Big Heart eyes big brawl

Slugger Kenny Demecillo will try to lure Mark Anthony Geraldo into what he does best, a phone booth brawl.

“We will disrupt his strategy. It will be good if he will fight Demecillo’s fight,” Demecillo’s coach Christopher “Ping-Ping” Tepora told Sun.Star Cebu.

Demecillo and Geraldo are fighting for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental bantamweight crown and possibly a slot in the world ranking as the main supporting bout for the Rex Tso vs. Hirofumi Mukai bout at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong tonight.

“(We) have a huge chance (of winning) if Geraldo does not run,” said Tepora.

Demecillo tipped the scales well below the bantamweight limit at 117 pounds, while the 25-year-old Geraldo is half a pound heavier at 117 1/2 pounds.

The 24-year-old Demecillo has won four of his last five contests and last lost two years ago.

Demecillo rose to prominence after a second-round stoppage over former amateur standout Daryl Basadre in 2015. He proved that his first win against Basadre was no fluke as he forced him to retire in the eighth round of what was one of the best local fights of that year.

Geraldo, who was once world-rated, should be Demecillo’s stiffest test. Geraldo has faced some of the best in his division, the likes of Oleydong Sithsamerchai, McJoe Arroyo, Takuma Inoue, Arthur Villanueva and Jerwin Ancajas, who he beat by majority decision.

“We have to watch out for his counters because he has very good timing,” said Tepora. /