HARD-HITTING Jay-r Raquinel will face a tough challenge against Mexican boxer Kenbun Torres in an eight-round bout on July 12, 2026, at the Sangyo Shingo Center in Osaka, Japan.
Raquinel is looking to bounce back after losing to undefeated Ghanaian prospect Theophilous Allotey by unanimous decision in a World Boxing Organization (WBO) Global super-flyweight contest in Ghana last Dec. 20, 2025.
The 29-year-old Raquinel will be making his first fight of the year.
Raquinel has enjoyed success in Japan, where he remains undefeated in three fights, beating former world title challenger Takuya Kogawa, Shun Kosaka, and Keisuke Nakayama.
Among the biggest victories of Raquinel’s career are triumphs over former world title contender Komgrich Nantapetch, and world-ranked fighters Yahir Frank and Landile Ngxeke.
Meanwhile, Torres is coming off a fifth-round stoppage win over Jason Falcurin in Japan last Dec. 13, 2025. Before that, he fought for the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) super-flyweight title against David Jimenez but lost by an 11th-round knockout, also in Japan.
Torres burst onto the world super-flyweight scene after huge back-to-back wins over Filipino stars Reymart Gaballo and KJ Cataraja.
Raquinel has an impressive win-loss-draw slate of 18-3-1 with 14 knockouts, while Torres is 16-6 with 11 knockouts.
On the same card, former ALA boy Jess Rhey Waminal is also set to see action.
Waminal will battle undefeated Japanese prospect Kaishu Harada in an eight-rounder.
Waminal last fought in Japan on March 18, 2026, but lost to Toshihiro Suzuki via fourth-round technical knockout.
Harada, on the other hand, will return to the ring after a six-month layoff. In his last fight, Harada defeated Yuzuki Yamamori by unanimous decision.
Waminal is 18-13-1 with 10 knockouts, while Harada is 7-0-1 with two knockouts. / EKA
