At 36, Olympian Charly Suarez waits for world title shot
MANILA, Philippines – Already 36 years old, Filipino boxer Charly Suarez wants to strike while the iron is still hot.
Suarez said he intends to seize every opportunity as he hopes to get a crack at the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super featherweight belt currently held by Mexican Emanuel Navarrete.
Fresh from a stellar third-round knockout of American Jorge Castaneda in the United States in September that hiked his unbeaten record to 18-0, Suarez installed himself as the No. 1 contender for the WBO crown.
“Not every boxer gets to fight for a world championship, so once the opportunity comes, we’ll grab it and prepare for it,” said Suarez in Filipino in a press conference on Wednesday, October 9.
“That opportunity may never come again, so when it arrives, we’ll take it.”
Suarez, though, may need to wait a little bit more for his world title shot as Navarrete is scheduled to defend his belt against compatriot Oscar Valdez in December.
The two were ordered by the WBO for a rematch after Navarrete beat Valdez via unanimous decision in August last year.
But the pride of Davao del Norte and his coach, Delfin Boholst, are staying ready in case either Navarrete or Valdez drops out of the bout.
“I believe that we’re close to our goal of becoming a world champion,” said Suarez, who owns the WBO international belt.
While there are concerns about whether Suarez can keep with the younger stalwarts in the division — with Navarrete being only 29 — Boholst said the former Olympian and Asian Games medalist has plenty of gas left in the tank.
“They’re right that Charly is getting old, but they do not know how bad Charly wants to be a world champion,” said Boholst.
If Suarez ends up not fighting in December, he is expected to return to action in the first quarter of next year, with his camp in talks with Top Rank Promotions to hold his potential title challenge in the Philippines. – Rappler.com