All set for battle of undefeated as Laspoña, Paciones make weight

Sports

RICHARD Laspoña and Arvin John Paciones passed the initial test, setting the stage for the highly anticipated duel between two of the country’s brightest prospects.

Laspoña and Paciones made weight for their title showdown on Sunday, May 24, at the Elorde Grand Ballroom in Parañaque City.

During the weigh-in on Saturday, May 23, the two unbeaten fighters both tipped the scales at 111.4 pounds.

At stake in the fight is Paciones’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental flyweight title.

Laspoña, a prized fighter of PMI Bohol Boxing Stable, will come into the fight with a spotless 11W-0L record highlighted by seven knockout wins. The hard-hitting boxer’s last two fights came via stoppage at the expense of Arvin John Sampaga and John Rey Labajo.

Against a fellow unbeaten fighter, Laspoña is expecting a grind-out fight.

"Akong mensahe ni Paciones, nag-training ka, nag-training pud ko. May the best man win," said Laspoña in a video posted on the official Facebook page of PMI Bohol Boxing Stable.

On the other hand, the Cebuano Paciones will try to cement his status as one of the country’s fast-rising fighters.

Paciones is currently ranked No. 5 by the WBO, No. 11 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), and No. 13 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

The former WBA No. 1 contender has 12 wins with no defeat with seven of his wins coming via KO.

Paciones’ last outing was a second-round knockout victory over fellow Filipino Jeraldin Oclarit in Manila last October.(CCM)