World title contender Randy Petalcorin has arrived in Melbourne, Australia ahead of his fight against Oscar Rafnaka of Indonesia next Friday Nov. 10. Petalcorin (27-2-1, 20KOs) who is rated No. 3 by the IBF and No. 6 by the WBC in the junior flyweight division, wants an impressive win against Rafnaka (13-15-0, 5KOs) to have a possible title fight against either IBF champion Milan Melindo of the Philippines or WBC champion Ken Shiro of Japan.
"Friday night is a big fight for me," Petalcorin said. "I will not underestimate Rafnaka. I know he is tough because he defeated former WBA world champion Muhammed Rachman and also lasted the distance with current WBO champion Kosei Tanaka. It's a tough fight but I trained hard and I am ready."
Petalcorin has recovered from his dubious split decision loss to Omari Kemeri on April 15, 2106 and has won four in a row since. His only other loss was against fellow Filipino Marlon Tapales early in their careers. Tapales later captured the WBO world bantamweight title.
Rafnaka's victory over the past his prime Rachman was the only bright spot in his record since 2013 as he lost all of his 12 other fights since.
"We are not looking past Raknafa. It's going to be a rough and tough fight for Randy. But if he wins impressively, Randy, who is rated IBF #3, we would like a shot at IBF world champion Milan Melindo. I think that fight could draw in Australia," said Petalcorin's manager and promoter Peter Maniatis.
Photo: Randy Petalcorin (R) and promoter Peter Maniatis in Australia.
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