Philippine economy

Filipino upset specialist Rey Loreto to get title shot vs unbeaten Thai

Ryan Songalia

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Filipino upset specialist Rey Loreto to get title shot vs unbeaten Thai
Rey Loreto has been named the mandatory challenger to WBA strawweight titleholder Knockout CP Freshmart

MANILA, Philippines – Rey Loreto, the Davao born journeyman who has carved out a career based on spoiling better known fighters’ plans, will finally get his shot at a world title.

The 26-year-old Loreto was named the mandatory challenger to WBA strawweight titleholder Knockout CP Freshmart (the ring name of Thai boxer Thammanoon Niyomtrong) in a communique from the Panama-based sanctioning body dated April 17.

The WBA addressed the letter to Thai promoter Panya Prachakorn and Loreto’s promoter Liu Gang, informing them that they had 30 days, or until May 16, to negotiate terms before a purse bid would be ordered.

Loreto (23-13, 15 knockouts) may not have the most appealing looking record, and he began his career in 2008 with 4 straight defeats. But in recent years he’s shown that he’s nobody’s fall-guy, having won his last 7 fights, including a win over former WBA strawweight titleholder Pornsawan Porpramook in Thailand, and a pair of knockouts over former IBF strawweight titleholder Nkosinathi Joyi in Monaco and South Africa.

Freshmart (15-0, 7 KOs), also 26, has made two defenses of the 105-pound title since upgrading from the interim strap to the full championship with a tightly contested decision over Byron Rojas last June in Thailand.

Loreto’s manager Brico Santig says he’d prefer the fight to take place in the Philippines or in China, where Liu Gang is based.

Loreto says he’s excited for the opportunity but makes no predictions as to how it’ll turn out.

“This is boxing so I don’t know what happen for the fight,” says Loreto, who is trained by former boxer Joven Jorda out of the Highland Boxing Gym in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines, 

“The champion is a good boxer but I’ll do all my best to win the fight.” – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!