Abe raring to go vs Chinese foe in ‘Fist of Fury 10’

Sports

CEBUANO boxer Ian Paul Abne is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to earn a world title shot.

The undefeated boxer is all pumped up and raring to go against China’s DianXing Zhu in the main event of the “Fist of Fury 10: The Eliminator” on May 9 at the Cebu Coliseum.

Fernando Ocon, head trainer of ARQ Boxing Stable, shared that the 26-year-old Abne immersed himself in rigorous training for over three months, putting in tremendous hardwork to ensure a successful outing against the hard-hitting Zhu.

The Abne-Zhu duel is an International Boxing Federation (IBF) world title eliminator with the winner challenging Pedro Taduran, the current IBF minimumweight king.

“It has been a long preparation. Over three months. We did everything, jogging, strength and conditioning, sparring, bag work, and mitts,” Ocon said.

Ocon said Abne knows stakes are high when he goes up against Zhu.

That’s why the undefeated boxer has done everything to prepare physically and mentally.

“We’ve done our best so he would be in tip-top shape come fight night,” Ocon added.

Abne has 12 wins, no losses, and two draws. Four of his wins came via knockout.

Known as a relentless fighter, Zhu will come into the fight on roll after winning his last 11 matches. Overall, the 29-year-old Zhu has 16 wins, 14 by KO, with only one loss.

Armed with the needed preparation, Ocon expressed confidence that Abne will be able to hurdle what could be the biggest fight of his career.

“I think we have a big chance of winning. He (Zhu) is strong but Abne can handle him and control the fight,” Ocon said.

Roger Justine Potot, ARQ’s strength and conditioning coach, likewise guaranteed that Abne will be more than prepared in the card promoted by veteran sports Lorenzo “Chao” Sy.

“Conditioning-wise, he’s in one of the best shapes we’ve seen. His endurance, strength, and recovery have all improved significantly over the past three months,” said Potot.

Potot sees no problem Abne facing against a brawler opponent.

“We prepared Abne to handle that kind of pace. Over time, we’ve worked on making him stronger and more durable so he can stay composed and hold his ground under pressure,” Potot said.(CCM)