Cristian Araneta was willing to wait as long as it took to secure his first career title opportunity.
Within reason, anyway.
The streaking contender is set to face Thailand’s Thanongsak Simsri for the vacant IBF junior flyweight title. They will meet as part of a four-fight ESPN+ stream topped by the Brian Norman Jnr-Jin Sasaki WBO welterweight tile fight this Thursday from Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
Araneta, 25-2 (20 KOs) made weight without issue for their scheduled twelve-round contest.
“I’ve been at this weight for over a decade now. Making weight is starting to get difficult but it’s nothing I can’t manage,” Araneta told BoxingScene. “I have a small frame and our management keeps an eye on our weight. We’re not allowed to go beyond fifteen pounds over our weight class to ensure we stay ready for whatever comes.”
The 30-year-old southpaw from Cebu City, Philippines has been the mandatory challenger for this belt for more than a year. He secured his place in line with a first-round knockout of countryman Arvin Magramo last January 26 in his hometown. However, an injury prevented him from landing a due title shot in timely fashion.
An injury-free run would have meant a rematch with Sivenathi Nontshinga, who barely edged Araneta in their April 2021 IBF title eliminator in South Africa.
Instead, Araneta was forced to undergo surgery to repair an injured left wrist. His year-long ring absence left him limited with a spectator’s view for Masamichi Yabuki’s stunningly one-sided ninth-round knockout of Nontshinga last October to win the title.
“My team and I actually flew to Japan to watch Nontshinga vs Yabuki fight,” recalled Araneta. “Mr. [Koko] Kameda was kind enough to give us ringside seats so I saw everything up close.”
The IBF was prepared to order a mandatory title fight but permitted Yabuki to challenge Angel Ayala for the IBF flyweight title, which he won via 12th round knockout on March 29.
Yabuki decided to remain put at 112lbs and vacated his junior flyweight title in the process.
“I thought Yabuki versus myself would be an incredible match up,” pondered Araneta. “He has immense power and skills and so do I. It’s all a matter of who makes a mistake first. It’s the kind of fight a relatively unknown fighter like myself could dream of you know.
“About him moving up… I respect his decision. He fought another champion at a higher weight. You can’t fault him for that.”
Araneta finally gets his chance. It comes on the heels of a six-fight win streak, all but one which ended inside the distance. He has stopped each of his last three opponents, including back-to-back first-round knockouts ahead of his first career fight in Japan.
Among those who’ve provided inspiration for his career turn are his countryman and future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire. He also credits Rachel Donaire, Nonito’s wife, with helping improve the conditioning necessary to compete at this level.
“I’ve also learned a lot of things from Nonito Donaire when I had the rare opportunity to train with him. I’ve seen him train and fight through an injury but he never gave up and kept on going. Ma’am Rachel Donaire also helped me train my legs which I hated at first but the results were undeniable (hahaha) I think I’ve improved a lot.”
Simsri, 38-1 (34 KOs), comes armed with a fourteen-fight win streak. Unlike Araneta, he actually had the opportunity to face Yabuki, who is responsible for his lone career defeat.
The bulk of Simsri’s win streak is littered with filler opposition. However, he was impressive in a split decision victory over former strawweight titlist Masataka Taniguchi last December 15 in Osaka, Japan.
As far as Araneta is concerned, Simsri is the most dangerous fighter in the world right now.
I think Simsri can beat both [WBO 108lbs titlist Rene] Santiago and his fellow countryman [WBC titleholder Panya] Pradabsri,” Araneta insisted. “He has good fundamentals and he’s young and hungry.
“He beat [Miel] Fajardo who’s one of my main sparring partner for this fight. So, he can definitely take a punch and knows how to stay composed.”
It is now up to Araneta to remain composed in the ring, to claim his first major title. He’s shown patience and professionalism to get to this point.
The goal now is to claim a belt at a weight he’s fought at for nearly his entire career – though not a place where he plans to remain much longer.
“If I do become the IBF junior flyweight champ, I would love to unify right away so I can join the party at flyweight as soon as possible,” quipped Araneta.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .