Suico out of Barrera card

Reigning OPBF super featherweight champion Randy "Kumong Bato" Suico will not be fighting in the undercard of Marco Antonio Barrera's WBC super featherweight title defense against Australian 'Bomber" Robbie Peden on September 17 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Initially, Suico was set to battle Mexican Javier Jaurequi for the WBC International lightweight title underneath the Barrera card, but the match was deleted after the promoters decided to have Suico as the last minute substitute if ever any of the two fighters - Barrera and Peden - got injured during their training.

Jun Ablaca, Suico's trainer, said there's no need to worry though as their Japanese handler Joe Koizumi assured them Suico's championship showdown with the former IBF lightweight champion Jaurequi would still push through still in Las Vegas on September 23 at the Holiday Inn.

"Manager Koizumi told us that Suico's fight against Jaurequi will definitely push through still in Las Vegas on September 23 at the Holiday Inn," Ablaca told The Freeman.

With this, they have to reset their US trip to September 18 instead of September 10 as originally scheduled.

"Our papers are all ready for us to leave for the US on September 10, but we have to move our trip to September 18 with this latest development," said Ablaca.

Suico, presently ranked No.4 super featherweight contender by the WBC behind Erik Morales, Jesus Chavez and Manny Pacquiao, wields a shining 23-1 win-loss record spiked with 20KOs since entering the pro backyard in 1998.

Suico's first and only loss, so far, was dealt by South African Mzonke Fana via controversial decision in their WBC elimination bout in May last year in Johannesburg.

This will only be the second time that Suico will strut his stuff in the US. The first was last September 13, 2002 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where the Mandaue City-native punisher stopped Mexican Juan Carlos Garcia in the fourth round.

In his previous bout on April 27, 2005 at the Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex, Suico hammered Thai Muangfahlek Kiatwhichean into fourth round submission for his fourth successful defense of the OPBF title he won in 2001.

On the other hand, Jauregui parades a 49-12-1 win-loss-draw ledger packed with 32 stoppages in his 17-year pro career.

Jauregui snatched the vacant IBF lightweight championship after stopping American Leavander Johnson in the 11th round on November 22, 2003 at the Olympic Auditorium in LA. He reigned only for six months as he was stripped of his by Julio Diaz via majority decision at the Sports Arena in San Diego, California.