More mandatory challengers

In yesterday's column, three Filipino No. 1 contenders were featured as mandatory challengers in line to take world title cracks this year — WBO No. 1 superfeatherweight Charly Suarez, IBF No. 1 lightflyweight Christian Araneta and WBO No. 1 lightflyweight Regie Suganob.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

Three more Filipino fighters are in the queue for mandatory championship shots. They are WBA No. 2 (No. 1 is vacant) lightflyweight Arvin Jhon Paciones, IBF No. 3 (Nos. 1 and 2 are vacant) minimumweight Joey Canoy and WBO No. 1 minimumweight Vic Saludar.

Paciones, 20, is rated No. 2 by WBA with the No. 1 slot vacant. Known as The Sniper, Paciones has a 10-0 record, with five KOs and is based in Ho Chi Minh City. His target is WBA champion Erick Rosa of the Dominican Republic. Rosa, 24, totes an 8-0 mark, with two KOs. In 2021, Rosa scored a split 12-round decision over former WBA/WBO minimumweight king Saludar in a war where both fighters took mandatory eight-counts.