Asiku upbeat ahead of world title contest

Oct 31, 2009

JACKSON Asiku can’t wait to take on Mexican Heriberto Ruiz in next Saturday’s world title fight.

BY JAMES BAKAMA AND PHILLIP CORRY

November 6
IBO featherweight title
J. Asiku v H. Ruiz

JACKSON Asiku can’t wait to take on Mexican Heriberto Ruiz in next Saturday’s world title fight.

The Australia based Ugandan prize fighter disclosed yesterday that he has never trained so hard.

“It’s been buckets of sweat this time.”

Asiku is confident the hard work will be rewarded.

“I am ready to tear up Heriberto to pieces,” vowed Asiku after a training session at Harry’s gym in Perth .

“I love the moment that I am in and I looking forward to beating my opponent.”

The Asiku versus Heriberto fight will be the main event of the night at the Leagues Club, Parramatta, New South Wales .

Asiku goes into the fight on a 14 fight winning streak.

He has over the past year beaten Rey Anton Olarte, Gairy Saint Clair and Junmar Dulog.

His record reads 25 wins, 3 defeats, and 13 knockouts.

Asiku has world champions Chris “The Dragon” John and Orlando Salido as his training partners.

John is a World Boxing Association featherweight champion while Salido holds the International Boxing Federation crown.

The 31-year-old Asiku is out to emulate fellow Ugandan world champions Ayub Kalule, Boza Edwards, John “The Beast” Mugabi and Kassim Ouma.

Ouma was the last Ugandan to win world crown-an IBF light middleweight crown he earned after beating American Verno Phillips in 2004.

However, Ouma lost the title the following year to Russian Roman Karmazin.

Another effort by Ouma to return to the limelight was in 2006 dashed by then undisputed world champion Jermain Taylor.

* The International Boxing Organization has issued a challenge to Manny Pacquiao to defend his junior welterweight title or risk being stripped of the crown.

The IBO said Thursday that the 32-year-old Filipino has 10 weeks to decide whether to defend the title he won in May from Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Miguel Cotto in a mega welterweight bout in Las Vegas on November 14.

Pacquiao is 49-3-2 with 37 knockouts and is unbeaten since a losing to Erik Morales in 2005.

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