FRESNO, Calif. – Trainer Manny Robles will be keeping an eye on two fights tonight.
Firstly, Robles will be cornering Muhammad Yaqubov against Cristian Cruz Chacon in a 10-round junior lightweight bout at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Robles will also be looking at the winner of a vacant WBC junior bantamweight title bout between Adelaida Ruiz vs. Alexas Kubicki, as he trains the WBO junior bantamweight titleholder Mizuki Hiruta.
Hiruta, 10-0 (2 KOs), defeated Gloria Gallardo by unanimous decision last Saturday. Hiruta made four title defenses in 2025, something Robles credits Tom Loeffler and 360 Promotions for allowing her to do. Hiruta, the 29-year-old from Tokyo, Japan, has now defended her title six times since winning it.
“We are looking to unify next year,” Robles told BoxingScene. “We are looking for bigger and better opponents.”
Robles alluded to Hiruta looking to fight the other titleholders in the division, and said that he will be watching the result of that bout. When asked if he might be doing some scouting for an upcoming fight in the future, Robles didn’t hesitate in saying, “Why not?”
Robles also praised Hiruta’s well-rounded boxing ability. He stated that she exchanged with Gallardo to give the fans a show last week, but that she is capable of boxing on the outside as well.
“She is a complete fighter,” Robles said. “She can box, and she can bang.”
Robles noted that the run Hiruta is on is unique and notable. In her first year in the United States, she stayed active and defended her belt. Now, Hiruta closed out the year strong, with some wondering if she could win women’s boxer of the year in 2025. Robles responded with his opinion.
“How many fighters do you know, men or women, who defend their titles four times in one year?” Robles said. “Other than [Naoya] Inoue…nowadays, that is unheard of. It doesn’t happen too often.”
