A world title fight in Cebu?

Sports

REVERED Cebuano sportsman Lorenzo “Chao” Sy is keeping his fingers crossed that his next boxing promotion will be a mammoth world title fight with Cebu as venue.

Looking to sustain the momentum of the highly successful “Fist of Fury 10: The Eliminator”, Sy, the top honcho of the Chao Sy International Promotions, and his partners from the China-based FISTCO Boxing Promotions will start working on another partnership that will bring a world title fight in Cebu.

The two outfits co-promoted last Saturday’s event at the Cebu Coliseum where Chinese boxer DianXing Zhu scored a unanimous decision win over Ian Abne in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) world minimumweight title eliminator.

With the win, Zhu became the mandatory challenger to IBF world minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran.

“We had an agreement that whoever wins, the winner will be promoted in Cebu. Since it was the Chinese boxer who won, I will ask them to start negotiating with the IBF since they are the mandatory challenger,” said Sy.

Taduran was reportedly interested in taking on Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo but Sy said a Tudaran-Zhu duel is more possible.

“Collazo is more interested in fighting (Melvin) Jerusalem because for him, it would be an easier fight,” Sy said.

Jerusalem, the current World Boxing Council mini-flyweight king, and Taduran are the only active Filipino boxing world champions.

Sy said he has advised FISTCO to formally submit an offer to Taduran’s camp and the IBF.

“I told them we have to make an offer. Where would be the venue? Cebu or China or even Japan. But there’s a big chance that it will be in Cebu because regulations are stricter in China,” Sy said.

Sy said a formal offer must be made by May 26.

If negotiations move according to plan, the world title fight could be staged in October, Sy said.

Sy also intends to bring his promotions to provinces. He said the local governments of Ubay in Bohol and Toledo City have expressed interest in hosting professional boxing events in their areas.(CCM)