By Peter Villa, Jr.

 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines – The second edition of the Warzone Cordillera is expected on December 5, Pinoy Boxing Prodigy top man Darwin Miller Dep-ay announced this week.

“We are looking at a December 5 schedule,” said Dep-ay and will be slated a new at the Cordillera Career Development College Admirals gym in Buyagan here.

Dep-ay, a former CCDC mentor, will have a fully stacked schedule anew as he integrates amateur and professional fights where fighters will mostly come from the region – Baguio, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao and Abra – against pugilists from the Ilocos Region, Metro Manila and even the Visayas and Mindanao areas.

Dep-ay said that the August 1 spectacle was just the beginning as he eyes a more aggressive campaign to promote both amateur and pro boxing and under one roof from this point forward.

It was also his first promotion since the December 2023 regional title fight of number one super bantamweight challenger Carl Jammes Martin before his United States debut.

The August 1 promotion saw Osaka native Muguchi Nakagawa dominate Lemuel de Barbo en route to a third-round technical knockout victory.
The older and more experienced former regional champion Nakagawa also used his five-inch height advantage to the hilt for the win.

Despite de Barbo finding his rhythm at the second canto, the Japanese proved classier as he deflected the rally staged by the Filipino.

A flurry of punches at the opening of the third saw de Barbo clinging on Nakagawa before they both stumbled.
When they got back on their feet, de Barbo seemed dazed and confused as the Japanese resumed his attacks looking for the kill before the before called for a stop and ended the fight at the 2:10 mark.

Nakagawa improved to 33-11-4 (win-loss-draw), his fifth in six fights that include a draw against countryman Yamasaki Kaito last February at home.
Nakagawa, who won over the hearts of local boxing fans, won four straight matches that started in December of 2024 after back-to-back defeats to fellow Japanese, the first of which was for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super bantamweight crown.

The Japanese fighter, who fed street children in Manila before flying home, said that he might improve to number 15 in the World Boxing Association super lightweight division and may face the exciting Filipino Riel Casimero in his fight.

Casimero fights in Japan only.