Cristian Araneta nears peak form for world title shot

Julius Erving Junco and Cristian Araneta | Photo from Doc J Boxing’s Facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With fight night fast approaching, Omega Boxing Gym’s chief trainer Julius Erving Junco is not leaving a single stone unturned as he trains Cristian “The Bomb” Araneta for the biggest fight of his career — a world title shot on June 19 in Tokyo, Japan.

Araneta will take on Thailand’s Thanongsak Simsri for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) world light flyweight title.

Junco, Araneta’s long-time trainer, told CDN Digital that training is now around 80 percent complete, and they plan to wrap up camp in Japan.

“Duol nami, naa na sa mga 80 percent sa training. Didto mi sa Japan mag-tiwás. Naa pa mi sparring karong Friday,” said Junco.

(We are almost done, we are now at 80 percent in our training. We will finish everything in Japan. We are having sparring on Friday.)

Araneta, who has a 25-2 record with 20 knockouts, has fought his way through tough eliminators in Mexico and South Africa to earn this title shot.

EXPERIENCE

Junco believes that experience — combined with Araneta’s steady improvement — gives them every reason to be confident.

“Base sa experience ni Araneta — gikan mi ug Mexico, South Africa, tulo ka eliminator — plus ang training nga gipakita niya, 100% confident ko. No pressure to us. Para nako, it’s all written. Ang ato, buhaton nato atong part ug best effort para walay mahay. Win or lose, kahibaw ko naa gyud time nga maabot,” Junco said.

(Basing on Araneta’s experience – from Mexico, South Africa, he had three eliminators – plus the training that he is now having, I am 100 percent confident. No pressure for us. For me, it’s all written. What we needed to do now is to give our best effort so that we will have no regrets. Win or lose, I know there is a right time.)

Before heading to Japan, Araneta will spar with fellow Filipino contender Regie Suganob, who is also preparing for a world title fight under the PMI Bohol Boxing Stable. Suganob and his team have already arrived in Cebu to begin joint sparring sessions.

“Si Regie Suganob motabang namo inig Monday. Eight to ten rounds ang sparring. Ang kontra, if mo in-and-out parehas sa style ni Regie, andam mi. Pero kung mo toe-to-toe siya, naka-spar pud mi ni Miel Fajardo ug Reymart Tagacanao,” Junco added.

(Regie Suganob will be helping us on Monday. Eight to ten rounds of sparring. The opponent, if he will do in-and-out like Suganob, we will be ready. But if he will do toe-to-toe, we already sparred with Miel Fajardo and Reymart Tagacanao.)

MOST DANGEROUS PUNCHERS

Simsri enters the bout with a daunting 38-1 record, including 34 knockouts, making him one of the division’s most dangerous punchers.

But Junco insists they’ve studied his style closely and see weaknesses they intend to exploit.

“Typical siya nga Thai boxer pero daghan siya ug loophole. Di ka kaingon nga conventional siya. Naa gyud siya’y butang nga pwede nato icapitalize,” said Junco, choosing not to reveal specifics.

(He is a typical Thai boxer and we see many loopholes. But you cannot also say that he is conventional.  But there is something in him that we can capitalize on.)

A key factor in Araneta’s progress, according to Junco, is his maturity and ring IQ. While he was once known as a power puncher, the 30-year-old has become more strategic, showing patience and improved defense in recent fights.

“As he gets older, mas calculated na siya. Dako iyang improvement mentally. Given na man nga naa siya’y power ug speed, pero karon mas responsible na siya sa depensa ug mas patient sa timing,” said Junco.

(As he gets older, he became more calculated.  He has also improved a lot mentally. Given that he has power and speed, he is now more responsible when it comes to his defense and patient with timing.)

After finishing up sparring in Cebu, Team Araneta will head to Japan before the end of the month to continue preparations, including sessions with Japanese fighters to fine-tune their strategy.