Passed over for title shot, Pinoy fighter Michael Farenas still looking for next opponent

 

After an impressive win over Mark Davis last month, Michael Farenas was supposed to be the next challenger for the IBF world super featherweight title held by Rances Barthelemy.

 

But the boxing federation mandated that the hard-hitting Pinoy fighter instead meet Fernando Saucedo of Argentina to determine the No. 1 contender for the crown.

 

Then in a surprising turn of events, an agreement has been reached for Barthelemy (20-0, 12KOs) to defend his title against Saucedo (52-5-3, 8KOs).

 

The development has left Farenas with no opponent to date.

 

"I was surprised to learn about this (Barthelemy vs Saucedo) when I received an email notice from the IBF because there were initial negotiations for the mandated Farenas-Saucedo fight" said Farenas' manager, Gerry Peñalosa.

 

After the IBF unexpectedly sanctioned the Barthelemy-Saucedo bout, the idea was for Farenas to fight the No. 5 IBF-ranked Masao Nakamura (18-2, 18KOs) of Japan. However, the fight is no longer feasible after the Japanese suffered a unanimous decision defeat on July 30.

 

Waiting for the result of Barthelemy-Saucedo is not an option either according to Peñalosa, because doing so would keep Farenas idle for at least six months.

 

Peñalosa is now looking for a good opponent to keep Farenas busy. The names on his shortlist includes Diego Magdaleno (26-1, 10KOs) and Francisco Vargas (20-0-1, 14KOs) who stopped Juan Manuel Lopez in three rounds in his last fight. — JST, GMA News