CARLO Demecillo and Jutsine Darap will clash for the interim Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) bantamweight belt on Oct. 26, 2023 in Tacloban City.
“This will be a good fight because Darap is a fighter. This is an important fight for Carlo so that he can bounce back from a loss,” Big Yellow Boxing Gym head coach Christopher “Ping-Ping” Tepora told SunStar Cebu.
“Carlo is the visiting fighter. He needs to outbox him or knock him out to steer clear of a hometown decision.”
The 27-year-old Demecillo, who fights out of the Big Yellow Boxing Gym in Cebu City, is coming off back-to-back losses and is in dire need of a win. He lost a close split decision to Japanese Jun Ikegawa on May 5 in Parañaque City and then suffered a seventh-round technical decision defeat to another Japanese, Kaito Yamasaki, last Aug. 5 in Japan.
Like Demecillo, Darap also lost his last two fights and badly needs a victory. He dropped a fifth-round technical decision to Thai former world title challenger Aran Dipaen last year and then lost to RV Deniega via a third-round stoppage on May 6 in Cavite.
Demecillo is 16-8-2 with nine knockouts, while the 25-year-old Darap is 11-4 with seven knockouts.
In the co-main event, Reycar Auxilio, who also fights out of the Big Yellow Boxing Gym, trades leather with hometown fighter Jimmy Cannu Jr.
Auxilio is eager to return to the winning column after losing his last fight to Angelo Beltran by a second-round knockout last June 25.
Cannu Jr. also wants to get a win following a majority draw with Dannel Maamo in his last fight on July 29.
Auxilio is 4-3 with three knockouts, while Cannu Jr. is 4-1-1 with a knockout. (EKA)