Jade Bornea Wins Title Eliminator Over Mohammed Obbadi
Boxing is a sport where one fight can change the direction of a fighter’s life. Super flyweight Jade “Hurricane” Bornea (17-0, 11ko) has arrived and his victory over IBF number three rated Mohammed “Maraviglia” Obbadi (22-2, 13ko) sets up a shot for the title.
The super flyweight division is so stacked with high-profile champions and former champions that contenders like Bornea go unmentioned by the boxing community. His professional resume is not loaded with eye-popping names, but his amateur pedigree is worth noting.
Hurricane won both the Junior and Youth light flyweight tournaments. Furthermore, he lost the AIBA world championship to current unified super bantamweight champion Murodjon “MJ” Ahkmadaliev in 2012. In 2013, he defeated MJ and three-divisional champion Kosei Tanaka, winning the ASBC Asian Confederation championships.
Obbadi’s only defeat was to former champion Cristofer Rosales back in 2017. The Morocco native went on a nine-fight win streak against subpar competition. Nevertheless, he fought his way into a title eliminator. There, he was looking to use experience and combination punches to confuse the younger fighter.
BORNEA HAS ARRIVED
Obbadi started out having success with the left hook and straight right hand. However, his success was short-lived. As the fight continued, Bornea adjusted and found a home for his lead right hook that had the eye of Obbadi swollen.
In the third round, Bornea came forward, stalked, and landed the right hook before hitting Obbadi with a debilitating left uppercut to the pit of the stomach. The referee counted Maraviglia out as he never recovered from such a brutal punch. As quick as a snap of the finger, Bornea has made his presence felt in the division, jumping straight to the top of the line.
THE WAITING GAME
Jade Bornea is now the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas. The fight will not happen right away, as the champion has a major upcoming unification with WBO champ Kazuto Ioka. The unification got postponed and will possibly happen in May. However, he can entertain other foes like former WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards or former title challenger Sho Ishida. With all the new opportunities that will come his way, it will be interesting to see what is next for Hurricane.
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By: Garrisson Bland
