HOPING TO GET A THIRD SHOT
Villanueva looks to redeem himself as he hopes to beat Nery in non-title fight to open another shot at the world title
Arthur Villanueva hasn’t had much success at the world championship level. He vied for a world title twice, and lost both times.
The 28-year-old Villanueva has another chance to put his name back up there should he win over World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion Luis Nery.
“This fight is very important for me because there is a possibility that I can fight for a world title again. If I beat him, the belt will be vacant,” Villanueva told SunStar Cebu.
Villanueva will face Nery in a 10-round non-title fight on Nov. 4 at the Gasmart Stadium in Tijuana, Mexico.
“I thought at first that it was a world title fight but it’s a non-title fight. I’m getting myself ready because he’s a very dangerous opponent. But I think that I have a huge chance of winning this because my opponent doesn’t run,” said Villanueva.
Villanueva is eager to get back into title contention after losing to Zolani Tete in an interim World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title fight in England. His last world title fight was 2015, wherein he lost to McJoe Arroyo by a 10th round technical decision in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight fight.
“This is going to be his statement fight because Nery’s style is what Arthur wants. This guy will fight and so is Arthur. It should be an exciting fight,” said ALA Promotiona president Michael Aldeguer.
Nery is a young unbeaten Mexican fighter. He recently proved that he’s one of the division’s best after dethroning Shinsuke Yamanaka by a fourth round stoppage last August in Japan.
“This will be a good fight because both of them want to engage and Arthur has a huge chance of winning this,” said ALA Gym head trainer Edito Villamor, who will be in Villanueva’s corner alongside Michael Domingo.
This is Villanueva’s sixth fight outside the confines of home. But despite the fact of a very difficult fight in Mexican soil, Villanueva is optimistic of his chances.
“I’m already used to that. I know that there’s a chance of a hometown decision but that’s how it is. But I don’t think about that, I see that I have an advantage in this fight and this is a big opportunity,” said Villanueva.