MAINLA – Negrense fighter John Michael Zulueta aims to capture the vacant Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) light flyweight belt when he faces Thai Sittichai Nimnual tonight at the SpacePlus Night Club in Bangkok, Thailand.
This will be the Calatrava, Negros Occidental native’s second time to fight for the 112-pound belt after previously winning it at the expense of fellow Pinoy Mark Anthony Florida prior to the pandemic.
In preparation for the fight, Zulueta has been in constant training at the Highland Boxing Gym in Bangkok under the guidance of former world champion and now trainer Joemarie Gamboa.
Zulueta, who is currently No. 14 ranked in the World Boxing Association, had some rounds of sparring with fellow Negrense Herlan Sixto Gomez, who is also preparing for his own bout in Thailand this October.
Zulueta is also diligent with his preparation. He knows that Nimnual is determined to bounce back from his recent defeat and that the Thai is no pushover.
However, the 27-year-old Zulueta has a good record in Thailand as he won his last two matches against Thai boxer Somphon Banyaem and Indonesian Jack Amisa via technical knockouts.
“John Michael wants his third consecutive knockout victory in Thailand. The feat is not easy at all, to be honest, although not impossible for a strong and skilled boxer like him,” Gomez said.
Zulueta also presents a huge challenge for Nimnual as this will be the latter’s first time to face an opponent of different nationality. His previous career bouts were all against fellow Thais.
Zulueta, a former IBF Asian light flyweight and ABF minimumweight champion, will be entering the ring with a perfect record of 13-0-2 win-loss-draw ring record, including six stoppage wins.
The 19-year-old Nimnual, who was a former Muay Thai champion before moving to boxing, has a 4-2-0 boxing record, including three stoppage victories. He lost two of his last three bouts./PN
