The 35-year-old southpaw will leave today together with his manager Sammy Gello-ani and trainer Jeremiah Quijano for Guadalajara, Mexico via Los Angeles, California, where the fighter seeks to become the fifth world champion of the Philippines in 2007.
?Andam na kaayo ko. (I am ready). I have waited for this (world championship) for so long. in fact, this is the reason why I came back to boxing,? Batawang told Sun.Star Cebu last night.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) had declared Batawang as the mandatory challenger of Mexican Ulises Solis for the light flyweight title. The fight will be held at the champion?s hometown Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on Dec. 15.
This early, Batawang already smells the sweetest victory as he already has a gameplan how to beat the Mexican champion.
?I will come home a world champion. And I will be going for him hard, keep pressuring him and taking the fight into him. And this fight won?t be too long either. Eight rounds will be the maximum,? Batawang said.
Solis? last title defense was an eight-round KO win over Rodel Mayol last August.
Nicknamed the ?Ninja? because of his quick knockout punches, Batawang feels no pressure at all.
?It?s just like an ordinary fight for me. I feel no worries, I feel very relaxed. It?s just like I am fighting in Mandaue or somewhere here in Cebu,? stressed Batawang.
Batawang has been preparing for this fight for quite a while now.
At first, he was preparing for an eliminator fight that was put off for three occasions, including the last botched on last August in the Boxing World Cup.
He got a fight with Solis right after the World Cup, but the champion has been trying to evade the Filipino knockout artist until the IBF named Batawang as the mandatory challenger.
?I was patient I am confident that this would come. That is why I keep myself busy working at the gym,? he said.
Batawang and his team will stay in the US for two days before they leave for Guadalajara.
