by Ronnie Nathanielsz
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman yesterday promised WBC minimumweight silver champion Denver Cuello he will fight the winner of the bout between China’s Xiong Zhao Zhong (19-4-1, 11 KO’s) and Mexico’s Javier Martinez Resendiz (13-3-2, 6 KO’s), taking place in Kunming, China but postponed to November 7.
Sulaiman said the fight for the vacant title which was scheduled for October 27 has been postponed after he “received information that Zhao injured his left hand.”
He committed “after that Denver Cuello will fight for the title.”
Sulaiman told us earlier that the promoters had “reached an agreement with Mr. Aljoe Jaro (promoter/manager/trainer of top rated Denver Cuello) who originally refused but at my personal request accepted a step aside fee with the condition that Cuello who is the Silver world champion and also the official challenger” would face the winner in a title fight..
Cuello scored a comfortable twelve round unanimous decision over tough Mexican Ivan “Pollito” Meneses last Sunday, Manila Time. Two judges scored the fight by 98-90 margins while the third judge had Cuello the winner 96-92.
With the win the 25 year old Cuello improved to 32-4-6 with 21 knockouts.
Cuello won the WBC minimum weight Silver title with a 1st round knockout of Carlos Perez on October 15 last year and won what the WBC classified as a “final eliminator” with a 2nd round TKO of Ganigan Lopez on May 19 this year.
