FOR most, the name Rocky Fuentes doesn?t ring a bell. However, he is one of the most promising flyweights in the country that could possibly vie for a world championship in the next few years.
Fuentes has been making waves in the international boxing community by winning the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight crown, early this year, by dethroning highly-regarded Japanese veteran Masafumi Okubo in a 12-round majority decision upset in Japan.
After that, he has defended his title twice in Japan against hometown fighters Shigetaka Ikehara and Yasuto Aritomi, whom he both stopped.
Current win
Fuentes?s latest title defense was last Saturday in his hometown, Cebu City, wherein he scored an impressive second-round knockout finish over Thai challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang.
Because of his recent string of victories, he has caught the eye of all the four major boxing sanctioning bodies and also The Ring Magazine, regarded as the bible of boxing.
He is ranked sixth in the World Boxing Organization, seventh in both the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association, eighth in the International Boxing Federation and ninth in the Ring ratings.
Since his recent success, his promoter, ALA Promotions, believes that he will be fighting for a world title anytime soon.
?Late next year or early 2012,? ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu as to when Fuentes might challenge for a world title.
But before thinking of a crack at a world title, Aldeguer said the 24-year-old hard-hitter will first focus on improving his rankings and become the No.1 contender for a sure shot at the crown.
?World champions don?t want to take their chances on him. We will first focus on the OPBF and wait for our time. He has to keep winning to improve his rank,? he said.
Fuentes will be having his fourth title defense in Japan next year, possibly in February or March.
Before his recent success, Fuentes was just fighting in small boxing shows in Cebu City and didn?t really live up to his handler?s expectations.
?Nobody gave him a chance, but now he has resurrected his career,? said Aldeguer.
?Rocky is slowly finding himself. We knew that he always had the talent, but he had just bumps in his career.?
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on December 01, 2010.
