LOS ANGELES (February 7, 2022) — World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS), co-founded by CEO Terry Hollan and matchmaker Guy Taylor, has announced it has signed 2-time World title challenger “Mighty” Aston Palicte (28-4-1, 24 KOs) to a multi-year promotional contract.
The 31-year-old Palicte, who fights out of Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines is the two-time World junior bantamweight title challenger against a pair of future Hall of Famers, fighting to a draw with fellow Filipino Donnie Nietes (43-1-6, 24 KOs), losing to current World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Bantamweight Champion Kazuto Ioka (28-2, 15 KOs).
A veteran matchmaker, Taylor has known and had a working relationship with Palicte and his manager, Jason Soong, for the past six years. “We had a great run,” Taylor said. “Getting the old team together feels like and old music group coming back for one more hit album. I think we’ve all learned a lot during this experience and realize we are a better unit when this team is together.”
“I am very happy that they still believe in me,” Palcite commented. “I’m excited to make another run for a world title.”
“I am really excited to go on our next title journey at bantamweight with World Cup Boxing Series,” Soong added. “We have been working with Guy Taylor since day-one and it just feels right that we continue our next chapter with him.”
In his 2016 United States debut, Palicte faced off in Las Vegas with former World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 5-rated contender and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super-Flyweight Champion Oscar Cantu (14-0) in Las Vegas Nevada. Palicte defeated the then-undefeated Texan by 10-round split decision to capture the NABF and WBO Inter-Continental Championships.
Nearly one year to the day, Palicte took on former world champion Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (32-6) in Texas, scoring an emphatic 5-round technical knockout victory.
The two aforementioned triumphs set-up the biggest fight in Palicte’s career September 8, 2018, when the stage was set in Los Angeles for an All-Filipino matchup with legend Nietes on HBO for the vacant WBO Junior Bantamweight World Championship.
In a very close and entertaining bout, in which both men had their moments, the judges couldn’t come to an agreement and rendered even scorecards to keep the title vacant. Nietes would claim the vacant title three-months later, defeating Ioka by way of a 12-round split decision.
The WBO ordered a “Title Eliminator” that Palicte won with a second-round stoppage of WBO No. 4 contender Jose Martinez (20-0), setting up a rematch between Nietes and Palicte. However, Nietes vacated the world title just hours before the scheduled WBO purse bid, positioning Palicte versus Ioka in Japan for the vacant WBO Jr. Bantamweight Championship. In another all-action war, Palicte seriously hurt Ioka in the seventh round, only to get caught himself in the 10th as Ioka caught and wobbled Palicte, prompting the referee to halt the action.
There are some great potential matchups in the bantamweight division for the powerful Filipino, including a showdown with Jason Moloney 22-2 (18 KOs), who is the current WBC “Silver” Bantamweight Champion and WBC #2 contender, but more notably would be against the Bantamweight King Pin and unified World champion (WBA and IBF), Naoya Inoue 22-0 (19 KOs). Palicte is presently ranked No. 9 by the International Boxing Federation, as well as No. 14 by the WBO.
“I feel Aston can compete with anyone at 118 pounds,” Taylor concluded. “He was the strongest contender at 115 and that was after depleting himself. Can you imagine what he will be like at his natural weight of 118? My partner (Terry Hollan) and I are already working on a bout in the late March / early April timeframe and, after that, we would like an eliminator bout for the mandatory position against anyone in the top 15.” Palicte joins rising Mexican lightweight prospect Luis “Koreano” Torres (14-0, 9 KOs) in the relatively new WCBS stable.
LAS VEGAS (January 27, 2022) — The semifinals of the World Cup Boxing Series’ (WCBS) inaugural “4-Man Lightweight Tournament,” presented by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions, has the potential to have two instant classics on February 24th.
All the Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing-promoted action will be streamed on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, live and exclusively from Palenque De La Expo in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. To sign-up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has sanctioned the WCBS’ “4-Man lightweight Tournament,” created by CEO Terry Hollan and matchmaker Guy Taylor, and the winner will be crowned the WBC Latino Lightweight Champion, as well as positioned in the WBC’s top 15 ratings.
The WCBS “4-Man Tournament” semifinals matchups are Luis “Koreano” Torres (14-0, 9 KOs) vs. Rodolfo “Rudy” Flores (14-5, 6 KOs), Isai “Gaga” Hernandez (11-2-2, 7 KOs) vs. Irving “Poderoso” Castillo (11-2, 7 KOs).
Semifinal’s action will be contested in 8-round bouts, 10 rounds for the championship final. The WCBS will also feature one “overtime” round, if needed, to declare a winner in the event of a draw upon the conclusion of the scheduled distance.
WCBS will also be offering a “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout” bonuses to each contestant through the duration of its “4-Man Lightweight Tournament.”
The 20-year-old Torres, a former WBC Youth Silver lightweight champion, is the No. 1 seed and pre-tournament favorite who will be fighting at home.
“I am very happy about this opportunity,” Torres said. “Thank you to the WCBS, WBC, RJJ Boxing and UFC FIGHT PASS for making this possible. He’s (Flores) a tough, good boxer who likes to fight at a distance if he can. Nothing I haven’t seen before.
“My style is to attack at all times. I love to go for the knockout and give fans what they want to see. My fights will always go my way. Attacking from the very beginning, I hope he stands and throws with me as he says. Either way I’m coming after him. I predict pain for him and a knockout win for me before round 5.”
The 26-year-old Flores has impressive victories against Jesus Acosta Zazueta (16-5-2) and Jairo Lopez (18-5).
“It’s very important for me to be fighting in this tournament,” Flores noted. “I want to thank the WCBS and WBC for the opportunity to be part of their tournament. I know my opponent is a southpaw, but I really don’t care to know much about him. He has very good skills but that doesn’t bother me at all.
“I like to box on the outside, keep my distance, and control the pace. I think this fight is going to be a war! I am very excited for this match-up and I hope Torres is ready for a fight. I will win this fight by decision.”
Also scheduled to be streamed on RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS are a pair of additional lightweight bouts.
Venezuelan knockout artist Fradimil Macayo (15-1, 13 KOs) faces unbeaten Mexican fighter Armando Ramirez (5-0-1,2 KOs) in an 8-round bout.
Undefeated 19-year-old prospect Jorge “Jorgito” Cota (6-0, 4 KOs), the youngest in the famed Mexican fightin’ Montiel family, led by his grandfather Fernando Montiel, meets Guatemalan challenger Rene “Kampana” de Leon Mazariegos (7-3, 4 KOs), in a scheduled 6-rounder.
ABOUT ROY JONES JR, BOXING PROMOTIONS: Founded in 2013, Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions has already made a huge impact in the boxing community in a few short years creating exhilarating content for UFC Fight Pass, CBS Sports, Showtime, ESPN and beIN Sports in some of the finest venues across the country and also in Mexico, Russia, and Japan. RJJ Boxing has proven it is conquering the sweet science of the sport.
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