OLYMPIAN Charly Suarez finally arrived in the US to focus on his first-ever shot at a world championship.
The US visas for Team Suarez were only secured after the Holy Week break, preventing the Filipino entourage from leaving for Los Angeles as planned last April 16.
Other than that, trainer Delfin Boholst said everything is going according to plan heading to Suarez’s May 10 title fight against reigning WBO super-featherweight champion Emmanuel Navarette at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
READ Charly Suarez finally gets crack at WBO champ Emanuel Navarrete
“Kaya nang mag-acclimatize ni Charly (sa US) ng three weeks,” said Boholst before leaving for the US with the three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.
The bout will be the first world title shot for the 36-year-old Suarez, who understandably is a huge underdog against Navarrete, 30, a mean punching machine from Distrito Federal, Mexico, who averages about 1,000 punches every fight.
Unbeaten in 18 fights (10 KOs), the Filipino from San Isidro, Davao del Norte is unfazed by the odds, saying he’s out to give the Mexican champion (38-2-1, 31 KOs) a tough fight.
“Pinag-kalooban akong lumaban para sa world title at hindi lahat ng professional boxers nabibigyan ng pagkakataon na makapunta diyan at makalaban for a world title,” said Suarez, who represented the country in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics. “Mapalad ako na napabilang nga ako dito.
“Kukunin na lang yun belt na yan para hindi ka lang napabilang sa mga lumaban (world title) kung hindi andun ka na talaga (sa champions).”
Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson serves as the top backer of Suarez, a silver medalist in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, who didn’t turn pro until 2019.
Singson went out of his way and negotiated several times with Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum to give Suarez a shot at the WBO title belt of Navarrete.
“We have to win at all cost,” said the 83-year-old Singson in a recent appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum along with Suarez, Boholst, and Rick Navalta.
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