Melindo vs. Yaegashi
Interim champ Milan Melindo slated to fight IBF titleholder Akira Yaegashi of Japan this March
AN International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title fight between interim champion Milan Melindo and regular titleholder Akira Yaegashi is being eyed in March.
“Yes, he will be Milan’s next opponent after 120 days,” ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu. “Yes we are looking at March.”
The winner of the Melindo vs. Yaegashi fight becomes the sole IBF light flyweight champion.
“No tune-up anymore. Most likely in Japan, but we’ll see if we can bring the fight here,” said Aldeguer.
After two attempts, Melindo finally won a coveted world title with a unanimous decision over Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr. at the Cebu Coliseum in November.
Attempts
The 28-year-old tactician’s first attempt was in 2013 against then World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight king Juan Francisco Estrada. He lost to Estrada by unanimous decision.
Melindo’s second try was in 2015 against then IBF light flyweight titleholder Javier Mendoza. He lost via a technical draw after the fight was waived due to an accidental clash of heads and he was behind in the scorecards.
Yaegashi, on the other hand, is fresh from a successful second title defense of his belt after the 12th round stoppage of Samartlek Kokietgym in a New Year’s Eve show in Japan last weekend.
Akira’s record
The three-division world champion Yaegashi won the IBF light flyweight belt with a unanimous decision win over Javier Mendoza. His first title defense was a split decision win over Martin Tecuapetla.
“Milan has a chance but it won’t be easy. The Japanese fighters are on a roll,” said Aldeguer.
Melindo is 35-2 with 12 knockouts, while the 33-year-old Yaegashi is 25-5 with 13 knockouts.