WBC World Light Flyweight Final Eliminator between No. 2 ranked Erick Rosa Badillo (Mexico) — undefeated in 17 bouts with 8 KOs — and No. 7 ranked Gerardo Zapata (Nicaragua) — with a record of 15 wins (5 KOs), 2 losses, and 1 draw — has been officially scheduled for July 12 (July 13 Japan time) at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, as part of a ProBox Promotions event.
The main event on the same card will feature a 10-round super middleweight bout between unbeaten Lester Martinez (Guatemala) — ranked No. 3 by the WBA, No. 9 by the WBC, and No. 15 by the WBO with a record of 19 wins (16 KOs) — and former EBU light heavyweight champion Pierre-Hubert Dibombe (France), who holds a record of 22 wins (12 KOs), 2 losses, and 1 draw. The event will be streamed on ProBox TV.
The winner of Badillo vs. Zapata will earn a mandatory title shot against the winner of the WBC World Light Flyweight Championship rematch between reigning champion Panya Pradabsri (Thailand) — 44 wins (27 KOs), 2 losses — and No. 1 contender Carlos Cañizales (Venezuela) — 27 wins (19 KOs), 3 losses, and 1 draw — scheduled to take place in Caracas, Venezuela, on August 1 (August 2 Japan time).
29-year-old Badillo declared his determination, saying,
“Every fighter dreams of wearing the WBC green belt around their waist. Now, my time has come. I want to thank my promoter, All Star Promotions. I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I will definitely win on July 12.”
30-year-old Zapata previously challenged for the WBO World Minimumweight title on June 7 last year (June 8 Japan time) at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, where he suffered a wide unanimous decision loss over 12 rounds to then-undefeated champion Oscar Collazo (Puerto Rico, 12-0, 9 KOs).
In his comeback fight on March 7 (March 8 Japan time) in Managua, Nicaragua, Zapata returned to his natural light flyweight division and scored a 10-round decision win over former WBO World No. 11 ranked Azael Villar (Panama, 21-4-4, 15 KOs), claiming the WBO Latino Light Flyweight title.
The direct rematch between Panya and Cañizales has finally been set to take place in Cañizales’ hometown of Caracas, after a series of twists and turns. In their previous bout — a WBC world title fight held on December 26 last year in Bangkok, Thailand — Panya was awarded a 2-0 decision victory. However, the verdict was met with loud boos from the crowd at Rajadamnern Stadium.
The decision was widely criticized, with some calling it one of the worst of 2024. Now, with the rematch taking place on Cañizales’ home turf, many believe he has a strong chance of reclaiming a world title for the first time in nearly four years.
The final eliminator is expected to favor the highly regarded prospect Erick Badillo of Mexico, but if he ends up facing Carlos Cañizales of Venezuela, it’s likely to be a tough and challenging fight.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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