Suarez unfazed by switch

MANILA, Philippines — WBO No. 3/IBF No. 5 superfeatherweight Charly Suarez wasn’t surprised that Andres Cortez backed out of their scheduled 10-round fight at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, tonight (tomorrow night, Manila time). Former WBC International Silver superfeatherweight champion Jorge Castaneda was picked as a late substitute for Cortez to engage Suarez. The match is for the vacant WBO International superfeatherweight crown and a win will put Suarez closer to a world title shot.

“By God’s grace and His will, gawin ko ang lahat para manalo,” said Suarez. “Nag-back out bigla si Cortez after ng sparring ko sa Wild Card Gym.” The highly-touted Cortez, unbeaten like Suarez, is ranked No. 2 by WBO and No. 9 by WBC. Apparently, Cortez learned that Suarez was dominant in blasting his sparmates and chickened out. It’s not the first time an opponent has stepped back from battling Suarez. Last April, Suarez was booked to face unbeaten Puerto Rican Henry Lebron in Corpus Christi, Texas but two weeks before the bout, a switch was made and Luis Coria was suddenly announced as a replacement.

Suarez’ coach Delfin Boholst said Cortez withdrew two weeks ago. Suarez and Boholst arrived in Los Angeles from Manila last Sept. 1 and flew to Arizona last Monday. Whether against Cortez or Castaneda, Boholst said Suarez is ready to rumble. “Si Castaneda, tipong Mexican fighter na sugod ng sugod,” said Boholst. “Kaya patulugin ni Charly at mas pabor sa kaniya na sumusugod ang kalaban.”

Castaneda, 27, has a 20-5 record, with 13 KOs. He’s coming off a second round disposal of Angel Hernandez Pillado in Laredo, Texas, only three weeks back. His biggest career win was a majority decision over Youssef Khoumari to capture the WBC International Silver 130-pound belt at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, UK, in 2021. He turned pro in 2009 and has been stopped twice. Suarez, 36, boasts a 17-0 record with nine KOs.

On the undercard, undefeated Fil-Am DJ Zamora takes on Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez in an eight-round superfeatherweight contest. Zamora has a 13-0 slate with nine KOs while Perez checks in with a record of 12-5-1, including three KOs. The 5-10 Zamora, 21, is a southpaw and dreams to be the next Manny Pacquiao. His father Demier Jr. was born in Subic to Filipino parents Demier Sr., a US Navyman from Bataan and Virginia Guiang of Olongapo. Zamora’s mother is an African-American, Tyseha.