Piruz away to defend title

Piruz away to defend title

JAKARTA (JP): East Kalimantan boxer Piruz Boy will defend his IBF Intercontinental junior bantamweight title against Thai challenger, Ratanachai Voraphin, in a bout slated for Feb. 24 in Bangkok, Thailand.

A win in the scheduled 12-round bout will pave the way for Piruz to the long-awaited title fight in the IBF world boxing version. IBF Intercontinental is IBF's subordinate division which groups boxers outside the top ten.

The 20-year-old Piruz will earn US$5,000 for his first title defense effort.

Though Voraphin is currently Thailand's bantamweight champion and tops IBF junior bantamweight's rankings, Boy's manager, Kusnodo Sugandha, said he was optimistic that Boy, armed with his quick jabs and known for his resilience, could knock out the Thai rival. (arf)