SUICO MANDATORY TITLE DEFENSE IN CEBU

OPBF lightweight champion Randy Suico who retained his title with a unanimous twelve round decision over Japan’s Tomonori Nakagawa at the Prefectural Gym in Osaka, Japan last Monday will battle hard-hitting Japanese Koji Samejima in Cebu sometime in July.

Promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud who regularly promotes Suico’s fights in Cebu because of his friendship with the well-known Japanese manager of Suico, journalist and matchmaker Joe Koizumi told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that no definite date has been set but that he plans to make it a double-championship fight card and may stage it at the Waterfront Hotel if the response is good.

Suico who in 2004 figured in a WBC super featherweight world title eliminator in Johannesburg, South Africa where he lost a controversial hometown split decision to Mzonke Fana who recently won the IBF title, is currently ranked No. 6 by the WBC.

Samejima is coming off impressive knockout victories over Philippine champion Dexter Delada who is managed by Salud and Thai champion Songnarong Kiatsinghnoy. Samejima won both fights by a second round KO and because of his punching power and knockout victories has earned the nickname “Champion Killer.” The 25 year old Samejima is one-and-a-half inches taller than Suico and has a ring record of 15-1-1 with 6 KO’s while Suico has a record of 26-3 with 22 KO’s.