Two Filipino prospects won by spectacular knockouts in Mexico last Saturday to come a step closer to clinching title shots and the probability is they?ll be joining Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire Jr. and Brian Viloria as the country?s reigning world champions before the year ends.
Denver Cuello, 24, disposed of late hometown replacement Sebastian Arcos at 2:24 of the third round of a minimumweight bout in Quintana Roo while Sylvester Lopez, 23, knocked out highly touted Oscar Ibarra at 1:23 of the eighth to wrest the WBC silver superflyweight crown at the Plaza de Toros in Juriquilla.
Cuello is lined up to face Mexico?s Carlos Perez for the vacant WBC silver minimumweight title in Los Cabos on Oct. 15 and a win will seal a showdown with No. 1 contender Ganigan Lopez for the soon-to-be-vacant WBC 105-pound throne on Dec. 10 in the undercard of a Mexico card featuring WBC lightmiddleweight champion Saul (Canelo) Alvarez. According to Cuello?s manager Aljoe Jaro, WBC minimumweight titleholder Kazuto Ioka is expected to relinquish his crown after a second defense in November, paving the way for the Cuello-Lopez eliminator.
Sylvester Lopez, the No. 1 contender, fortified his bid to challenge newly crowned WBC 115-pound champion Suriyan Por Rungvisai of Thailand by knocking out Ibarra, cited in the WBC website as ?on the verge of a world title.? Rungvisai?s first mandatory defense will be against Lopez. The Thai scored a unanimous decision over Mexico?s Tomas Rojas to capture the WBC title in Srisaket last Aug. 19. Suriyan, 22, has fought here twice, losing a 10-round decision to Javier Mulalan in Baguio City in 2007 and drawing with Fernando Lumacad in Naga City the next year.
Jaro said Cuello won?t return home until after the Ganigan Lopez fight. Cuello will stay in Las Vegas with Jaro?s friend Carlos Vazquez, a retired Filipino US Army veteran. Jaro flies back to Manila on Friday then will rejoin Cuello in Las Vegas on Oct. 3 with trainer George Sol.
