Cebu-honed fighter Jimrex Jaca of RWS Stable hopes to stay on a hot comeback trail since he lost his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super bantamweight title when he battles former Japanese super featherweight champion Kinji Amano on May 24 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Jaca, who sports a 22-1 win-loss record with nine wins by knockouts, is set to leave for Japan this Sunday together with his trainer Robert Bubuli and manager Rex “Wakee” Salud.
“I’ve trained very hard for this fight in the past two months. I’m in top shape and I’m confident to win this bout,” said Jaca during yesterday’s weekly SCOOP-Cebu forum at the Baseline Restaurant.
Jaca bragged that as proof of his readiness to score another triumph on foreign shores, he was able to knock down the power-hitting Cesar Yarte during one of his sparring sessions at the RWS Gym in Brgy. Labangon.
This will be Jaca’s second fight since he was dethroned by Japanese Yasuo Kunimi via seventh round knockout in his only first defense of his OPBF 122 pounds crown on May 30 last year in Kanazawa, Japan.
The Sibulan, Negros Oriental-native Jaca though staged a glorious comeback when he defeated Japanese Isamu Sakashita by technical decision in the fifth round on October 17, 2004 at Kanawa’s Ishikawa Sangyo Hall.
A victory over Amano will surely strengthen Jaca’s bid to conquer back his OPBF throne.
The 30-year-old Amano, on the other hand, is a veteran of 34 fights, posting a 22-8-4 win-loss-draw record spiked with 12KOs.
Amano, who is fighting against a Filipino opponent in his career, won three of his last five bouts, but fought to a draw with Hero Brando over eight heats in his previous match on November 8 last year in Tokyo.
Amano became the Japanese jr lightweight title when he defeated Koji Arisawa via unanimous decision on March 12, 2001, but surrendered his belt the following year to Kengo Nagashina.
