GIEMEL MAGRAMO vowed to do whatever it takes on Friday night to knockout Japanese Junto Nakatani and become the fifth reigning Filipino world champion after Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, Jerwin Ancajas, John Riel Casimero and Pedro General Taduran Jr.
“For the sake of God, my family and my country,” Magramo told BusinessMirror on the eve of the fight that stakes the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight title set before a limited crowd at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Magramo is fighting against all odds in Tokyo—an expectedly raucous crowd and a panel of judges composed of Japanese.
“I really need to knock him out,” Magramo, 26, said after gorging on a sumptuous meal of Bulalo (boiled beef with vegetables) on Thursday. “But if I perform very well, I believe the Japanese judges will reward me the victory. But I’ll do everything to knock him out.”
“I am hoping to be in the circle of Filipino world champions,” added Magramo, referring to World Boxing Association welterweight champion Pacquiao, International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight titlist Ancajas, WBO bantamweight king Casimero and IBF minimumweight belt holder Taduran.
Magramo weighed in 111.55 pounds while the undefeated foe Nakatani (20-0 win-loss record with 15 knockouts) tipped the scale at 111.77 pounds. The 22-year-old Japanese is taller by three-and-a-half inches at 5-foot-7 1/2.
Despite the height and reach difference, the Parañaque pug (24-1 20 knockouts) said he will use speed and timing against Nakatani.
The Japanese judges are Biney Martin (Ghana/Japan), Masakazu Murase and Masahiro Noda, while the referee is Nobuto Ikehara and fight supervisor is Tsuyoshi Yasukochi.
Team Magramo is composed of his father trainer Melvin Magramo, Toto Laurente, manager Johnny and Liza Elorde and Elorde’s son Juan Miguel, a former world title challenger.
Nakatani is coming off a technical knockout win over former world champion Milan Melindo in October last year.
The world title fight was postponed five times because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
