OMEGA Sports Promotions’ “Kumbati 16” is turning out to be a stacked boxing show with the addition of two promising Japanese prospects and two former world title challengers in the undercard on Jan. 26, 2024 at the NUSTAR Resort Cebu Convention Center.
Undefeated super lightweight Kotaro Sekine faces off with veteran Al Toyogon in an eight-round bout.
The 26-year-old Sekine has been making waves on Japanese soil and won all three of his fights last year against Reiji Kodama, Jong Hee Lee and Ryuta Miyoshi.
Toyogon should be a huge step up for Sekine because the former has a lot of experience and has faced some notable fighters. The best that Toygon has faced is former world champion Jorge Linares, who beat him by unanimous decision in Japan in 2019.
Toyogon is coming off a majority decision victory over Rimar Metuda.
Sekine is 7-0-1 with six knockouts, while Toyogon is 14-8-2 with nine knockouts.
On the other hand, Kenshin Hosokawa squares off with journeyman Ronnie Baldonado in an eight-rounder.
The 21-year-old Hosokawa is coming off back-to-back wins over Pinoy fighters Melchor Roda and Rodel Sunquit, both in the Philippines, last year.
Baldonado is a nine-year veteran who has fought the likes of former world champion Kosei Tanaka, one-time world title challenger Sho Ishida and rising Pinoy prospect Carl Jammes Martin. He’s fresh from a unanimous decision win over former world title contender Vergilio Silvano.
Hosokawa is 6-1-1 with five knockouts, while Baldonado is 17-5-1 with nine knockouts.
Former world title challengers Jeo Santisima and Jayson Mama are also seeing action in the undercard.
Santisima (22-7, 19 KOs) is up against Pablito Cañada (8-24-6, 2 KOs), while Mama (19-1, 10 KOs) trades leathers with Audie Dacua (5-4, 4 KOs)
Also in the undercard, Ramil Roda (2-1-2) faces off with Anthony Galigao (10-20, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder and Japanese Kyota Watanabe makes his pro debut against Lourinz Biasong (1-0) in a four-rounder.
The main event of the boxing event co-promoted by Japanese promotional outfit Treasure Boxing Promotion features, Christian Araneta (22-3, 18 KOs) taking on fellow world-ranked Pinoy Arvin Magramo (17-1-1, 11 KOs) in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title eliminator.
Froilan Saludar (34-7-1, 24 KOs) defends his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight belt against Japanese Keita Kurihara (17-8-1, 15 KOs) in a rematch in the co-main event.