In his hometown of Osorno, Chile, 27-year-old Robinson Laviñanza (9-2-1, 4 KOs) will take on 30-year-old Argentinean Guillermo Osvaldo Soloppi (19-8-1, 3 KOs) for the vacant WBA Fedebol bantamweight title on February 5 at the Gymnasia Espanol.
The bout is scheduled for nine rounds and could serve as a precursor to a potential top-15 ranking in the 118-pound weight class sometime down the road for the winner. The current WBA undisputed champion is Juan Carlos Payano from the Dominican Republic, while Great Britain’s Jamie McDonnell is the world champion.
Both Laviñanza and Soloppi are a long way from reaching that level of the sport, but a win on February 5 could move one of them closer to the next level.
That’s especially the case for Laviñanza. Though he’s already 27 years old, he’s had only 12 professional fights in his career. The southpaw scored a unanimous-decision win over Gabriel Gustavo Ovejero in his last bout back in September 2015. Up to now, all of Lavinanza’s fights have taken place in Chile.
A win and the acquisition of a title could potentially set him up to feature away from his home country to take on bigger challenges in front of larger audiences.
Soloppi had a busy but unsuccessful year in 2015. He fought six times, but only won once. He finished the year with a 1-4-1 record. Most recently, he fought Fabian Oscar Orozco to a majority-decision draw in December 2015.
Soloppi started his career 13-0, but began to run into issues in 2009 when his fight with Lucas Antonio Carranza was ruled a no contest after an accidental clash of heads. His record since then is 6-8. Perhaps he can rekindle some of the magic from earlier in his career, or at least test Laviñanza to paint a clearer picture of the Chilean for those who have him on their radar.
As of now, Laviñanza vs. Soloppi is the only fight announced for the February 5 event. Check out BoxRec for more information on bouts that could be added to the card, and possible viewing information.
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
