By Rey Danseco
FORMER IBF minimumweight title challenger Jun Arlos made a huge step towards re-entering the international limelight when he knocked out world rated Korean Jae Won Kim in the seventh round, Sunday night, in Seoul, South Korea.
Former Councilor Dante Almario of Muntinlupa, who was at Arlos’ corner, said it was a very competitive give-and-take fight.
But the Paranaque City-based fighter of Muntinlupa’s Victor Ulanday Stable took the chance to stop his 27-year old foe to assure of getting a slot in next month’s World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight rating.
Kim, a former Korean and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) mini-flyweight king, is currently rated No. 8 by the WBA.
Kim was tagged as pre-fight favorite because the 29-year old Arlos accepted the fight on less than two-weeks notice through Korean matchmaker Kwon Oh Soon, a regular Philippine visitor.
The 5-foot-3 Korean badly needed the win against Arlos to keep himself in the world rankings after he lost to reigning WBA minimumweight champ Yutaka Niida on points in his previous ring appearance last April 15 in Tokyo, Japan. Niida, also last Sunday, kept his title on a split technical decision wins in the 10th round against Filipino Eriberto Gejon in Yokohama.
Arlos, whose only world ranking is No. 28 by the World Boxing Council improved to 33-17-4 with 14 knockouts while Kim, who was stopped twice before his defeat, dropped to 19-5-2 with 5 KOs.
Arlos earned $1,000 in the bout scheduled for 10 rounds.
The victory will lead Arlos to gain another big opportunity because he’s coming off a controversial loss in Thailand for the WBC Asian Boxing Council light flyweight title bout last Aug. 31.
