INTERNATIONAL matchmaker Sean Gibbons believes Vincent Astrolabio and Jade Bornea will capture world boxing titles this year.
“It’s going to be the year of Philippine boxing after Marlon Tapales’s milestone as the first boxer to win two titles in one fight,” Gibbons told BusinessMirror on Friday before flying back to the United States.
“The Nightmare” Tapales beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan via split decision early this month in San Antonio, Texas, to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) belts.
Astrolabio faces Australian Jason Moloney on May 13 in Stockton, California, for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight belt while Bornea challenges IBF super flyweight champion Fernando Daniel Martinez on June 24 in Minneapolis.
“We will have Astrolabio fighting in May and Bornea in July, then we have Jerwin Ancajas debuting as a bantamweight,” Gibbons, who heads MP Promotions, said. “So it’s going to be exciting and everybody wants to be like Marlon.”
Both Bornea and Astrolabio are first-timers in world title fights.
Gibbons said months without a world champion is now a thing of the past for Philippine boxing after Dave Apolinario won the International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight belt last July and Melvin Jerusalem captured the WBO minimum weight title last January.
Tapales also expressed his desire to fight either against undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue and reigning World Boxing Council and WBO super bantamweight titlist Stephen Fulton later this year.