Ajib, Canoy to fight for title

Ajib, Canoy to fight for title

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Ajib Albarado will fight Filipino Dindo Canoy on March 21 at the Go Skate stadium in Surabaya, East Java, for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) junior welterweight crown.

Ajib's promoter, Herry Aseng, said the WBF, through its president Ron L. Scanlf and its Asia-Pacific regional head Jack Rennie, pitted Ajib against Canoy after defending champion Kenny Vice of the United States opted to relinquish his title because of illness.

"The real reason was that Vice was afraid of Ajib," Aseng quipped.

Vice failed to show up for a title bout against Ajib in Medan, North Sumatra last November. Promoter Dewi Budiarti and the Indonesian Boxing Commission then agreed to grant Aseng the right to fight Ajib in the title bout.

"Dindo is a tough boxer. He's stronger than Vice as far as I know," Aseng said.

Canoy, ranked second by the WBF and sixth by the World Boxing Association, will pocket US$10,000 for the fight. Surabaya native Ajib will get Rp 5 million ($2,165) for the title bout, Antara reported yesterday.

An under-card match will feature International Boxing Federation intercontinental junior bantamweight champion Ricky Matulessy of Indonesia and Shakhumzi Magxwalisa from South Africa. (arf)