Reporting note: this article draws on philstar.com; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Medecilo Ishii title fight
The Medecilo Ishii title fight is set for Tokyo on Nov. 26, with Zyvyr Medecilo challenging WBA minimumweight champion Takeshi Ishii. The Medecilo vs Ishii bout arrived after a three-week sparring stay in Yokohama. The unbeaten Filipino contender went to Japan on a sparring contract and did not expect to fight for a world title within three months.
The WBA 105-pound champion was shopping for a challenger. Ishii’s promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, brought Medecilo in so the champion could size him up as a possible opponent. The offer came a day after Medecilo landed. He was placed on the undercard of the Masamichi Yabuki-Miel Fajardo bout for the IBF flyweight crown.
Zyvyr Medecilo's accidental audition
The Ishii camp wanted a brawler who would engage the champion. Medecilo gave the scouts exactly that on his first day of sparring, but by accident. He is a technical boxer with a classic stick-and-run routine. In Yokohama, he decided to slug it out.
Medecilo did not know Ishii’s scouts were watching for that quality. He only wanted to impress the Japanese onlookers, and he did. When the offer arrived, Medecilo said his first thought was to go home. The Japanese hosts kept him in the gym for three weeks.
They videoed every move: heavy bag, speed ball, shadow-boxing. He returned to Manila last week and went straight to Elorde Gym on Sucat to work with trainer Erickson Asilo.
Takeshi Ishii's first-round power
Ishii is a bomber who does not believe in holding back. He will charge in for the kill at the opening bell. Last September, he demolished Puerto Rican Wilfredo Mendez at 1:05 of the first round to capture the vacant WBA title in Yokohama.
The Mendez result is the clearest evidence of Ishii’s opening-bell danger. It also explains why Dante’s advice focused on distance rather than exchange. The former kickboxer’s record is 12-1 with nine KOs. His victims include Filipinos Jake Amparo and John Kevin Jimenez.
His only loss was a split decision to Filipino Lito Dante, now based in the US. Dante is the only man to have beaten Ishii, so his warning carries weight. In a Facebook message, Dante advised Medecilo not to engage Ishii in a slugfest and to box from a distance.
Zyvyr Medecilo's record chase
Medecilo is 9-0 with five KOs and has never fought overseas. If he dethrones Ishii, he will be the fastest Filipino to win a world title on his 10th fight and justify his moniker, the “Blitz Kid.” Malcolm Tunacao set the record when he bagged the WBC flyweight crown on his 11th fight in 2000.
Matchmaker Anthony Arieta said Medecilo’s title crack was unexpected. Medecilo is ranked No. 14 by the IBF, though No. 8 by the WBC and WBO. “We accepted the match because we want the history to become the fastest Filipino pro boxer to become a world champion,” Arieta said.
“He will be up against the odds. Ishii is a puncher but our guy has skills and ring smartness that can disrupt Ishii’s fight so we think we have a good chance to win. We agreed to the fight because it’s Zyvyr’s opportunity to fight for a world title.”
Manny Pacquiao's visit and Pedro Taduran sparring
Last week, Medecilo was at Elorde Gym when Manny Pacquiao dropped by. “I told Sir Manny I am from Polomolok,” Medecilo said. Pacquiao wished him the best of luck and told him to put in the work in the gym to be ready for a hard fight. Medecilo said he was star-struck and could hardly speak but was inspired by the experience.
He recently sparred six rounds with IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran and held his own. The Taduran sparring is the closest available measure of Medecilo’s readiness for a world champion. That raised expectations that Ishii may regret getting what he wished for. The next measurable step is Nov. 26 in Tokyo, where Medecilo’s technical discipline will meet Ishii’s first-round pressure.
The original report appears at philstar.com.