CEBUANO boxer Rodex Piala will fight on Australian soil in a 10-round bout against world-ranked Aussie fighter Liam Wilson on Jan. 16, 2026, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Queensland.
Piala is coming off a huge year after capturing a regional championship in 2025. He dominated Chinese champion Yeerjialahasi Laayibieke by a convincing unanimous decision to wrest the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental super-featherweight title on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Nustar Resort and Casino in Cebu City.
The 30-year-old Piala returned to action five months later and beat Renan Portes by unanimous decision in a non-title bout. That was his last fight in 2025.
Wilson, on the other hand, is riding a four-fight winning streak since failing to win a world title in 2024. He defeated Youssef Dib twice, outclassed Ayrton Gimenez by unanimous decision to win the WBO International super-featherweight strap, and defended his belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Jorge Santana.
The 29-year-old Wilson earned his first crack at a world title in 2023 but lost to Mexican star Emanuel Navarrete via ninth-round technical knockout in their WBO super-featherweight title bout in the United States.
Wilson had his second attempt the following year, this time for the interim title, but was stopped by Oscar Valdez in the seventh round in the US.
Wilson is currently rated No. 3 by the WBO and No. 12 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Piala is 12-1 with a knockout, while Wilson is 17-3 with nine knockouts. / EKA