‘Magic’ Mike sets return to Gensan

‘MAGIC’ Mike Plania is set to return home to his family in General Santos City following his impressive win over World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 1 bantamweight contender Joshua Greer Jr. in Las Vegas.

“I know all the hassles I will have to go through, but it’s fine as long as everyone’s safety is ensured. I will comply with all the procedures just to be with my family again. I badly miss my family, baby and of course, I can’t wait to celebrate my victory with my Sanman Team. This was the biggest win of my career,” Plania said in a statement.

The 23-year-old’s plane ticket home has been booked, and he’ll undergo the necessary procedures that include Covid-19 tests and quarantine before reuniting with his family in General Santos.

Plania put on an impressive performance and beat Greer Jr.— regarded as one of the best bantamweights—via a majority decision last June 16 in one of Top Rank’s closed-door shows at The Bubble of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Plania, 24-1 with 12 knockouts, has broken into The Ring Magazine’s bantamweight rankings at No. 10 after his win over Greer Jr. But according to Sanman chief executive officer JC Manangquil, the plan is to move back up to super bantamweight and look for a world title shot.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev (8-0, 6 KOs) holds the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association Super belts, Brandon Figueroa (20-0-1, 15 KOs) is the WBA regular champion, Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) is WBO titleholder and Rey Vargas is (34-0, 22 KOs) the World Boxing Council (WBC) titlist at super bantamweight.

Plania is currently rated No. 11 in the WBA and No. 12 in the IBF super bantamweight division. /