2022 Filipino Breakout Fighter of the Year: Vincent Astrolabio

One would have gotten little to no answer when asked who Vincent Astrolabio was a year ago. A crafty orthodox under the watchful eye of Nonoy Neri, the Filipino pug made the most out of the opportunity when he fought former world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux last February in Dubai.

It was in that fight that Astrolabio showed the world that he has punching power when he dropped the technically gifted Rigondeaux en route to winning via unanimous decision. Furthermore, he also showcased the offensive savvy that makes him worth following.

Simply put, Astrolabio came up with such a surprising performance to the point that fans and scribes alike felt he did better against Rigondeaux than former three-division champion John Riel Casimero, who also defeated the Cuban by way of a razor-thin split decision in August 2021.

His victory over Rigondeaux, of course, placed Astrolabio on the radar of notable handlers in the professional boxing landscape which ultimately led him to get picked up by MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons.

Hooking up with Gibbons has its perks, and one of them is getting to train with renowned strength and conditioning coach Memo Heredia, who is noted for his work with Juan Manuel Marquez and Yordenis Ugas.

Ten months after his biggest career victory over Rigondeaux, Astrolabio found himself in an IBF bantamweight world title eliminator against Nikolai Potapov on the undercard of Premier Boxing Champions in Las Vegas—a major upgrade as he used to mostly fight in the Philippines.

Stylistically speaking, Potapov was supposed to trouble Astrolabio. But the Filipino had other plans. In shape like never before, Astrolabio sent the Russian foe crashing to the canvas twice in the opening round though one of them was ruled a slip.

Astrolabio looked in tremendous shape under the tutelage of Heredia as he looked sharp, strong, and fast while he methodically broke down Potapov throughout the contest before winning by way of knockout in round six.

Astrolabio’s win also got him the WBO inter-continental bantamweight title and he is now in a prime position to fight for the IBF world bantamweight title in the near future. Much more, he is world-ranked in three of the four major sanctioning bodies as of this writing.

The IBF bantamweight world title, currently held by pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue, could be up for grabs soon as it was reported that the Japanese is eyeing a move to the super bantamweight division (122 pounds).

Whether Astrolabio gets a play date with destiny in what will be a big money fight against Inoue or should he face a fellow contender if the latter decides to move up and vacate, one thing is certain: Astrolabio is headed towards a world title shot and the Philippines will be watching.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News