By Rey Colon
Jose Pedraza (20-0 and 12 KO's) will potentially be defending his IBF super featherweight title for the first time in the first week of October in New York City, and the challenger being mentioned is Edner "Cherry Bomb" Cherry (34-6-2 and 19 KO's), according to Pedraza's father and trainer Luis Espada.
Cherry, who has never been stopped, has a string of six wins with the last coming on July 11 when he knocked out Pedraza's countryman Luis "El Artesano" Cruz (21-4, 16 KO's) in nine rounds in Tampa, Florida.
"We are working with tentative dates, but is supposed to return in early October and are hearing that Cherry is a possible challenger. We do not have the exact date but it should be in New York. That is what is being mentioned. [Cherry] is strong and comes to win, but we are champions and we will continue fighting the best," said Espada.
Pedraza's next commitment could be a unification with WBC champion Takashi Miura (29-2-2 and 22 KO's) of Japan, who dispatched in three rounds former champion Billy Dib (39-4, 23 KO's ). WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said he would approve the fight.
"That is in the future plans. The intention is to stay at 130 and get all of the titles from everyone who has them, including [Mirua]. We want to go and collect the belts to become the absolute champion at 130 pounds and then lightweight. Pedraza is young and we want to write our own history," Espada said.
Rey Colon covers boxing for www.thesportpress.com