Rafols duels Morikawa

MANILA, Philippines - All eyes will be focused on local boy Jessie “Finisher” Rafols when he faces Japanese Hideo “Death From Tokyo” Morikawa in their blue ribbon match for the interim bantamweight championship of the Colt 45 Universal Reality Combat Championships XIX which gets underway April 2 at the Trade World Center in Pasay City.

The Rafols-Morikawa confrontation will decide who will succeed belt-holder Justin “Shocker” Cruz, who has decided to take a breather to concentrate on his new love, firefighting.

Both Rafols and Morikawa are undefeated so the organizers decided to pair them to determine the best in their division, URCC president Alvin Aguilar said during Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.

The Rafols-Morikawa match is one of the 10 fights the Colt 45-backed classic put up.

Others include the match-awaited rematch between Yay Yaw Buhawi’s Alvin “Sindikato” Ramirez and reigning pinweight titleholder Roy “Punisher” Docyogen of Lakas MMA in the featured match.