Demecillo finally gets shot at reg’l. belt

Carlo Demecillo finally gets a shot at a regional belt as he takes on experienced Indonesian Ruben Manakane for the World Boxing Association ( WBA) Asia super bantamweight belt on March 17 in Indonesia.

Following back-to-back stoppage wins under his new promoter Big Yellow Promotions, the 21-year-old Demecillo is being given a chance by his handlers to prove he’s ready for the next level.

“Carlo has a huge chance because the opponent’s record isn’t that impressive. But we still can’t take any chances because he’s a veteran. This is a very important fight for Carlo,” Big Yellow Boxing Gym head coach Christopher “Ping-Ping” Tepora told SunStar Cebu.

Manakane, a seven-year veteran, should be a good gauge of where Demecillo is at right now in his career.

The 23-year-old Manakane has 40 bouts under his belt and has fought former world champions Billy Dib and Marlon Tapales. He has also fought the likes of Australian prospects Luke Jackson and Nathaniel May.

Manakane is 22-17-1 with 12 knockouts. He has a solid chin and has been knocked out only seven times in 17 defeats.

Manakane has won his last three fights. His latest victory is a technical decision victory over Thai Tweechai Juntarasuk for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Boxing Council and the WBA Asia super bantamweight belts.

“Right now, he has been sparring with Marjun Pantilgan. But next week we will visit other gyms so that he’ll be able to spar with a boxer that has a similar style with his opponent,” said Tepora.

The gyms that Tepora is looking at are Cebu City Sports Center and RWS Gym.

Demecillo, 10-4 with four knockouts, has won all of his four fights last year. His last two victories are by knockout against JayAr Aliasot and Margarito Moya.