EXPERIENCE is the best teacher.
That?s the direction that Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) wants for unbeaten prospect Jhack Tepora, to gain more experience and grow as a boxer before facing the top dog of his division.
?We have so many things to deal with. We have no definite time table for him for now,? said OPSI president Pio Paulo Castillo. ?We are approaching things slowly but surely. Hopefully by the end of next year we have covered up a lot of ground.?
Tepora, 21 , will face his first foreign opponent next month in Indonesian Galih Susanto for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental super bantamweight belt in the main event of ?Who?s Next?? 3 on Dec. 2 at the Mandaue Sports and Cultural Complex.
?We would like to fight anybody in the top 10. But our focus right now is on Galih Susanto. We are not taking any chances. We have to take care of Susanto first before anything else. We are not rushing him,? said new OPSI vice-president Rico Navarro.
The 26-year-old Susanto should be a good measuring stick for Tepora . He is a tough fighter that is long and lanky. He fought but lost to current WBO bantamweight titleholder Marlon Tapales and former world champion Denkaosan Kovichit but took them to the distance. He has never been knocked out in his career and has a 12-6-1 slate with two knockouts.
?I?m not taking my opponent lightly. He is also training hard like me. I will do my best to win this fight,? said Tepora, the WBO Asia-Pacific Youth super bantamweight titleholder. ?I?m very excited to finally face my first foreign opponent.?
Tepora, rated No. 14 in the WBO super bantamweight rankings, is 18-0 with 13 knockouts.
Kenny Demecillo (11-3-2, 7 KOs) faces off with Jestoni Autida (9-5, 4 KOs) for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Asia-Pacific bantamweight title in the co-main feature.
