THE much-anticipated heavyweight showdown between Filipino-Italian Brandon Vera and British fighter Chi Lewis-Parry in the main event of the One Championship: Spirit of Champions slated on Friday at the Mall of Asia, is not a go, after all.
The fight has been shelved because Lewis-Perry, according to One Championship CEO Victor Cui, has failed to submit to a drug test. Cui said the organizers advised Parry’s manager and the fighter to submit to medical and drug tests over the last few weeks, but failed to do comply with the requirement until yesterday.
As a result, Lewis-Parry and his coach and trainers decided not to board the plane from London to Manila.
Vera will instead fight another contender in Paul Cheng.
“The next top HW contender, Paul Cheng of China will be stepping in for the World Championship fight against Brandon Vera. Can China claim its first-ever heavyweight world champion or will the hometown hero make it a storybook win for Filipinos?,” asked Cui in his post in Facebook account.
Vera has been doing early morning sessions for the past weeks, including speed training with his coach Billy Fonua.
The 6’2” Vera owns a 13-7 win-loss record, while the 37-year-old Cheng, fighting out of the Clinch MMA and Fitness club, has a 5-1 record.
Cheng is coming off four consecutive wins, including a technical knockout win in the second round against Mahmoud Hassan last July 11.