Suarez barges into WBO’s latest Jr. lightweight’s Top 10 world rankings

Charly Suarez carrying the belts he won in Australia as he was welcomed by AFP personnel at the NAIA earlier this month. | Photo from the Philippine Army Facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines—- Charly “King’s Warrior” Suarez continues to make an impression in the mainstream boxing scene after breaking into the Top 10 of the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) junior lightweight division in the latest global rankings.

The 34-year-old Suarez who was previously unranked in the WBO is now ranked No. 10 in the March 20 rankings update of the junior lightweight division.

A huge part of Suarez’s ascension was due to his spectacular technical knockout victory against Australian Paul Fleming last March 15 in Sydney, Australia.

Suarez defied the odds in fighting in Fleming’s backyard by scoring a sensational 12th round TKO win to snatch the latter’s International Boxing Organization (IBO) Inter-Continental super featherweight, World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania super featherweight, and World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Boxing Council super featherweight titles.

At the same time, Suarez defended his  International Boxing Federation (IBF) Asia super featherweight title which was also at stake.

Suarez, a military reservist, dislodged erstwhile No. 10 junior lightweight contender Sultan Zaurbek of Kazakhstan who is now ranked No. 15.

Meanwhile, fellow Filipino, Virgel Vitor of the PMI Bohol Boxing Stable, is likely to also enter the Top 15 for being the WBO Oriental junior lightweight champion.

Suarez is undefeated in 15 fights with nine knockouts. The former Olympian and Asian Games silver medalist is one of the best Filipino prospects in boxing.

His ascension in the pro scene is nothing short being great since his debut in 2019. In 2022, Suarez fought five times and won four titles in the process.

He bagged the WBA Asia super featherweight title by knocking out Omega Boxing Gym’s Tomjune Mangubat, and went on winning the Philippine super featherweight and IBF Asia super featherweight straps.

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