By Rey Danseco
 
The Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) accepted the offer of Juanito Rubillar and then ordered him and the reigning champion from Japan to negotiate for the terms of the championship fight.

OPBF president Frank Quill of Australia told this writer yesterday that Rubillar “has priority under an OPBF rule to meet (Munetsugu) Kayoh” because of his current highest world ranking among light flyweights in the region.

The bout will be a mandatory defense of Kayoh’s OPBF light flyweight crown, according to Quill.

“Our great champion Kayoh's mandatory defence is now due,” said Quill from OPBF secretariat office in Heathmont, Victoria, Australia.

Rubillar (39-10-7, 17 KOs) is currently ranked No. 1 by the World Boxing Council, the umbrella organization of the OPBF. But because of his unanimous decision loss to Wandee Singwancha in Thailand on July 18, according to Quill, Rubillar might slide several notches at least to No. 4 or No. 5 of the next WBC rankings for month of August, to be released in a few days. However, the Davao Oriental-native will remain the top ranked in his division the region.

Quill is the most reliable person to talk about WBC rankings. He is the WBC ratings committee chairman and at the same time serves as one of the four intenational secretaries of the organization along with American Rex Walker, Italian Franco Falcinelli, and Frenchma Humbert Furgoni.

OPBF, founded in 1955 as previously known Oriental Boxing Federation (OBF) with Filipino Manuel Nieto as founding president, is one of the nine Continental Boxing Federations comprising of the 43-year old WBC organization, which has 161 affiliated countries, including the Philippines.

Rubillar’s manager Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr. is responsible for Rubillar’s OPBF title crack when on July 30 he offered Kayoh $10,000 purse with four Tokyo-Manila-Tokyo airtickets to fight the 29-year old Filipino southpaw with the Japanese fighter’s title on the lineon September 25 in Manila. 

In the same letter dated July 31, which Quill made as his official position, the Aussie official advised Elorde to open negotiation with Kayoh’s handlers, either with Takaharu Hayashi or Yoko Gushiken, one of the great boxing champion in Japan as he ruled the WBA light fly weight title from 1976 until Mexico’s Pedro Flores ended his winning ways with 12th round knockout in their rematch in March 1981.

“In the unlikely event of the two parties being unable to reach agreement, the OPBF would call for a purse-bid to stage Kayoh-Rubillar (fight),” said Quill.

The 23-year old Kayoh, ranked No. 11 by the WBC, is the champion in 108-lb division in the region since February 2005. He defended his title twice in his next three fights to improve his stock to 14-1, 8 KOs.