WORLD-RATED Christian Araneta gets another crack at becoming a mandatory world title challenger as he takes on Arvin Magramo in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title eliminator on Jan. 18, 2024 at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino.
“This is an eliminator. So if we get the win, we’ll be fighting for a world championship. This fight is equally as important as a world title fight,” Omega Boxing Gym head coach Jinggoy Junco told SunStar Cebu.
Araneta is currently ranked No. 6 by the IBF. He’s also ranked No. 5 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 8 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and No. 17 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Magramo, on the other hand, is rated No. 7 by the IBF, No. 6 by the WBO and No. 30 by the WBC.
The 28-year-old Araneta has already fought two IBF light flyweight world title eliminators in the past. His first attempt was against Mexican Daniel Valladares in 2019 in Mexico. Araneta lost to Valladares by a fourth-round technical knockout after suffering a shoulder injury.
Araneta earned his second world title eliminator in 2021 against Sivenathi Nontshinga in South Africa. He lost to Nontshinga by unanimous decision. Both Valladares and Nontshinga became world champions after fighting Araneta.
Since his loss to Nontshinga, Araneta won four straight contests. He defeated Richard Claveras, Arnold Garde, the late Toto Landero and Jakrawut Majungoen.
The 26-year-old Magramo, in the meantime, is on a hot streak, winning nine straight fights.
In his unbeaten run, Magramo won the WBO Oriental light flyweight with a second round stoppage of Jerry Francisco in 2021. He successfully defended his belt twice, beating Jonathan Refugio and Joel Lino.
Magramo also beat world-ranked Jake Amparo via a third round stoppage in his five-year undefeated streak.
The winner of the IBF light flyweight title eliminator will become the mandatory challenger of new IBF light flyweight champion Adrian Curiel, who recently
dethroned Nonshinga.
Araneta is 23-2 with 18 knockouts, while Magramo is 17-1-1 with 11 knockouts.
This will be a historic moment for Omega Boxing Promotions because this is the first time that a boxing event will be held at the luxurious NUSTAR Resort and Casino. The Waterfront Hotel and Casino was the usual home of world championship boxing since the days of now-defunct ALA Promotions.
“This is a huge venue and this is the first time that a boxing event will be held in NUSTAR,” said Junco.