranked No. 7 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the light-flyweight division.
The 26-year-old Abne suffered his second career loss and fell to 15-2-1 with six knockouts.
In the undercard, Romer Pinili (9-4-1, 7 KOs) defeated journeyman Eduardo Mancito (22-18-2, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision.
Editho Embrado (1-0, 1 KO) had an impressive pro debut with a first-round stoppage of Gian Villanueva (0-2), while Bimboy Ibones (1-0) won his first pro bout with a unanimous decision victory over Reymond Banquiao (0-1-1).
Rolymhar Napase (1-0) also won his pro debut with a unanimous decision over Mark Anthony Agbay (1-1, 1 KO). / EKA