Tabanao, Canoy fly to Japan to help Inoue

Cebu-based pugs Neil John Tabanao and Jason Canoy will help out Japanese star Naoya Inoue for his title defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight crown.

Tabanao and Canoy flew to Japan yesterday and will serve as two of Inoue's sparring partners for more than three weeks.

"Canoy and I will be sparring partners with Inoue," Tabanao, a former WBO Oriental featherweight champion, told SunStar Cebu. "We will be there for more than three weeks. We will come home on Aug. 27."

Inoue is making his US debut on Sept. 9 against challenger Antonio Nieves at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

The blockbuster show also features the rematch of Roman Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and another super flyweight fight between former world champions Juan Francisco Estrada and Carlos Cuadras. Fil-Hawaiian Brian Viloria is also fighting in the card.

Sparring against Inoue will also be beneficial also for both Tabanao and Canoy, which will get much-needed experience from a world-class fighter.

The 27-year-old Canoy, 26-7-2 with 19 knockouts, is one of Omega Boxing Gym's more experienced fighters. He is coming off a split decision defeat against Mzuvukile Magwaca last March in South Africa.

The 23-year-old Tabanao is one of the promising prospects from the RWS Gym. He has a record of 13-4 record with nine knockouts. He is also coming off a loss against Japanese Teiru Atsumi by unanimous decision last April in Japan.