RENE Mark Cuarto fights before a hostile crowd when he put his IBF mini-flyweight crown on the line against Daniel Valladares of Mexico on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).
The 25-year-old Zamboanga Del Norte pride is making the second defense of his 105-pound belt which he won a year ago against fellow Filipino Pedro Taduran.
But Cuarto will have to go through the lion’s den to defend his title as a partisan crowd in the scheduled 12-round fight at the City of Monterrey.
Both the champion and challenger came in at the exact 105-pound limit during in the official weigh-in.
Valladares, 28, once challenged for the world title when he clashed with Taduran in Guadalupe, Mexico for the same mini-flyweight crown in February 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bout was declared a majority draw after Valladares suffered a deep cut in his right eye just after the fourth round, enabling Taduran to retain his belt.
Almost a year after, Taduran would yield his crown following a unanimous decision against Cuarto at the Bula gym in General Santos City.
A rematch was held this February in Digos with Cuarto scoring a seventh round technical decision.
Cuarto sports a 20-2-2 record with 11 KOs, while Valladares is at 25-3-1 with 15 KOs.
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