CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Rising contender Joseph Ambo will make his ring return in his hometown this Thursday, January 12 when he faces rugged journeyman Romnick Magos at Tablon Mini Gym in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
The ten-round junior featherweight bout will be the first for Ambo (11-2-1, 7 knockouts) in his hometown as a professional. He says he will have plenty of family members and friends in attendance to support, which has motivated him even more to put on a great performance.
“I’m really excited about my upcoming match and to be able to fight again because all of the matches are really important to me,” said Ambo.
Ambo showed he was a force to be reckoned with in 2021, when he traveled to Georgia and pulled off a significant upset, knocking down the previously unbeaten Darren Cunningham four times en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Cortez Bey, a former professional fighter himself, was promoting the show that night, and Cunningham was trained by his brother, former IBF lightweight champion Mickey Bey Jr. But after witnessing Ambo’s hunger up close, Cortez Bey signed him to a promotional deal. Now he’s looking to keep him active and build his ranking with the sanctioning bodies to earn him a world title opportunity.
“I’m working on getting him back to the United States to get him active to fight here. He’s ready for a major fight right now in my opinion, so I want to get him into two more solid fights and then get him to a world title after that,” said Bey, the Cleveland-based promoter who runs Bey Bros Promotions.
Ambo is trained by Roberto Jalnaiz, a highly respected trainer who competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, and won several gold medals in international tournaments.
Ambo’s main sparring partner is Carlo Paalam, a fellow Cagayan de Oro City native who is best known for winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
“My goal is to become a world champion,” said Ambo. “Nothing is impossible with The Lord.”