Shigeoka Vs Cuarto names IBF fight of the year
Earlier this week the IBF held their general assembly in San Juan Puerto Rico. Among the many part of the event, we saw the IBF award their Fight of the Year. Notably the winning fight was the Interim IBF Minimumweight title bout, between Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-0-0-1, 9) [重岡銀次朗] Rene Mark Cuarto (22-5-2, 12), which took place in April 2023 and was a bout that saw both men being dropped, before Cuarto was stopped in round 9.
The bout was a genuine thriller, that saw Shigeoka being dropped twice in the opening round, though only one was counted as a knockdown, as Cuarto looked to move a step towards reclaiming the IBF title that he’d lost to Daniel Valladares. That was however not enough as Shigeoka recovered from the poor start, and dropped Cuarto in round 6, which was later reversed from a knockdown to a slip. In round 7 Shigeoka managed to score a knockdown that was called, as Cuarto seemed to be up against things, and Shigeoka, who had attacked the body well, managed to break down the brave and tough Filipino who was dropped twice in round 9.
Shigeoka, who attended the event and collected the award in person, stated “I am truly honored to be invited to such a wonderful ceremony today and to be selected as Fight of the Year. Thank you very much. I can still get stronger. I will become a champion that exceeds everyone's expectations”
The bout was a genuine thriller, that saw Shigeoka being dropped twice in the opening round, though only one was counted as a knockdown, as Cuarto looked to move a step towards reclaiming the IBF title that he’d lost to Daniel Valladares. That was however not enough as Shigeoka recovered from the poor start, and dropped Cuarto in round 6, which was later reversed from a knockdown to a slip. In round 7 Shigeoka managed to score a knockdown that was called, as Cuarto seemed to be up against things, and Shigeoka, who had attacked the body well, managed to break down the brave and tough Filipino who was dropped twice in round 9.
Shigeoka, who attended the event and collected the award in person, stated “I am truly honored to be invited to such a wonderful ceremony today and to be selected as Fight of the Year. Thank you very much. I can still get stronger. I will become a champion that exceeds everyone's expectations”