Chinese warrior on the rise

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — It wasn’t an easy journey for Yeerjialahasi Laayibieke to travel from Beijing to this Bohol capital city and he barely made the weigh-in the day before his fight against defending WBO Oriental superfeatherweight champion Virgel (Valiente) Vitor at the Bohol Wisdom School Gym last Saturday night.

Yeerjialahasi, however, was unperturbed. He was detained by immigration authorities at the airport upon his arrival and his travel documents were severely scrutinized. Then, he got his clearance and made his way here. Yeerjialahasi knew what he was up against and said his only chance was to win by knockout. He predicted hometown hero Vitor wouldn’t last eight rounds and said the champion would feel Chinese power, warning him to protect his jaw. They were bold words from a fighter making his Philippine debut but Yeerjialahasi was confident he’d get the job done. Twice, he ventured outside of China to fight and won both bouts in Thailand. Since losing a pair of four-round decisions to Ge An Ma to start his pro career in 2017, he had compiled nine straight wins entering the Vitor outing.

Yeerjialahasi, 23, comes from Urumqi in the northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Chinese region where there is a Kazakh minority. He is of Kazakh descent and it is estimated that over 1.5 million Kazakhs live in China. A southpaw, Yeerjialahasi scaled 135 pounds in his previous bout, a third round disposal of Enlin Fu in Da Lian, China. He trimmed down to 130 to face Vitor.

The local favorite checked in with a 22-3 record, including 15 KOs. Twice, the WBO No. 13 contender got up from knockdowns to stop opponents so durability is a trait. Vitor’s power is well-publicized. Of his 15 knockout victims, 10 hit the canvas and the others were either stopped on their feet or quit.

When the bell rang to start the action, Yeerjialahasi jumped on Vitor like a tiger attacking its prey. The Chinese visitor was like a machine in the ring, pumping right jabs, landing jarring left straights and keeping Vitor on the defensive. Vitor seemed too eager to hit a homerun, hardly jabbed and just looked for an opening to land the big one. In the third, Yeerjialahasi floored Vitor with a left hook and continued to dominate. Vitor rallied in the fourth but couldn’t sustain his assault as Yeerjialahasi wouldn’t back down. In the fifth, the Chinese warrior was relentless and Vitor reeled across the ring, taking punches from all angles. Referee Danrex Tapdasan waved it off at 1:05 of the fifth.

WBO Asia Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo, who flew in from Thailand to supervise the bout, said Yeerjialahasi has the makings of a legit title contender and should break into the top 10 ratings with the impressive win. Yeerjialahasi is reportedly managed by Chinese heavyweight Zhang Zhilei who knocked out former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in Riyadh last June. Zhilei, 41, is a former WBO interim heavyweight titlist with a 27-2-1 record, including 22 KOs. The 6-6 2008 Olympic superheavyweight silver medalist weighed 282 3/4 pounds when he disposed of Wilder who scaled 214 1/2.

A provision in Yeerjialahasi’s contract with promoter Atty. Floriezyl Podot of the Philippine Maritime Institute stipulates his first title defense to be in another PMI event. PMI has been at the forefront of promoting pro boxing in Bohol with Atty. Podot as the prime mover. Last Saturday’s card was the 17th in the Kumong Bol-anon series. While Vitor lost his crown, PMI celebrated the wins of stable mainstays newly-crowned WBO Oriental bantamweight champion Gerwin Asilo, newly-crowned Philippine women’s lightflyweight ruler Althea Shine Pores, unbeaten superflyweight Reymart Tagacanao, lightflyweight Sugar Shane Gantallan and undefeated lightflyweight Christian Balunan on the undercard.