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On Saturday August 4 in Mazatlan,
Mexico, promoter Hector Garcia
will present two World Boxing
Federation World title fights,
as Women’s Flyweight champion
Irma Sanchez defends against
American Sharon Gaines and
Arturo Santos Reyes squares off
with Khabir Suleymanov for the
vacant Super Bantamweight crown.
24-year-old Irma Sanchez, 23-5-1
(7), will be making the third
defense of her world title,
which she won in July 2011
against Panamanian Carlota
Sanchez and since defended with
a decision over fellow Mexican
Susana Cruz Perez and a second
round stoppage over Thailand’s
Fahpratan Looksaikongdin.
In her last outing, this past
June, “La Guerita”, which
translates to “The White Girl”,
won a ten round decision over
former world champion Ibeth
Zamora Silva in a non-title
bout, and she is now ready to
continue her reign as one of the
most active world champions in
the game, and should get a stern
challenge from the experienced
Sharon Gaines, 11-13-1 (3).
“I know what I will be up
against with Sharon Gaines. It
will be a war, but I think I
will knock her out. It’s going
to be fireworks”, said a
confident Irma Sanchez.
A 2008 Mexican Olympian, Arturo
Santos Reyes, 11-2 (4), proved
his world class level in the
professionals when he lost a
very close and controversial
split decision to five-time
world champion Fernando Montiel
in June that many observers felt
he deserved to win.
Having captured a couple of
regional championships earlier
in his career, he is now ready
for his first crack at a world
title, the WBF Super
Bantamweight version, and is not
discouraged by the Montiel-setback:
“I beat Montiel, no matter what
the judges scored, and the fans
are not easily fooled. I clearly
connected with more shots, and
his face was a mess while mine
was unharmed”, said Santos
Reyes.
His opponent in Mazatlan will
also be entering his first world
championship fight, but while
Los Angeles-based, Russian-born
Khabir Suleymanov, 13-2 (6), had
his first twelve professional
bouts in America, he will not be
unfamiliar with fighting in
Reyes home country. In fact, his
last three outings took place in
Mexico!
The Sanchez vs. Gaines / Reyes
vs. Suleymanov WBF world
championship double-header on
Saturday August 4 promoted by HG
Boxing at the Centro de
Convenciones in Mazatlan,
Sinaloa, Mexico will be
televised live by Televisa.
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