Rene Mark Cuarto will head into the vacation season with a win within the financial institution and revenge on his thoughts.
The previous IBF strawweight champion scored a second-round knockout of countryman Dexter Alimento in his first struggle for the reason that finish of his title reign. A physique shot induced a delayed response knockdown, with Alimento taking the total ten-count to finish the struggle at 1:06 of spherical two Friday at Baliok Gymnasium in Davao Metropolis, Philippines.
With the win, Cuarto preserved his place in line because the obligatory challenger for his outdated IBF strawweight title at the moment held by Daniel Valladares (26-3-1, 15KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico. Valladares outpointed Cuarto by way of break up determination to win the IBF strawweight title on July 1 in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico.
The primary title protection will see the 28-year-old Valladares hit the street, as he’ll face Tokyo’s Ginjiro Shigeoka (8-0, 6KOs) as a part of a January 6 strawweight title struggle doubleheader from EDION Area in Osaka, Japan. The present additionally options WBO strawweight titlist Masataka Taniguchi in his second title protection versus Melvin Jerusalem (19-2, 11KOs), a former title challenger from Normal Santos Metropolis.
Cuarto received the IBF title in a twelve-round, unanimous determination win over countryman Pedro Taduran final February 27 in Normal Santos Metropolis. All three judges scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Cuarto, who jumped out to a powerful begin and was capable of fend off a late rally by Taduran to protect his first title win.
The 2 met in a match this previous February 6 in Digos Metropolis. Cuarto as soon as once more prevailed, this time by way of technical majority determination.
The wild affair noticed Taduran floored in rounds two and 6, the later knockdown offering the margin of victory for Cuarto who overcame a two-point deduction for an intentional foul. Cuarto was forward on two of the three scorecards (66-64, 65-64, 65-65) when the struggle was stopped in spherical seven after an unintended headbutt left Taduran with a lower alongside his brow and unable to proceed.
The Valladares-Shigeoka winner can have 90 days to honor the obligatory title protection versus Cuarto.
Jake Donovan is a senior author for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox