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Former Olympian and Asian Games medalist Eric Canoy defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title against undefeated Lorenzo “Thunderbolt” Villanueva on Saturday, July 4, at the Midsayap Municipal Gymnasium.
Canoy, a protege of Cong. Erlie Fabian of Zamboanga City, will be making the second defense of the WBO title he won on Feb. 3 last year with a 9th round TKO of Indonesian Rajabu Maoja. His first defense of the title on July 27 also last year against Thailand's Terdsak Jandaeng ended in a technical draw in the 4th round.
Villanueva, 5' 7" tall from the town of Midsayap, is undefeated in 15 fights with 14 KOs and a “No Decision” bout against Eric Macas on May 23 in Ozamis City. Macas was initially declared winner by technical decision after the fight was stopped after he suffered a cut in the 5th but this was reversed by the Games and Amusements Board which ruled that the cut was a result of punches and not a headbutt.
The 23-year-old Villanueva, described by his manager, North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Pinol as “raw and young” is a relentless fighter inside the ring who throws all caution to the wind and loves to exchange powerful punches with his opponents.
None of his fights has gone beyond five rounds. Against the veteran amateur fighter Eric Canoy, Villanueva's agility inside the ring will be put to a supreme test.
“We need to do a lot of fine tuning on Lorenzo especially on his movement and defense but I believe and I am confident he will hurdle Eric Canoy. Eric will have to bring a bicycle inside the ring to be able to stay away from the punches of Lorenzo,” Vice Gov. Pinol.
Villanueva, an orphan who was reared by then North Cotabato Governor Pinol as a young boy, hopes to become the first professional boxer from this big town to win a regional boxing title.
Vice Gov. Pinol's Braveheart Boxing Club, which he owns with his 10 brothers, now have four regional titleholders: WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Jundy “Pretty Boy” Maraon, 24; WBO Interim Oriental bantamweight champion Rolando “Smooth Operator” Magbanua, 24; WBO Oriental Junior Flyweight champion Edrin “The Sting” Dapudong, 23; and WBO Oriental Miniflyweight champion Rommel “Little Assassin” Asenjo, 20.
Maraon and Magbanua are undefeated. Maraon has 14 wins, 1 draw with 11 KOs while Magbanua is 16 wins with 11 KOs. Both are expected to fight for the world championship this year.
