CEBU, Philippines — He returned to pro boxing after a 12-year layoff with one clear goal in mind - pursue his childhood dream to become a world champion.
Now that a golden opportunity comes his way, undefeated Cebuano fighter Rey “The Future” Caitom vows to make the most out of it knowing that a victory will push him closer towards accomplishing his mission.
“I feel very relaxed, very confident and excited for my first Championship fight,” said Caitom, who is set to battle Frans Damur Palue of Indonesia for the vacant WBC Asia Boxing Council Continental minimumweight title at the Foochow Building in Singapore this Saturday, September 28.
In his ring comeback from an almost two-decade hiatus, the 33-year-old Caitom didn’t show any signs of rust in pulling off an impressive unanimous decision win over Silem Serang of Indonesia on November 30, 2018.
He was sharper the second time around, knocking out another Indon Khachonsak Pothong in just two rounds last June 29 to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0-1 spiked with 3KOs.
That led Caitom, a five-time national amateur champion and one of the brightest stars during his days with Cebu’s fabled ALA Gym, to his first ever shot at a regional crown, something that he looks forward to with zest and enthusiasm.
“I would like to thank the Juggernaut Fight Club and to my promoter/coach Arvind Lawlani for giving me this opportunity to prove that I have what it takes to be a champion,” said Caitom, who is also supported by AKE International, TSW. Technologies, Woh Hup Company, and Cebu’s Panalay Tailoring.
Things may look easy for Caitom in the eyes of many but unlike other pro boxers, the fighting pride of Mandaue City is treading a different kind of path. He has to juggle between work and training not to mention his daily struggle of being away from his family.
“It’s really hard. It’s not easy to prepare for training everyday because of my busy work schedule,” said Caitom, who is now based in Singapore where he works as a trainer at the Unbeatable Boxing and Fitness Training.
Every day, Caitom works early in the morning until after lunchtime, then takes a rest for two hours before hitting the gym to train. After his training, he takes another short break before proceeding to work as a fitness trainer until past 10 pm.
Aside from that, Caitom also charts his own training program as he heads to what he describes as the biggest fight of his life.
Pressed on why he is doing all these things, Caitom offered some words of wisdom:“It’s all about self-discipline and self-motivation in order to achieve my goal to become a world champion one day.”